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Old 04-12-2020, 01:28   #1
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Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

ok, here's the thing : most people when tieing their dink to the pontoon take the painter and do the usual figure eight stuff on to the cleat, right ? there's all sorts of ways to do it but they all basically lock up the cleat. maybe you can tie one more dink over the top, which then needs to be untied when you leave.

the better way people is to pass the end of your painter line through the eye of the cleat, and then tie a bowline in the painter. totally secure and you can get eight or nine dinghys (depending on the size of the lines and the size of the eye) on to the same cleat...any one of which can untie themselves at any time without hassle.

ok, maybe it won't work if the cleat is one without an eye...but most do have this...and it is so much more efficient, safer and easier on a busy dock.

think before you tie !

rant over...

cheers,
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Old 04-12-2020, 05:00   #2
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

1. It's called "Dipping the Eye", which allows several boats to share a single bollard. Can also work on a large cleat.
2. Use a long painter, and stern anchor, to keep the dock accessible, to others.

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Old 04-12-2020, 05:08   #3
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

Dipping the eye is great if you're happy with the security of an open loop over the bollard of cleat.

Otherwise, what I do is a round turn and two half hitches, through the gap in the cleat.

ALSO -- don't forget to leave a LONG length of painter, at least a dinghy-length, and push your dinghy away off the dock. So others can reach the dock.

LASTLY, leave the outboard in the DOWN position, so you don't cut people's tubes.
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Old 04-12-2020, 05:10   #4
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisr View Post
ok, here's the thing : most people when tieing their dink to the pontoon take the painter and do the usual figure eight stuff on to the cleat, right ? there's all sorts of ways to do it but they all basically lock up the cleat. maybe you can tie one more dink over the top, which then needs to be untied when you leave.

the better way people is to pass the end of your painter line through the eye of the cleat, and then tie a bowline in the painter. totally secure and you can get eight or nine dinghys (depending on the size of the lines and the size of the eye) on to the same cleat...any one of which can untie themselves at any time without hassle.

ok, maybe it won't work if the cleat is one without an eye...but most do have this...and it is so much more efficient, safer and easier on a busy dock.

think before you tie !

rant over...

cheers,

You would love me! Ha ha ha.

It’s exactly what I do. Mostly out of distrust for my fellow figure 8 tie up pals that literally just do a figure 8.

I will more often tie to a feature of the dock other than a cleat or sometimes go through the eye of the cleat. Even in areas where a chain is necessary, putting the chain through the cleat leaves it open more more figure 8 folks.
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Old 04-12-2020, 05:10   #5
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

# firstworldproblems

I put a big chain through them reasonably short so no bastard steals my tender
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Old 04-12-2020, 05:24   #6
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

Heck, have you just walked along the dock and looked at people’s cleating job
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Old 04-12-2020, 05:40   #7
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

Have to disagree with one point. Walking dinghy docks and looking at the attachments I have found that 80-90% aren't even a proper cleat. Usually about half of them wrap the painter around the cleat 10-12 times (guess they're trying to use all the slack in the painter) and if they lock it at all they usually lock it 4-5 times and usually backwards.
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Old 04-12-2020, 06:26   #8
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

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Originally Posted by Dockhead View Post

ALSO -- don't forget to leave a LONG length of painter, at least a dinghy-length, and push your dinghy away off the dock. So others can reach the dock.

LASTLY, leave the outboard in the DOWN position, so you don't cut people's tubes.
This should be a PSA. A dinghy dock full of dinghy's tied with zero slack between the dinghy and the bull rail, and everyone ironically complaining that there's no room.

I gave up a long time ago. I have 25 foot painter. I make a second row and you're short tied dinghy is now my floating bridge. Zero apologies.
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Old 04-12-2020, 09:01   #9
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

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I make a second row and you're short tied dinghy is now my floating bridge. Zero apologies.
What Shrew said!
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Old 04-12-2020, 09:09   #10
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

Far too often we found our dinghy floating around the harbor when someone else untied us so they could figure 8 to the cleat. Then they "forget" to retie us. And far too often we found our painter retied poorly.
Bring the line through the cleat. No one needs to untie you to secure their line.
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Old 04-12-2020, 09:17   #11
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

Interesting. Everybody talks about cleats. Around here cleats are rare. Almost all docks (floats) have bull rails - plenty of room for any number of dinghies to tie. I think the practice (of using bull rails instead of cleats) started with the original Government Docks and everybody else just followed their example.

But I sincerely second the motion to have LONG painters and push your dinghy well away from the float so others can get in when crowded.
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Old 04-12-2020, 09:19   #12
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

We always tie up the dinghy in a manner that anyone before or after us can get in or out without having to untie ours. It may be courteous, but for me it's more a matter that I'd rather not trust some random sailor to properly re-tie my dinghy after they've had to untie it to access their painter.
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Old 04-12-2020, 09:41   #13
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

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We always tie up the dinghy in a manner that anyone before or after us can get in or out without having to untie ours. It may be courteous, but for me it's more a matter that I'd rather not trust some random sailor to properly re-tie my dinghy after they've had to untie it to access their painter.
The 'secomd row', or 'long tie', (with anchor) also prevents your dink from floating under a fixed dock at low tide, then getting trapped under (or worse), when tide rises.
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Old 04-12-2020, 09:41   #14
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

If you cleat over top of someone and they need the dinghy there is no idea how you will find yours tied of untied.
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Old 04-12-2020, 09:45   #15
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Re: Why can't people tie dinghies up properly ?

Where I cruise you are lucky to have a dock, let alone a cleat.
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