What if the Dock has Rails NOT Cleats? How do I Tie Off my Boat?

What if the Dock has Rails NOT Cleats? How do I Tie Off my Boat?

Every dock is not created equal. Don't worry, we've come up with a few solutions! Tying a boat to the bull rail on a dock is a commonly required docking skill that is often very challenging. Many docks don’t have cleats, the cleats are not in a convenient location or a cleat might already be full.

How do we tie off quickly and easily if there is only a metal bull rail or a wooden rail?

The more research we did, it was clear there was a real need for a solution to make docking easy without a dock cleat. It seems like nylon dock line ropes end up in a huge knot, when they are looped under rails. This makes tying off your boat challenging and slow, potentially putting your tie off crew at risk.

We have developed 3 fool proof easy solutions to solve this docking problem. 

The first solution we came up with is our Figure 8 Strap. This handy dandy little strap can be pulled under the rail and pulled through itself to create a nice place to clip a dock line. We prefer to use the bungee hook and loop dock line. (Why use bungee dock lines?) You can easily use the snap hook to clip into the loop. This process only takes a few seconds and does not require wrestling with your dock lines or being very skilled at tying the half hitch knot.

This second solutions comes courtesy of one of our great customers. He didn't want to have 2 separate pieces to deal with, so he asked us to add an extra strap onto our standard hook and loop bungee dock tie. And the Convertible Bungee Dock Line was born! We added a length with a loop on to the bungee  dock line with snap hook, and came up with a very versatile 4 in one product.  For docking on a rail or with a cleat larger than the loops on your dock line, simple feed the loop under the rail or through the cleat and clip the loop. This is the easiest and fasted way to tie off to the bull rail on a dock.

The third option is an easy way to tie up to a cleat or rail by using our Adjustable Bungee Dock Tie. This is a great versatile product! If you are unsure how long of a dock line you will need, simply take the strap out of the cam buckle, loop it under the rail, put the webbing back into the cam buckle and adjust to the length you need. 

The more research we did, it was clear there was a real need for a solution to make docking easy without a dock cleat. It seems like nylon dock line ropes end up in a huge knot, when they are looped under rails. We have developed 3 fool proof easy solutions to solve this docking problem. 

(Remember to inspect your boat lines and dock ties and replace as needed. Boat lines and dock ties weather and weaken over time.)

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