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Tying up a boat to shore

14K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  David L 
#1 ·
Looking for opinions, thoughts, advice, suggestions, etc. Thanks.

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Currently: I have a jumar on the boat on a short tether completely separate from a rope that is in an attached bag. I pull the end out of the bag and after tying up to shore I just clip the rope into the jumar. The good thing about this method is that it is quick and easy to tighten up.

One bad thing is that if the water drops and the rope gets taut, it can be hard to unclip from the jumar. The other bad thing is that you must either walk up to the tie off with a loose rope (thus making it impossible to hold the boat to the shore) or you need to guess at how much rope you need, pull that much out, and clip in, at which point you can walk to the tie-off with a tight rope while holding the boat to shore.

Considering: thinking of changing because of the downsides but have not figured what to change to. I do not mind the very occasional difficulty in unclipping (if you anticipate the water dropping you can adjust or use a different knot) but it would be nice to be able to jump ashore while holding the boat in. I may try a method where I leave the jumar tethered where it is but clip it into the rope a couple of feet from where the rope attaches to the boat (to have some ability to lengthen the line, then carry the bag of line to a tie-off point, tie a knot and leave the bag with most of the rope on shore (instead of on the boat where it is now), then go back to the boat and tighten up the jumar.
 
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#2 ·


Not being a complete smartass but I use a variety of knots to be able to tension (truckers hitch), untie from in the boat ( run the rope back to the d-ring with a half hitch), tie to two different places ( butterfly to split), regular tie up ( double half hitch with or without a bite). Never thought of carrying an extra piece of hardware just for this.
 
#3 ·
Leave the expensive equipment at home and just use one of the many hitches that are useable for those situations. We use a tautline or munter/mule combo based on the situation. Might as well learn to make your knots "slippery" as well in case the system gets overly wrenched.

The Grand has been the only place in which I was frustrated with hitches, as 1-2 times the 18' beast was stranded so high and dry to make it difficult to deal with. Every other river trip I have never remotely had a problem with our systems.

I would actually hesitate to use a jumar anyway. From what I understand they are best used with loads that are static. From what I read from your comment I would worry about any tidal movement not being appropriate for the device and possible damaging the rope. If you really must use such a device I would go with one that has blunt mechanisms like a shunt to avoid the toothy damage to the rope. That said, I see no reason to have such a device ( I do have two mechanical stops for my z-drag).
 
#4 ·
I don't like a Jumar for this use, personally. They are designed for a unidirectional load- parallel to the rope. Things can go to Hell in a Handbasket with a sideways pull, whether it be from wind, current, rising water levels or just me tripping over your bow line. I use 2 Half Hitches on a Bight. Quick, Easy, Secure, easy to untie or adjust.
 
#11 · (Edited)
What you really need is a gsi hard anodized sand stake with some spectra static line to make sure your yeti cooler doesn't drift downstream in your new Saturn self bailer.

Really? A jumar? What's next? Way to overcomplicate things. The best answer is already there. Pull to shore. Tie up. Drink beer.
 
#12 ·
What you really need is a gsi hard anodized sand stake with some spectra static line to make sure your yeti cooler doesn't drift downstream in your new Saturn self bailer.

Really? A jumar? What's next? Way to overcomplicate things. The best answer is already there. Pull to shore. Tie up. Drink beer.
I just pull next to my climbing buddies boat and 'biner up dring to dring
 
#13 ·
Here's a compromise: keep it simple and just tie up to shore, but bring the jumar and use it sometimes, like tying off to someone else's line after they've already made the trudge up through the tamarisks and oak brush to find a root! Seriously, I carry a jumar too (ascender) but not for daily use. It's only there for those occasions where it helps (like letting the boat out, or pulling it in, with the tides on damned rivers.)
 
#18 ·
I think between a trucker's hitch and a sand stake you are set for just about anything. Being self sufficient is best, utilizing the strengths of those in your party is great but have that rock climber teach you a truckers hitch so you can tie your own rig off next time. Also, test whatever your anchoring to before trusting it and be sure to secure your boat before getting too wasted at camp.

I have never tried it but I always thought that having a few climbing nuts could be a fun and easy way to anchor to a wall, though you may have to leave the gear there if there is a strong current.

Tying up to a buddy's boat can be a good idea, just be sure you trust the person who tied that boat off. (tying into a line with the ole' drunken boaters knot holding it to shore may not be as secure as you think it is).
 
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