Prevents fore-aft movement
A spring line is a mooring rope that runs at an angle from a boat to the dock, preventing the vessel from moving forward or backward while allowing it to rise and fall with tides or waves.
Spring lines typically run from the bow aft or from the stern forward: Secure the spring lines before you leave the boat.
The term comes from the rope's function—it lets the boat "spring" or give with water movement rather than strain against a fixed point.
IDEA.org / Words / spring line
Prevents fore-aft movement
A spring line is a mooring rope that runs at an angle from a boat to the dock, preventing the vessel from moving forward or backward while allowing it to rise and fall with tides or waves.
Spring lines typically run from the bow aft or from the stern forward: Secure the spring lines before you leave the boat.
The term comes from the rope's function—it lets the boat "spring" or give with water movement rather than strain against a fixed point.
1. mooring — hawser, Thick nautical tethering rope; cleat (Shoe spike for grip); bollard (Traffic-blocking vertical post); fender (Protective wheel housing); bitt · fairlead · capstan · winch · warping · docking · berth · slip · piling · wharf
2. arch — keystone, Arch's central locking stone; impost (Tax on traded goods); haunch (Hip and upper thigh); abutment (Load-bearing end structure); spandrel · crown · archivolt · soffit · centering · masonry · thrust · load-bearing · curvature · span
MOORING LINE DIRECTION/FUNCTIONspring line ≠ bow line Fixed-loop nautical knot; stern line · head line
spring, line, springs, sprung, springy, springiness, springing, springer, lines
Word data: Linguabase (CC0) · www.idea.org/words/spring_line