Deck Bollards: what type of knot do you use?

[rustybarge]

Bollards on motorboats that I've seen always tie a fiqure of eight around the cross bar to take the load.

Never knew it was incorrect..........what do you think?

Keep the turns parallel to get maximum grip on the bollard and do not allow them to overlap one another or they will jam. The fourth turn is made above the pins in the form of a half hitch with the bitter end of the line caught under the turn. This securing will hold a 2,000 ton barge if the line and bollard are of the appropriate size!

Don’t forget that no matter what you may see on many pleasure craft the cross pins are not intended to take any weight or strain, they are there to prevent the line slipping off or tangling. You make your hitch or knot* (if you must) around the bollard itself which takes the weight of the vessel; never tie to the pins.

http://www.barges.org/publications/blue-flag/bollards

 

[prv]

I've not really used bollards with pins much. On the square-rigged ship I sailed in, we had great big bollards about 18" in diameter and 2 feet tall, and secured to those just by winding turns round them all the way up to the top. The weight of the rope (about 3" diameter) held itself in place. With smaller line on smaller bollards or around winches on sailing boats (when using them as a bollard, not winching anything) I generally tie a tugboat hitch (aka lighterman's hitch). This is worth knowing if you don't already. If I did come across a bollard with a pin, I think I would probably put several turns round the body of it and then hold the end in place with a fig-8 or two across the pin. Mr barge-man might not like it, but with all the load in the turns and the fig-8s just holding the turns in place, it seems sound enough.

Pete

 

[rustybarge]

I've not really used bollards with pins much. On the square-rigged ship I sailed in, we had great big bollards about 18" in diameter and 2 feet tall, and secured to those just by winding turns round them all the way up to the top. The weight of the rope (about 3" diameter) held itself in place. With smaller line on smaller bollards or around winches on sailing boats (when using them as a bollard, not winching anything) I generally tie a tugboat hitch (aka lighterman's hitch). This is worth knowing if you don't already. If I did come across a bollard with a pin, I think I would probably put several turns round the body of it and then hold the end in place with a fig-8 or two across the pin. Mr barge-man might not like it, but with all the load in the turns and the fig-8s just holding the turns in place, it seems sound enough.

Pete

Would you leave your boat permanently moored with just a lighterman's hitch?
The loose end seems very loose..!

I ask because I can't decide whether to go for ceats or bollards on my new hull moulding.

 

[paul.norton]

Would you leave your boat permanently moored with just a lighterman's hitch?
The loose end seems very loose..!

I ask because I can't decide whether to go for ceats or bollards on my new hull moulding.

The last paragraph from the link in post 1.

"For mooring, another loop passed under the line and around the bollard in the opposite direction is usually more than sufficient depending on the size of the line. As the end is always free it cannot jam and the loops just fall away to release in seconds. Only one bollard is used for mooring leaving the others free for more lines. I’ve also used this method frequently for quick release towing lines where any other hitch would tighten too much.”

That would be secure enough.

Paul

 

[rustybarge]

The last paragraph from the link in post 1.

"For mooring, another loop passed under the line and around the bollard in the opposite direction is usually more than sufficient depending on the size of the line. As the end is always free it cannot jam and the loops just fall away to release in seconds. Only one bollard is used for mooring leaving the others free for more lines. I’ve also used this method frequently for quick release towing lines where any other hitch would tighten too much.”

That would be secure enough.

Paul

It goes against one's instinct, to wind on a couple of turns and put a couple of loops over the bollard, and then just throw the coil of rope on the deck.

View attachment 34418

I feel the need to put a knot somewhere...!

Another thing that's very common is to put a spliced fixed loop over the deck bollards.......that is surely a no-no?

 

[paul.norton]

Another thing that's very common is to put a spliced fixed loop over the deck bollards.......that is surely a no-no?

Why??? I had a 4 x 4 inch samson post on a vessel I converted. Two strops with eye spices secured on the post and under the cross-bar.

Never had a problem.

Paul

 

[rustybarge]

Why??? I had a 4 x 4 inch samson post on a vessel I converted. Two strops with eye spices secured on the post and under the cross-bar.

Never had a problem.

Paul

I thought all lines had to be 'slip lines' at the boat end of the rope?

So that.....
You could adjust the length onboard rather than the landlubber.
The idiot onshore could just drop the loop over the bollard.
If the line got tangled you could release it onboard, even when it's under load.
In an emergency you could just release the boat end of the line.....

 

[rustybarge]

Here's my neighbour's boat, and how he ties up to a deck bollard!!

The line is just waiting to fall off.

Please post some photo's of bollards...........

 

[prv]

Would you leave your boat permanently moored with just a lighterman's hitch?

Yes - but possibly our understandings differ as to what a lighterman's hitch is. I call it a tugboat hitch, which I thought was the same, and the way I tie it I can put as many locking loops on as I like.

I can't find any good pictures of exactly what I mean - this is close:

...except that you'd put at least three or four turns on before starting with the loops. That diagram shows two locking loops; as the caption says, you can continue applying these two, alternating, as many times as you like.

Pete

 

[rustybarge]

Yes - but possibly our understandings differ as to what a lighterman's hitch is. I call it a tugboat hitch, which I thought was the same, and the way I tie it I can put as many locking loops on as I like.

I can't find any good pictures of exactly what I mean - this is close:

...except that you'd put at least three or four turns on before starting with the loops. That diagram shows two locking loops; as the caption says, you can continue applying these two, alternating, as many times as you like.

Pete

Iv'e actually seen tugboats on the Thames using that knot, towing those gas container thingies, also Bowlines connected together.
Looks very very scary when they're going downstream...

 

[Mariner69]

.........., also Bowlines connected together.
Looks very very scary when they're going downstream...

Probably Double Carrick Bends which are easier to tie and untie when using tow ropes. They also warp around the drums and bitts without too much hassle.

 

[prv]

Probably Double Carrick Bends which are easier to tie and untie when using tow ropes. They also warp around the drums and bitts without too much hassle.

Carrick bend is good for tow ropes, but I can't see how it could be confused with a pair of bowlines linked together.

Pete

 

[Richard10002]

Yes - but possibly our understandings differ as to what a lighterman's hitch is. I call it a tugboat hitch, which I thought was the same, and the way I tie it I can put as many locking loops on as I like.

I can't find any good pictures of exactly what I mean - this is close:

...except that you'd put at least three or four turns on before starting with the loops. That diagram shows two locking loops; as the caption says, you can continue applying these two, alternating, as many times as you like.

Pete

After 30 years of sailing, I learned this hitch during The Inland Waterways Helmsmans Course in 2006. ISTR the instructor called it a Boatmans Hitch - very handy. A couple of these, and our boat is held tight, despite the idiots that go past way too fast.

 

[rustybarge]

After 30 years of sailing, I learned this hitch during The Inland Waterways Helmsmans Course in 2006. ISTR the instructor called it a Boatmans Hitch - very handy. A couple of these, and our boat is held tight, despite the idiots that go past way too fast.

I'm converted.....it's bollards for my workboat hull. Couldn't find a big enough cleats anyway.

 

[cryan]

Just a quick pedantic moan, but unless your on a warship you don't have bollards on a boat. Bollards are on the quayside. Bitts are on the boat along with stag horns, sampson posts and crucifix, but no bollards.

 

[rustybarge]

Just a quick pedantic moan, but unless your on a warship you don't have bollards on a boat. Bollards are on the quayside. Bitts are on the boat along with stag horns, sampson posts and crucifix, but no bollards.

Aaa ah, it's a case of saying Mass again just in case, like in Father Ted.