some say clove hitch, some say round turn and two half hitches, and others say mooring hitch. I think that round turn and two half hitches is the best because it holds better.
clove hitches often slip for me.
Last edited by sailingforever; 05-21-2006 at 07:58 PM.
I confess, I don't know the name of the knot (I've never even called it a knot) that we use to tie up to common "horn" cleats. Cleats, rings, bollards, and then in the NW I've seen docks with none of those, just holes under a low rail to go through and around. (Don't know the name for that style either.)
I go with GordMay, but sometimes use a double half hitch with a round turn. Clove hitch is good for quick, temporary tie. I sometimes will secure the clove hitch with two half hitches and use that combination for more security.
A round turn with two half hitches is very secure and easy to adjust if needed. A bowline choker loop or just a bowline is handy and secure if the line length is fixed and won't need adjustment. A clove hitch is quick to tie or untie but don't turn your back on it.
It really depends on what you are tieing up to. If you are tieing up to a dock with cleats, then a cleat hitch is the way to go. If you are tieing up to a mooring ring, then a bowline might be the right choice. If you are tieing up to pilings, then a round turn with two half hitches is probably a good choice.
I agree with "sailing dog." The knot needs to suit the situation. A cleat hitch is foolproof - on a cleat, but a round turn and two opposed half hitches would be my choice when tying to a post or rail. For a bollard, nothing beats a spliced loop of sufficient size to go round twice However well tied, I do not trust a bowline for mooring - or a clove hitch.
I would suggest that a clove hitch is the way to go on a pilling or bollard. A clove hitch prevents the line from sliding back and forth around the piling and chafing through. As noted a clove hitch can slip so I back it up with a couple half hitches that keep it from slipping. Double half hitches without the clove hitch can get locked so tightly that it can't get untied.
The best knot is simply a spliced eye formed into a 'sliding noose' .... and made better if the 'standing' part of the line has 'two or more wraps' where the standing part passes.
Nothing beats a splice with respect to strength. A 'noosed' splice doesnt jam, is releasable, etc.
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best knot for tying up
