Proper Line Cleating Method

[tommyt]

I agree with Azeotrope, always clockwise. You then do not have to second guess yourself when releasing, especially in the dark.

As to half turn or full turn, ALWAYS a full turn. If the line is under load you then have control. A half turn may not give enough purchase and your fingers or someone elses can end up under load. Not pretty.

[sailingfool]

Originally Posted by danjarch

You've probably got clam cleats on your boat, but if you don't, you never hitch the sheets or the halyards. After so long under a hard load, the hitch will lock up to the point where you can't get it off. ....

Say what? There's no way that a line properly secured to a cleat (ala Saberman's link) can lock up. After the first two turns on the cleat there is no load left in the line to lock anything, its all been taken by the cleat.
I see this all the time with mooring pennants. Whenever someone is picking up the pennant for my 17,000 pound boat I tell them to just get a turn around the cleat. Once that turn is made, even a five-year old can hold the boat on the pennant even in a 40 knot breeze. I've never had any difficulty releasing my mooring pennants even after three days of several thousand pounds of load occuring in storm conditions.

[Boasun]

Originally Posted by sailingfool

Say what? I see this all the time with mooring pennants. Whenever someone is picking up the pennant for my 17,000 pound boat I tell them to just get a turn around the cleat. Once that turn is made, even a five-year old can hold the boat on the pennant even in a 40 knot breeze. I've never had any difficulty releasing my mooring pennants even after three days of several thousand pounds of load occuring in storm conditions.

It is either Mooring Lines or Sea Painters.
But a round turn and three figure eights will hold your vessel under normal conditions. And Storm conditions I would double up on the Mooring lines. This is one reason I prefer bitts over cleats. Easier to double up on the lines.

[sailingdog]

BTW-

The clockwise thing is really required for three-strand docklines, but not for braided. If you're using braided lines, you really should lead them so they run fair to the cleat instead of trying to run them to lead so you can tie them in a clockwise direction—which isn't always possible.

IMHO... it is more important to have the line approach the cleat at an acute angle than it is to have the line wrap clockwise.

[Sabreman]

I never heard about the clockwise thing. Interesting. I agree with sailingdog - three strand is more sensitive to twist.

However, even with braid, it's necessary to give the line a twist when coiling (especially new line). If it isn't done, then the result is a figure eight coil. I know that this is getting off topic so I intend to start a new thread on the proper way to coil a line after this one dies down.......

[Azeotrope]

Saberman
Let me know when you start that thread on coiling braid. There's a way to do it without twisting the line no one seems to know.

[sailingdog]

Azetrope-

Are you talking about making the figure-eight shaped loops to coil braided lines. That's the way I do it.

[Azeotrope]

No, a figure-of-eight works fine but there is a better way. I don't want to highjack so I'll respond to the post.