Tugboats and trawler fishing boats inspired the trawler yacht and it is a descendant of its working cousins. These yachts, more often than not, are equipped with Bitts and / or Bollards just like their relatives. They have cleats just like other boats, but Bitts and Bollards are there to do the big jobs.

Whether or not your boat is equipped with one of these babies, you will want to know the correct way to belay a line to one. There are many different styles, so let’s look at them first. Even ff your boat doesn’t have a Bitt or Bollard you should pay attention anyway. One day a dock that you pull up to will present one of these varying styles, especially if you travel around the world as trawler folks like to do.

Bitts and Bollards are heavily built devices for belaying lines. Bitts may be classified as single, double, H-Bitt, Cruciform Bitt and others. Bollards may have a single post, double posts (either vertical or angled outward from center), Cruciform, staghorn, and many other styles. Sometimes Bitts are called Bollards and vice versa.

Friction is the mechanism that keeps lines attached to Bitts, Bollards, Cleats, Lines, or other things. As “normal force” increases friction increases. The perpendicular force between two objects is the normal force. When the load on a line increases, say by the boat drifting away from the dock with the line tension increasing as a result, the normal force between the line and the Bollard increases and therefore the friction increases. If the total friction between the wraps of the line and the Bollard is greater than the force on the line to the boat, the connection holds, if not it slips.

One can make a line connection to a Bitt or Bollard for quick release or of a more permanent nature. A boat tugging on a line can cause it to become undone with the quick release method. On the other hand, when a line is positively tied off it may be hard to undo when required or when in a hurry. If a pre-tied loop is to be used determining its size ahead of time is difficult when the intended bollard is on a dock yet to be reached. Dropping a loop is not a positively secure way of attaching a line to a Bollard. A loop may be used, however, as a Lark’s Head on a double cruciform Bollard. In my opinion this would be a very secure attachment, and if it does not have a load on it, can be released quickly. However, If loaded, it cannot be easily released. A way to more securely attach a loop to a single post Bollard is to first place the loop over the Bollard and then do a half twist in the loop behind the Bollard to form another loop and then bring the resulting second loop back over the Bollard toward the front. This method requires a larger loop, which is a simple thing if the result is a more secure way than just dropping a loop over the Bollard.

A knot called the bowline is known as the king of knots because nothing can jam it and it will never slip if properly tied. It can be tied in one hand to form a loop.

A ratline hitch or Clove hitch is an easy knot for making a line fast to the standing part of another line, to a spar, to a piling, or to a Bollard. It must be watched as it might undo if slack and is used to temporarily fasten a line. When the Clove hitch is under a strain it will not slip, however, if under a hard strain, it may set up tight and be difficult to undo.

When securing a line to a double Bitt the correct way is to first make one turn on the first post of the Bitt and then make several wraps of the line in a figure eight pattern over both posts. The line may then be undone from the Bitt quickly if necessary. Further security may be gotten by belaying the bitter end of the line coming off the Bitt on a nearby cleat. On a single post Bollard the usual way is to slip an appropriate sized loop of line over the Bollard, or preferably as described earlier, or tie several hitches to the Bollard. Cross pieces on a Bollard will help keep a loop from slipping off; but secure ways of belaying the line to the Bollard are preferred to ensure that the line does not accidentally come off.

A well known method is the Lighterman’s Back Mooring Hitch which may be used on a single post Bollard, on a piling, or for heavy towing. Tugboats use this method and it is called the Tugboat hitch and sometimes the Backhanded Mooring Hitch. It is a trusted attachment method and, like the figure eight described earlier, can be undone even with a great pull on it. Once this hitch is learned it’s great when you wish to moor to a Bollard (maybe whilst waiting for a lock or taking on water etc.) and can be tied or untied in moments.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 at 2:13 am and is filed under Boating. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.