Dockline Knot?

wileecoyote

wileecoyote

Member
TECHNICAL Contributor
Oct 18, 2008
949
Southern MD/ Potomac river
Boat Info
1989 340 EC
Engines
7.4LX2 Hurth 630A Drives
6.5Kw QS Genny
Stupid question, maybe should have been a poll. I am replacing the docklines in my slip and I was wondering what knot people use to secure the lines to the poles that will stay there until the next replacement? I was thinking bowline but now I'm thinking round turn and two half hitches. Comments, suggestions?
 
Many at our marina wrap the line around the pole with the tag end under the lead from the boat then over 5 laps then tuck under the previous lap & then over 5...finishing up with the last lap tuck under the 2nd to last lap.
 
i mounted cleets on my poles. you dont want them sticking out into the slip where they can do dammage to the boat.mine r directly between the bulkhead and pole itself. great for holding the lines while out and about as well. a well placed quick tie also prevents transients from "adjusting" them to suit there boats. and or taking them when they leave
 
I use a bowline knot for all my lines but no one every uses my slip while I'm not there so I don't have to worry about someone adjusting them or taking them.
You might find this site helpful, if you click on the knot it will show you how to tie it.

http://www.tollesburysc.co.uk/Knots/Knots_gallery.htm

Ken
 
I really don't want to put cleats on the poles, but that sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the ideas so far. I'll have to see how much extra line I have, I'm not sure if I'll have enough to make 10 laps around the pole.
 
I've always used round and 3-4 half hitches. Never comes off.
 
I use two half hitches on my outboard pilings. Standard cleat ties on the dock. I picked up a couple of plastic coated hooks that screw into the pilings on the forward ends of the pilings to hang lines on when we are gone. Keeps them from falling into the water.
 
sbw1 said:
I use two half hitches on my outboard pilings. Standard cleat ties on the dock. I picked up a couple of plastic coated hooks that screw into the pilings on the forward ends of the pilings to hang lines on when we are gone. Keeps them from falling into the water.
Click to expand...

This may sound like a dumb question but I will have a similar setup to what you have in your signature picture at my new marina. My question is how do you tie up to the starboard side pilings if you are cleated off on the port side? It looks from the picture that the pilings are 3'-4' from your boat.
 
320Bob said:
This may sound like a dumb question but I will have a similar setup to what you have in your signature picture at my new marina. My question is how do you tie up to the starboard side pilings if you are cleated off on the port side? It looks from the picture that the pilings are 3'-4' from your boat.
Click to expand...

Not dumb at all. I was wondering the same thing. Here in SoCal, all the boating we do has docks and cleats. I use a cleat hitch to tie up every where. I am in FL right now and am noticing it is a lot of pilings. This is new to me and I'm curious how people handle it, particularly when single handed, which is a good portion of the boating I do.
 
Not that this applies totally to the thread but there is a good app for your Iphone or Ipod Touch regarding Knots.
 
I had to get into one like that and it was a real bear because I had no idea how to do it. It took 4 attempts. The way it ended up working for me was to pull in and get my stern close to the rear starboard piling so that I could tie it off from the swim platform first. I then went up to the bow and used a boat hook to get the starboard line from the piling to the bow. I tied the bitter end off to the cleat so the bow would be able to swing over to the other piling. I used the starboard line to pull the bow over to that piling, and then pushed off of it. I was able to turn around and grab the line from the port piling by hand when I got close enough. After adjusting the bow position, I went back to the stern and took care of them. It was not fun and I was pretty nervous because there were boats on both sides with nothing between us.

So now I'm sitting here with baited breath waiting for SBW to tell me how I should have done it. I really don't want to do it my way again...
 
skibum said:
I had to get into one like that and it was a real bear because I had no idea how to do it. It took 4 attempts. The way it ended up working for me was to pull in and get my stern close to the rear starboard piling so that I could tie it off from the swim platform first. I then went up to the bow and used a boat hook to get the starboard line from the piling to the bow. I tied the bitter end off to the cleat so the bow would be able to swing over to the other piling. I used the starboard line to pull the bow over to that piling, and then pushed off of it. I was able to turn around and grab the line from the port piling by hand when I got close enough. After adjusting the bow position, I went back to the stern and took care of them. It was not fun and I was pretty nervous because there were boats on both sides with nothing between us.

So now I'm sitting here with baited breath waiting for SBW to tell me how I should have done it. I really don't want to do it my way again...
Click to expand...

Your experience is exactly what I anticipated which is why I asked the "stupid" question. I would like to be able to tie off the pier side of the boat to cleats but use one of both pilings on the other side as spring line(s).:grin:
 
320Bob said:
This may sound like a dumb question but I will have a similar setup to what you have in your signature picture at my new marina. My question is how do you tie up to the starboard side pilings if you are cleated off on the port side? It looks from the picture that the pilings are 3'-4' from your boat.
Click to expand...

I lay the boat up against the starboard pilings while my wife ties off the bow and I handle the stern line. Then I put the port bow over to the dock line with a little forward starboard and port reverse power and the boat goes over to the dock and my wife picks up a dockline with a boat hook. She then picks up the spring line with me assisting from the helm and she picks up the stern line with the boat hook as she gets back into the boat and we have a 4 way tie with a spring. The reason we are so far off the dock and pilings is we are not in a no wake zone and the boat rocks a lot when boat traffic is heavy. This all becomes second nature when you have been doing it for years. We don't even think or talk about. It's also easy for me to do by myself.
 
SBW1,
I guessed some lateral boat movement in the slip plus a boat hook was part of the process but since I have never had a slip with pilings before I thought would ask a docking divo the question!:smt038
 
Iprof said:
I use a bowline knot for all my lines but no one every uses my slip while I'm not there so I don't have to worry about someone adjusting them or taking them.
You might find this site helpful, if you click on the knot it will show you how to tie it.

http://www.tollesburysc.co.uk/Knots/Knots_gallery.htm

Ken
Click to expand...
:thumbsup: Cool site! I learned alot of these knots years ago by copying pages from a library book and kept them on the boat. forgot most of them by now.....Will be practicing again this year! Thanks Todd
 
I use a clove hitch quite often when I tie up for something quick, like to pump out or get gas, but have been told by more than a few that this is not good to use for semi-permanent tie up. Also everywhere I have read it says they are prone to coming loose quite easily. I think I'm going to use the round and two half hitches shown HERE



Ka1oxd said:
Clove hitch when tie to a piling
Click to expand...
 
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Three strand nylon isn't as sexy as double braid and it often has a smaller tensile strength. However, I've watched a lot of boats "working" while tied up, and if a line comes loose it is more often then not a double braid line. I don't have any scientific evidence, but I think the three strand binds up on itself better and is less prone to working loose from the constant stretching and relaxing of boat working on the waves.
 
LTD.330 said:
Three strand nylon isn't as sexy as double braid and it often has a smaller tensile strength. However, I've watched a lot of boats "working" while tied up, and if a line comes loose it is more often then not a double braid line. I don't have any scientific evidence, but I think the three strand binds up on itself better and is less prone to working loose from the constant stretching and relaxing of boat working on the waves.
Click to expand...

We replace two of our lines every year because of the "working" you mention. Our boat will rock and roll so much on a busy weekend that it takes water over the stern into the cockpit. This is caused by inconsiderate or ignorant boaters who do not obey the wake laws. We need sturdy knots that can be untied at the end of the season and lines that are not degraded by the UV. Two half hitches make for a good tie that does not loosen and they are easier to adjust for length at the start of the season than a bowline.
 
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