Safest knot for dock line on a o ring...

D

Daryl V

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Oct 30, 2021
9
Hunter 23.5 Lake Minnewanka
Tying off to a dock ring, Safest knot to use... my boat ( 24.5' ) may sit up to a week without me being able to check... I am just starting out sailing and want to protect my beautiful boat and the boats next to me... the slip I have has both O rings and cleats

cheers all will send pic as soon as I learn how lol

Daryl
 
Sailfanatic

Sailfanatic

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Jul 19, 2013
384
Pearson 31-2 Boston
For the dock ring, use a round-turn-and-two-half-hitches, as shown in the referenced video. Do not run a line thru the ring and double it back to the boat. Such a setup will subject the line to severe fraying as the boat pulls against the line. Same concern with attaching to a ring on a mooring ball.
 
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jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,098
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Daryl, Congrats on your boat, Welcome to the SBO Forum.

You say there are cleats and O rings. Is this an either or both situation.

When you say O rings, my concern is that the boat is going to be bouncing up and down with the waves. The line from the boat to the O ring is going to be strained and constantly working. The line will eventually chafe and now the boat may be loose.

That being stated, I tie to O rings on mooring buoys for over night stays. I tie my line to a strong metal hook or shackle. I connect the metal to the metal O Ring. That way the line does not break the metal to metal connection is monitored and if wear or rust occur I change out for new metal connection.

Mantus Marine makes a positive lock snap shackle that can serve this purpose.


If this is not an issue, then a wrap and tie back to the boat cleats would serve as a temporary tie up.
 
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Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

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Oct 19, 2017
7,746
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
The round turn with two half hitches is a fast easy knit that holds well. A fisherman's bend is a good one, but I've seen both of these know get too tight to untie. The round turn helps prevent the hitches from pulling too tight. I really like the rolling hitch with a round turn or double byte. A taut-line hitch is also good. There's a subtle difference between the rolling hitch and the taut-line hitch. It's not always correctly shown in the guides. I'm a big fan of tying them slippery, for ease and speed of untying, but run the long tail through the loop if you're leaving it for a while.

-Will
 
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capta

capta

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Jun 4, 2009
4,772
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
If it was my boat, I'd use a bowline with fire hose for chafe gear, for a permanent dock line.
 
garymalmgren

garymalmgren

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May 29, 2018
460
Canel 25 foot Shiogama, japan
Tying off to a dock ring, Safest knot to use...

Hi Daryl
First of all Tying off to a dock ring.
If you want to tie off to the ring permanently and leave your docking lines on the dock when you go out, I would use a halyard hitch.

How to tie a Halyard Hitch animated and illustrated by NetKnots

How to tie a Halyard Hitch animated and illustrated by NetKnots, the most trusted name in knots.
www.netknots.com www.netknots.com

The other end (boat end) of the lines would be left straight to tie to the cleat.

tie a line to a cleat - Search Videos

www.bing.com www.bing.com

With at least one line with a loop in the boat end. With a loop you can pick it up from the dock with a boat hook and just drop it over the boat cleat in a tricky (wind / current ) situation. You can put a loop in all lines if you want to.
As Capta has said anti chafe is essential for piece of mind.

Re Safest knot to use...

Most knots are safe if tied properly. Some knots are designed to be untied reasonably easily (bowline. hitch)
while others are more permanent. That is why I suggest the halyard hitch. It is pretty permanent.

And always remember.
It is better to know a knot and not need it than to need a knot and not know it.

All the best
gary


 
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jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,098
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Nice catch Terry. You are absolutely spot on about the first BING cleat hitch tie. It failed to properly secure the line. The one @Terry Cox posted above is the way you want to do it.

The instruction is clean. There is an extra advantage i doing it this way. You are not reaching between the boat and the cleat to make this tie. It is quick and secure. You can even do this cleat tie safely with the boat surging in a blow.
 
garymalmgren

garymalmgren

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May 29, 2018
460
Canel 25 foot Shiogama, japan
Terry. You are dead right.
I just uploaded the vid without watching it.
I never imagined that some could post a vid of tying off to a cleat incorrectly.

gary
 
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Kings Gambit

Kings Gambit

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Jul 27, 2011
5,002
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
Daryl V said:
Thank you so much guys... for all your help. Much appreciated
Daryl
Click to expand
Take a full turn (or two) around the ring then make a bowline up close to it. Whip the short tail of the bowline tight against the loop. It’s not going anywhere.
 
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