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

Applications How to tie it

finished · schematic

Finished structure

Full turn on the far horn, figure-eights across both horns, locking hitch under the last cross.

step 01 · schematic
First turn on the far horn — never the near horn.
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.
First turn on the far horn — never the near horn.
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.
step 02 · schematic
Figure-eights lying flat across both horns.
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.
Figure-eights lying flat across both horns.
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.
step 03 · schematic
Locking hitch under the last cross, still breakable by hand.
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.
Locking hitch under the last cross, still breakable by hand.
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.
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

Not ideal for

×Permanent standing rigging (splice instead)
×A jammed lock hitch you cannot break by hand

Cleat Hitch

Not ideal for

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