Entry 1 Gear has a home, and it is not the dock
Coolers, folding chairs, and fishing rods left on a shared finger dock narrow the walkway for everyone else using it, often right at the point where someone is stepping between boats carrying something heavy. Stow gear aboard or against your own boat, not spread across shared space.
Entry 2 Noise travels differently over water
A generator, a stereo, or even a loud conversation carries much further across still water and between hulls than the same sound would on land, especially in the evening. What sounds quiet from your own cockpit can be clearly audible three slips away.
Entry 3 A short conversation prevents most conflicts
New neighbors at a dock rarely know each other's routines — early departures, late arrivals, kids aboard, a dog that barks at footsteps. A two-minute introduction when you arrive heads off most of the friction that otherwise shows up later as a terse note on the dock box.
Entry 4 Questions people ask
Is it okay to ask a neighbor to move their gear?
Yes, politely and directly — most boaters would rather be asked than have someone silently annoyed at them.
What is a reasonable quiet-hours expectation if none is posted?
Treating roughly 9pm to 7am as quiet hours is a safe default in most marinas even without a posted rule.