LOG №0171 · boating life & marina cultureentry recorded 03 Nov 2026
Dock LinesShip's Log

Log · Marina

Marina etiquette & docking signals

The unwritten rules that keep a shared dock calm, plus the handful of signals worth recognizing before you need them.

Entry 1 Dock etiquette at a glance

01
Approach slow, wake low
Cut your speed well before the fairway. Your wake rocks every boat already tied up, including the one someone is stepping off of.
02
Ask before you raft up
Tying alongside another boat, even briefly, is a question, not an announcement. A quick hello covers it.
03
Keep the fairway clear
Don't idle in the main channel between docks while deciding on a slip. Pull to the side or circle wide.
04
Quiet hours are real
Generators, music, and deck chatter carry further over water than on land. Most marinas have an unwritten curfew even where there is no posted one.
05
Return what you borrow
A dock cart, a hose, a fender — return it to where it lives so the next boater isn't searching for it.
06
Coil your lines, don't leave them
Loose line left on a finger dock is a trip hazard for the next person walking to their own boat at night.
07
Offer a hand, don't grab a line
Offering to catch a line is welcome. Grabbing someone's boat without being asked can startle a new boater mid-maneuver.
08
Share the fuel dock fast
Fuel up, pay, and move off promptly if there is a line behind you. Finish the small chores at your own slip instead.

Entry 2 Common docking & handling signals

01
One long horn blast — Leaving the dock or departing a berth
A heads-up to anyone nearby who might be moving too
02
Three short blasts — Operating astern propulsion (backing up)
Lets boats behind you know you are reversing, not idling
03
Five short blasts — Danger or disagreement with another vessel's intended action
Not a greeting — treat it as "stop and reassess"
04
Raised, open hand toward a dock — Line handler asking for a line to be passed
Common informal signal when engine noise drowns out speech
05
Pointing along the dock — Indicating which slip or direction a boat should move toward
Used by dockhands directing incoming traffic

Entry 3 Related reading

01
Why the angle of a dock line matters more than how tight it is
read →
02
Reading a marina before you commit to a slip
read →
03
Sharing a finger dock without creating friction
read →
04
Right of way and patience at a busy fuel dock
read →