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Diagram

Cleat Hitch

Cleat hitch knot

Making a dock or spring line fast to a horn cleat, where it has to hold and still come off by hand once the strain is taken off the line.

Hitch · Beginner · Polyester / Nylon rope / Polypropylene / Natural fibre / Dyneema / HMPE · 4 steps

ApplicationsHow to tie it
Cleat Hitch, finishedCleat Hitch, finished

Finished structure

Drawn from a rope model of this knot: which strand passes over which comes from where the rope actually lies.

  1. Lead to the far horn first, then take the line around the other hornThe line approaches the far horn first, passes beneath the horn bar and around both cleat supports.
    Move 1 of 1Lead to the far horn first, then take the line around the other hornYou should now see: Far horn first, both supports engaged, and no second complete round turn trapped under the first.

    Step 01

    Lead the line to the horn farthest from where the load comes in. Pass it around under that horn, then around under the near horn, so it wraps the base of the cleat.

    You should now see

    Line passing under both horns and around the base, ending at the near horn ready to cross over the top. When you ease your grip, the wrap takes some of the pull off your hands.

    If it goes wrong

    Starting on the horn nearest the load, so the loaded line gets trapped under the crossings that follow, or crossing over the top before wrapping under both horns.

    Fix: Take the line off and start again at the far horn, going under both horns before any cross. Skip a second full wrap around the base; Animated Knots notes it can clamp down and jam.

    Why: Starting at the far horn keeps the loaded part of the line clear of the turns you add next. The wrap under both horns holds the boat while you finish, and leaves the crossings free to lift off later.

  2. Cross over the cleat in a figure eight and keep the turns flatThe rope crosses horn to horn in a figure eight above the cleat after the initial far-horn turn.
    Move 1 of 1Cross over the cleat in a figure eight and keep the turns flatYou should now see: A clear figure eight over the cleat, with the two diagonal crosses stacked instead of twisted together.

    Step 02

    Bring the line diagonally over the top of the cleat, around under the far horn, and back diagonally over the top to pass under the near horn, making one figure-eight.

    You should now see

    Two diagonals crossing in an X on top of the cleat, each passing under a horn, with the wrap around the base still in place underneath.

    If it goes wrong

    Piling on turn after turn and hitch after hitch until the horns are buried. It looks secure, but you can no longer see how the line runs and it is slow to cast off.

    Fix: Unwind back to the base wrap and one clean figure-eight. For a heavier load or rough water, add another full figure-eight rather than extra locking hitches.

    Why: Animated Knots treats two crossings, one figure-eight, as the minimum for a short stay in sheltered water and adds more figure-eights for storm loads. Extra figure-eights add grip; stacked locking hitches jam.

  3. Repeat the same figure-eight route as needed for the load and leave it releasableRepeat the same figure-eight route as needed. This plate keeps the first complete cycle visible so every crossover can still be read.
    Move 1 of 1Repeat the same figure-eight route as needed for the load and leave it releasableYou should now see: The repeat follows the same route shown here; extra turns stack in use rather than occupying a second impossible centre-line in this static plate.

    Step 03

    Twist an underhand loop into the line so the tail end lies underneath, then drop the loop over the horn and pull it snug so the tail is pinned under the last wrap.

    You should now see

    The locking turn lying alongside the last diagonal and pointing the same way, with the tail coming out from underneath it rather than across the top.

    If it goes wrong

    Making the loop the other way so the tail sits on top and nothing locks, or adding two or three locking hitches that pinch each other and jam under load.

    Fix: Lift the loop off the horn, flip it so the tail sits underneath, and drop it on again. Keep a single locking hitch and take any extras off.

    Why: One locking hitch stops the figure-eights shaking loose while the line is slack. Hook the Horizon warns that several locking hitches jam under load, and Animated Knots notes that large vessels often leave it off so the line releases quickly.

  4. Cleat Hitch — step 4 of 4Step 4 of 4. If you cannot cast off under load, remake it. This step is the line being placed now. Working is the end already placed. Standing is the line that stays. What is still to come is drawn lighter. Full turn on the far horn, figure-eights across both horns, locking hitch under the last cross.
    4
    step 04 · schematic

    If you cannot cast off under load, remake it.

    Step 04

    Pull the standing line to seat the turns and tuck the tail clear. Then check that, with the strain eased, the locking hitch lifts off the horn and the turns unwind by hand.

    If you cannot cast off under load, remake it.

    You should now see

    A neat hitch with every turn visible. With the strain off, the locking hitch lifts free and the turns come away in reverse order without a knife.

    If it goes wrong

    A hitch that will not come off. The locking hitch stays stuck on the horn even with the line slack, because the turns under it have pulled into a hard lump.

    Fix: Take the strain off with the engine or by pushing the boat off, work the turns loose, and retie with a clean figure-eight and one locking hitch. Keep fingers clear of a loaded line.

    Why: On a dock line, being able to let go matters as much as holding. Easing the strain first lets the turns come away cleanly and keeps your hands out from between a loaded rope and the cleat.

Failure modes

When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.

Cleat family

Far-horn first turn, figure-eights, one lock that still breaks by hand.

  • !First turn on the near horn — the hitch jams
  • !Piled extra locks that weld under surge
  • !No full turn on the base, so the crosses walk off
Fails when
  • !Several locking hitches stacked, so the turns jam under load
  • !A full extra round turn on the base, which can clamp down and jam
  • !Too few figure-eights for the load, so the line creeps
  • !First turn on the near horn, trapping the loaded line under the crossings
Geometry

  • First turn on the near horn

    Hitch jams and will not cast off under surge

    The far horn must take the first turn so the lock can still be broken · step 01

  • Piled extra locks

    Crosses weld under surge; knife job

    One clean figure-eight is the working finish · step 02

  • Jammed lock hitch

    Cannot cast off while the boat is still loading the line

    The lock must break by hand — that is the hitch · step 03

  • No full turn on the base

    Figure-eights walk off the horns

    The base turn, not the crosses, takes the surge · step 01

If you saw this

  • Cannot cast off under surge

    Check

    • ?Far-horn first turn
    • ?Lock breaks by hand

    Then

    • →Re-make with one clean lock
    • →Do not add extra locks under load

  • First turn on the near horn

    Check

    • ?Hitch jams and will not cast off under surge
    • ?Inspect step 01

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Piled extra locks

    Check

    • ?Crosses weld under surge; knife job
    • ?Inspect step 02

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Jammed lock hitch

    Check

    • ?Cannot cast off while the boat is still loading the line
    • ?Inspect step 03

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
This failed — start Diagnose

Why this knot

What it earns its place with, what it costs, and what to reach for instead.

Best for
Making fast
Not ideal for
  • Permanent standing rigging (splice instead)
  • A jammed lock hitch you cannot break by hand
Common mistakes
  • First turn taken on the horn nearest the load
  • Crossing over the top before wrapping under both horns
  • Locking loop made the wrong way, so the tail sits on top
  • Stacking extra locking hitches instead of adding figure-eights
Alternatives
  • Round Turn & Two Half HitchesBeginner

    Makes a rope fast to a post or ring

  • BowlineBeginner

    A fixed loop in the end of a rope, such as a mooring line to a ring or post

  • Pile HitchBeginner

    Putting a mooring line on a dock post quickly for a short stay, where you can reach the top of the post

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