In this post I show how to attach a line to a horn cleat with a bowline knot. If we, for example, want to put a line around a mooring post on slip back to the same cleat it is often difficult to use the horn cleat for two cleat knots. The cleat might be too small for it. Especially when the line is a thick docking line.

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Follow these steps to attach a line to a horn cleat with a bowline knot: I tie a bowline knot in the very end of my line with a relatively big loop.

I place the loop from the side where the line should run to later into the base of the cleat almost till the knot is reached.

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Now I put the loop from the other side over the upper …

and the lower horn of the cleat.

Now the line is attached to the cleat. But it is only safe when it is under tension.

I now can lay the line around a mooring post und tie it with the cleat knot the second time without building up a big bunch of knots. The disadvantage when doing it that way is that the length of the line cannot be changed anymore. And if there is tension on the line it is very hard to untie the knot.

All knots: Figure-eight knot | Square knot | Bowline knot | Cleat knot | Clove hitch | Clove hitch (laid) | Clove hitch (thrown) | Sheet bend | Double-sheet-bend | Round turn and two half hitches | Rolling hitch | Cleat with bowline knot