Locking hitch yes or no

[thinwater]

It'll only jam if you didn't put enough turns on in the first place. The turns take the load, the locking turn just stops the end from falling off.

^^ This. Same with cam cleats after winches. The locking hitch (or cam cleat) is only loaded more than light hand tension if there are not enough turns.

How many turns are enough depends on the relative sizes and the friction characteristics of the cleat and line. Fixed answers are inherently flawed; the maths say so.

 

[Skylark]

With mooring warps, I generally put a spliced eye around or through the shore cleat (or put a round turn and a large bowline round one leg........

I’m of the “if it works for you then it’s right” view but I also think that lines with a spliced eye are the work of the devil. Sooner or later, usually at the most inappropriate time, the eye will snag.

For longer term mooring, when leaving the boat, I use bowline, with an anti-chafe turn around the pontoon cleats, OXO on boat cleats with excess line coiled and tied to guard rails out of harms way.

I’ve always believed in causing minimum inconvenience to other users and reducing the potential for trip hazards on a pontoon.

 

[[70521]]

Locking hitches are banned on my boat, if I find one the culprit is keel hauled, sentences can be reduced to a bottle of Highland Park if I feel in a good mood.

 

[Baggywrinkle]

My boat is moored year-round, stern-to on a concrete, fixed pontoon. I have two shared metal bollards on the pontoon and two ropes forward attached to concrete blocks on the sea bed - so all ropes are made fast on the boat.

I use a bowline on the cleat, go round the bollard, and then back on-board where a "full-wrap cleat hitch" as described in the video is used but with one extra locking hitch on rear lines. The mooring lines are not natural fibre and have never failed to undo easily in the 10 years I've been using this method - I have replaced my mooring lines a few times when they start to look worn.

With the two forward lines, the tails go back in the sea and run along the sea-bed to the pontoon at the stern - although the tails take no load from the boat, the weight of marine growth and movement of these tails can cause a single locking hitch to come undone if on the wrong end of the cleat ... so my last locking hitch is always on the opposite end of the cleat to where the tail drops back into the water. This is, IMO, an example where blanket rules on what to do and what not to do are not so helpful, each situation needs understanding of knots and where the forces acting on them will come from.

If a storm (Bora) comes through then the marina staff will often let the shore lines out a few metres and pull in the bow lines to move the boat further away from the pontoon - makes the leap onto the swim platform more exciting for returning owners - they re-tie it as I left it.

 

[jbweston]

Locking hitches are banned on my boat, if I find one the culprit is keel hauled, sentences can be reduced to a bottle of Highland Park if I feel in a good mood.

You've given me an idea. I'll watch what any new crew does. If he uses a locking turn, I tell him that's banned and I claim the whisky. If he doesn't use a locking turn, I tell him that's unsafe and claim the whisky.

We don't have natural fibre lines on my boat so a locking turn is normal, but never as a substitute for cleating the line well. If the locking turn is applied because the line might slip round the cleat under load then it's the cleating that's wrong, not the final locking turn.

Possibly this is another area of practice where people like to think 'The way I do it is the only right way' when in fact if it works and is safe then it's a matter of personal preference. Personal preference of the skipper, that is. As skipper I always get slightly nervous if inexperienced crew get creative.

 

[dunedin]

How many turns are enough depends on the relative sizes and the friction characteristics of the cleat and line. Fixed answers are inherently flawed; the maths say so.

A vain attempt to apply science, which will fail to influence the dogmatic rule setters

But of course some boats (and pontoons) seem to have very square edged cleats, some very rounded and smooth ones, and many (eg Scandinavian) boats have super smooth stainless steel cleats - very different friction and hence grip characteristics.

 

[Stemar]

Well, on my Day Skipper course not far from 20 years ago, I was taught to OXX and a locking turn. Then , a few years later, the RYA changed the recommendation to OXXO, My take on it is that, if you need a locking turn, you didn't put enough turns on in the first place.

As for those who move my lines to get their line off, then put locking turns all the way, keelhauling's too good. As age increases and agility decreases, I much prefer to be able to get the end and undo everything while standing up. However, I normally only make off ashore for a short stop. Overnight, I'll use a spliced eye ashore and make off aboard.

 

[Resolution]

For longer term mooring, when leaving the boat, I use bowline, with an anti-chafe turn around the pontoon cleats, OXO on boat cleats with excess line coiled and tied to guard rails out of harms way.

I was taught that a bowline on a mooring line was inadvisable as it can be difficult to release under load. Instead use a round turn and two half hitches. (I would not like to leave a yacht moored like that for long, in case the hitches shake loose.

 

[Resolution]

Locking hitches are banned on my boat, if I find one the culprit is keel hauled, sentences can be reduced to a bottle of Highland Park if I feel in a good mood.

Why are they banned? What sort of lines are you using?

PS Thought I would look up Highland Park and was pleasantly impressed by the blurb:
Highland Park 16yo Tattoo Bottling Note
Highland Park's Twisted Tattoo combines whisky aged in Spanish Rioja wine seasoned casks with whisky aged in first-fill bourbon casks - a wonderful combination indeed! Inspiration for this one came from the Viking legend of the Midgard Serpent, which got itself twisted around the world to bite its own tail. You can even see said serpent on the bottle's label, designed by tattoo artist Colin Dale.

 

[Skylark]

I was taught that a bowline on a mooring line was inadvisable as it can be difficult to release under load. Instead use a round turn and two half hitches. (I would not like to leave a yacht moored like that for long, in case the hitches shake loose.

Fair enough, no issue with that. As I said “if it works for you it’s ok”. I have OXOs on the boat cleats, without locking turns, so can always release the line under load, if required.

 

[Old Harry]

I recently had a friend of mine take my mooring lines when coming into the pontoon.

I was a little surprised as I noticed that after each turn on the cleat he applied a locking hitch. He has been a professional seaman all his life. I was taught that a thorough keel hauling would ensue if I ever did this

Perhaps big ships are different.

What does the team think.

OXO for me, never had one let go yet