Securing a Line to Deck Fittings 

I recently got an old boat. Built in 1941, with Sampson post and quarter posts. Thank you for passing on your knowledge.

Hi Shawn, Thanks for that, my rope work started at 12 years as a Boy Scout learning knots and spicing, something I still do to have tidy ropes and lines. When I bought my own boat in1995 I inherited an ex-North Sea fisherman and Merchant Seaman, he taught me how to work ropes and keep fingers and feet. All lines would start and finish at the boat as most times the craft was manned by two and no shoreman, yes some lines can be remover before letting go but it means getting on/off the vessel. Approaching a harbour Bill would make up 2nd cleat and stern lines, Port and Starboard, so he was ready for any "side to". After I had spoken to the marina/port I'd tell Bill which "side to" and when in range he'd cast a loop over the shore fitting and the end to the 2nd cleat letting it slip till I called. He would make it off and then repeat with a stern line. Now I've used the first line as a spring and holding position with the engines. If there's a change of plan both lines can be let go and retrieved without stepping ashore. Now my boat was built in 1930 in Castleford, Yorkshire in the north of England, she found her way south down the East Coast to London and the River Thames. In 1940 the Royal Navy commandeered many craft of differing types to sail across to Dunkirk in France with Navy crews. My boat Lazy Days was one of them, she spent three days ferrying BEF troops off the beach to larger craft offshore, returning to UK holed at the waterline and carrying 85 souls. She was a wooden family cruiser 30 ft. X 7ft. beam, 3ft. draft. She then spent the rest of WWII patrolling The Thames Estuary looking for parachute mines. The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships now keeps these boat alive to pass on part of the UKs history. Each 5 years 80+ Little Ships cross the English Channel and are guests of the town of Dunkirk, escorted both ways by ships of the Royal Navy. I owner Lazy Days from 1995 till 2010 and she is on her third owner since selling and has been fully restored at great expense. Two years back she was part of our new Kings Coronation celebrations and I was crewing White Marlin another ADL boat this one built on the hull design of a Motor Torpedo Boat by Thornycroft's in 1938. Do check out the ADLS website if your interested @ ADLS.co.uk

Thanks for showing the two lines on a cleat. I knew there was a way but couldn't remember enough to search the term. Thanks again.

I own a sailboat. When I learned a cleat hitch, I was taught to do a full round turn and then the cleat hitch. I still do and everybody I know does the same. Looks right and it doesn't fail.

Nice channel, may be splitting hairs but I would recommend going on top of the horn when doing a full round turn as the line can get locked/jammed under itself otherwise and just as much control

On larger boats we always passed the eye end ashore where the dock crew put it over a cleat. We then used a capstan to tension the line as needed. That allowed us to control the line tension and made casting off easy. On my boat, I have my lines secured to my hollow base cleats as you demonstrated and I take the bitter end ashore where I secure the lines to dock cleats. I do a round turn, two hitches over the ears of the cleat and finish off with a cleat hitch. Should someone secure one of my lines before I can get to it, I untie whatever they did and redo it unless they tied the line off the way I want it.. The exception is my springs. I use a single spring with a brummel spliced eye at the mid point. I have a dedicated slip so I leave that line on the dock secured to cleats at both ends. There is enough slack in the line to easily put the eye over my midships cleat. I learned line handling from the "other" big US boating outfit.

I had to switch from a kayak to a jon boat for fishing. I took a safety boating course which taught me what questions to ask. Great video series.

Thank You much much ! Awesome instructor with valuable and precious information.

The other thing with a cleat hitch when there is a huge strain it can get locked up and you can't get it lose. You can also double up dock lines with a dipped eye like we did in the Navy. Put the eye on the bollard, get the ship secure and tension adjusted. Pass a bite back to the pier sideline handlers. Dip that bite in the eye and over the bollard. If you need to get underway without pier sideline handlers, you can. Just slack the line going to eye. Take the eye off and leave the bite on the bollard, you have total ship side control of when the line is let go. We probably aren't going to have bollards in the recreational world. But you can do this on a piling or a cleat as well. Oh, don't put the eye over a piling that's going to be out of reach at low tide. I never did this. But I've seen it happen.

Great information Chief, Keep it coming

My preference is to have the eye through the cleat on my boat, the working end through the eye of the cleat on the wharf or other boat and returned to my boat, this way I have control of both ends and no one can release my boat by accident.

Cleat hitches aren't hugely popular in the UK. I don't use it because it can lock under load. Yes there are lots of ways. Eg. The navy way, the correct way, my way. On my boat you will use my way.

Chief, in the future do you think you can explain the proper application of various lines such as bow, stern and spring lines for tying up recreational boats?

So round turn and 3 figure eights...with no half hitch. I can't get my head around thinking that the line will loosen and pull out.