Cleat Hitching -- Forms, style, etiquette?!

[Brion Toss]

Hi,
We usually use some variant on the Capstan Hitch, often made with a bight, to keep from dragging the long end through or around. But we've also been known to drill a hole in a timber and insert a bar to belay to, or to lash a heavy-duty carabiner to the timber, and belay to that.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

[Dan Lehman]

Somewhere among my keystrokes was a question, or trickle of them.

What's expected where cleats are evidently shared?

And are there Rules of Thumb for how many wraps ("throws" would be a medical
term, here) are needed vis-a-vis line-/cleat-thickness ratio? In at least one of the
cases I photographed, there was an obvious mismatch of line/cleat sizes, with
the line being relatively thin.

(-;

ps: Next up for the IGKT forum are some *amazing* eye splices!

[Clyde Jenkins]

I'll take a stab at your etiquette question.

Your pictures show examples of what I call "knitting". If you are forced to undo someone's knitting and then resecure the line, I think the proper action is to tie the knot you know will do the job. Do a proper cleat hitch on a cleat. Tie a proper bowline to replace the original questionable loop. Tie a round turn and two half hitches to rehang a fender.

In my view, your duty is to make sure the line and knot are doing the job. The original knot is the work of someone who doesn't know better and is unlikely to criticize your good work. It would be irresponsible to leave them with a knot that failed later. Leave a long tail neatly coiled or faked.

Recreating their "work of art" or their knitting would bother my conscience. I can sleep at night knowing my cleat hitch is secure and neat.

Clyde

[Smitty519]

My marina uses only those stupid rings instead of cleats. I have made fixed docklines for my regular docking needs. But, what's the right way to belay to a ring for transient docking?

I have talked to the marina owners several times and they are adamant about no cleats.

-Smitty

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
I've been so long in getting back to this because it is a big can of variables, fit for more of an essay than I can do here. But the short form is that the rule of thumb I learned, long ago, is that a cleat should have an inch of length for every sixteenth of an inch of line diameter. So a 1/4" line takes a 4" cleat, and a 3/4" line takes a 12" cleat. The idea is that this will give you a cleat that is strong enough for the line, big enough that the turns don't get kinked or crowded, and has enough bearing surface to generate enough friction that two full turns will make for a good belay (i.e., no slippage, no jamming of the finishing hitch, control of load at the first turn).
The problem is that this rule of thumb was developed in the days of natural fibers, which are at best half the strength of synthetics, and usually less slick. A further problem is that manufacturers seem to delight in undersizing cleats -- how many times have you had to deal with trying to jam a line onto a dinky little cleat?
So first, make sure that you have the right size cleat, and that it is installed and backed correctly. Then you might want to add an extra half turn before the finish, to generate a bit more friction. If you need to belay a too-small line to the cleat, err on the "knitting" side of things, to get more rope surface area on the cleat, to prevent slipping and jamming.
As for rings and other non-cleat items, like rails and posts, some version of the Capstan Hitch, usually made with a bight, is my first choice. Another option is a Round Turn, again with the bight, if the line is long, followed by a Camel Hitch or Camel Rigger's Hitch. A third, and very attractive alternative, where practicable, is to take the line through the ring and back to the boat. You get a doubled line, and a belay you can control from on board.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss