Dock lines, to eye or not

[mcframe]

I'm with the (soft) eyes - this works for me:

8.2m boat, two red 7m lines, two blue 10m lines. (+ shorelines when rated).

Going alongside - pop red soft eyes on bow & stern boat cleats.
Step ashore and OXO bow/stern lines on pontoon cleats.

Ties plain end of blue springs with round turn and big bowline on vertical of pontoon cleat, lead on board and OXO one on offside bow cleat and run other to genoa winch.

Undo red bow/stern line OXO, tie round turn and big bowline to other vertical or pontoon cleat, take line on board and OXO to cleat that had soft eye.

Leaving the pontoon is the reverse of the above. Normally, I can convert the bow and stern lines to slips (with soft eye on boat cleat, round pontoon cleat, then Oxo on boat cleat), remove springs, then easily slip the plain ends.

Basically, that means that I'm only suggesting eyes on bow/stern lines (always used on boat cleats) for arrival or departure.

Oh, and mini-crew are now getting quite handy in assisting with this - a soft eye makes it easier and cleaner for them to work out which end to slip

 

[Andrew G]

AndyGC - thanks, for the OXO explanation. Does that include a half turn on the cleat's horn as the last movement?

Or is this what you meant?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V-RKHtBIFg


Andrew

 

[charles_reed]

I always have an eye-splice in my dock-lines, and IMHO, absolutes, for none or always are equally likely to be false - it all has to do with the cleats onto which my lines fit - a bowline loop would prevent the end being passed back and made fast. Unfortunately many "crew" have no idea how to tie any knots, never mind a bowline.
The only fiat, with which I would agree is that the eye-splice should not go ashore (with breast-lines).

 

[LadyInBed]

A point in favour of an eye-splice - it is a very secure way of extending a line.
Putting one eye-splice through and over the eye-splice of a second line to form a reef knot which cannot come undone.

 

[bert49uk]

Eyes or not makes no odds to me.
I tie up with all the slack line on the boat so the lines can be adjusted without leaving the boat.
When leaving I double my lines so I can slip from onboard.

+1

 

[andygc]

AndyGC - thanks, for the OXO explanation. Does that include a half turn on the cleat's horn as the last movement?

The only time I use a locking turn is when I secure my dinghy to a stern cleat, so for me, no.

 

[prv]

The only fiat, with which I would agree is that the eye-splice should not go ashore (with breast-lines).

Why not?

To me, being tied up "properly" includes having each breast-line and spring consist of a seperate line running out from the boat, with a loop on the end hooked over a cleat or bollard. The loop could be either spliced or tied, and if the shore fitting is a ring or French hoop it will be tied through it, but the principle is the same. To me, the loop belongs ashore hooked round something (and dipped through everyone else's loops) and the rest of the line belongs on board.

(I don't always moor "properly", say for a short stop or on a marina finger, and of course a slip line will have to be seperately rigged before leaving if one is needed. But it's smoother overall to do that than try to convert a line cleated ashore and heavily loaded, anyway.)

Pete

 

[NickRobinson]

good thread- (no pun intended....)

I'm surprised no one but me use figures of eight to create loops as and when needed?

Not release-able under load but easy afterwards even when heavy loads have been applied.

I use them for rigging belays when I'm working as a caving instructor so its a natural carry-over.

Easier to teach than the bowline too.

Any problems other than release under load I've missed?

N