Dock line cleats are a controversial subject at Dashew Offshore. There are some who swear by them and others who swear at them. For getting the boat tied up,and adjusting position when there is wind or current to fight, winches combined with high modulus dock lines are the answer. That’s why we have three Lewmar #40 winches plus the big electric winch aft.
For longer term docking, and once the boat is secure, a case can be made for cleats.
On the FPB 64 we have a series of these ship style bollard cleats:
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At the bow.
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Amidships (two for spring lines).
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At the stern, reachable from the swim step.
The bollard design provides better control than a yacht style horned cleat.
Note the overhanging cap at the top. This is to reduce the chances of a line jumping off the bollard when tied to a high dock (in some cases a snatch block to secure the dock line may be required).
Posted by Steve Dashew (February 14, 2010)
February 16th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Could you expand on how the bollard style gives more control than the horned style cleat?
February 17th, 2010 at 10:02 am
Hi Jerry:
With a traditional yacht style cleat when you are bleeding load – easing to absorb shock or adjusting – the wraps do not slip smoothly and tend to jam. With bollard style cleats the wraps do not compress on each other and the easing process is much smoother. If the loads are low this is not a problem.
In our case, with deck winches for line adjustment, bollards may be overkill. However, if you ever have to ease or adjust when the wind is howling or the water is surging, these bollards will be very welcome.