Article Advise

submitted: May 21st 2008 | by: CowboyBobHill | Total views: 2 | Word Count: 870 | |

The trawler yacht stems from its working cousins, the trawler fishing boat and the tugboat. Whether it is tradition or preference, often these yachts are equipped with Bitts and / or Bollards just like their relatives. Of course they have cleats as well, but the Bitts and Bollards are there to do the big jobs.

Now if your yacht is equipped with one of these babies, you might want to know the correct way to belay a line to one. Let's look at them first as there are many different styles. Even ff your boat doesn't have one of them then you should pay attention anyway. Sooner or later the docks 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 and are used for belaying lines. There are different types of Bitts such as single, double, H-Bitt, Cruciform Bitt and others. Bollards also may have a single post, double posts (either vertical or angled outward from center), Cruciform, staghorn, and many other styles. Sometimes Bollards are called Bitts and vice versa.

Friction is necessary to keep lines attached to Bitts, Bollards, Cleats, Lines, or other things. Friction increases as the "normal force" increases. The normal force is the perpendicular force between two objects. 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. The connection will hold if the total friction between the wraps of the line and the Bollard is greater than the force on the line to the boat, otherwise it will slip.

Line connections to Bitts and Bollards can be made to quickly release or made for a more permanent connection. The problem with the quick release method is that a boat tugging on a line can cause it to become undone. Alternatively, 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 the difficulty is that its size has to be predetermined which may not be possible when the intended bollard is on a dock yet to be reached. Also, a loop may not be a positively secure way of attaching to a Bollard. However, a loop may be used as a Lark's Head on a double cruciform Bollard. This would be a very secure attachment in my opinion and if it does not have a load on it, it can be released quickly. If loaded, however, it cannot be easily released. Another way to more securely attach a loop to a single post Bollard is to first place the loop over the Bollard and then put 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. A larger loop will be required for this, but the result is more secure than just dropping a loop over the Bollard.

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

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

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 method known as the Lighterman's Back Mooring Hitch may be used on a single post Bollard, on a piling, or for heavy towing. This method is used on tugboats and is called the Tugboat hitch and sometimes the Backhanded Mooring Hitch. It is a well known and trusted attachment and, like the figure eight described earlier, can be undone even if there is a massive pull on it. Once learned It works well 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.

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See pictures and details on belaying to Bitts And Bollards: Trawler Yachts

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