The Pile Hitch Knot is used as a mooring hitch to attach a line to a dock or post.
It may be tied in the end or a bight of a heavy line.
According to the Ashley Book of Knots:
A Pile Hitch is remarkably secure and is easy to cast off when the left bight has been loosened by a single well-aimed kick. Recommended for medium and heavy lines.
Let’s learn it in detail.
How to Tie a Pile Hitch Knot?
- Make a bight and wrap it around the pole from front to back.
- Cross over standing lines and feed the loop over the top of the pole.
- Tighten the knot.
To untie, slack off the line and then lift the loop from the pile.
Other Way to Tie the Pile Hitch (with Rope’s End)
If you have access to one end of the rope, then you can tie this knot around a fixed support without the use of the bight as well.
To do this, repeat steps 1 and 2 with the working end instead of a bight. Then, rethread the knot in the other direction.
Double Pile Hitch
Need a more secure hitch?
Wrap the bight around the post an extra time and pass the loop through the post.
It will provide the extra friction that holds the knot under tension and reduces the slippage.
Applications and Uses
The Pile Hitch is used to secure mooring lines to docks or poles. It is quite a secure knot but not recommended for permanent use.
It can come loose under the cyclical load and may even slip off the mooring pole. So, it is advised to regularly monitor this hitch for the same reason.
It’s used to secure an area with a temporary boundary. Just tie the Pile Hitches around the posts in succession to make a rope fence.
It is used by the arborists to attach a throw line to the rope.
Most of the time the Timber Hitch is used to pull objects sideways, but the pile Hitch can also be used for the same purpose.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Easy to tie and untie
- Strong and secure
- Can be tied in the bight
- Doesn’t jam
Cons
- Requires one end of the pole to wrap a bight
Other Similar Hitches
Marlinspike Hitch
The Marlinspike Hitch is another alternative for the Pile Hitch. Similar to the Pile Hitch, it can be tied with the help of the bight.
Round Turn and Two Half Hitches
The Round turn and two half hitches is the go-to knots for attaching the mooring lines to the dock or post.
The best thing about this knot is it can be tied under load since the Round turn takes all the tension in the line which helps to tie the Two half hitches.
Still, there are other better options like the Anchor Hitch.
Bowline Knot
The Bowline knot is used to tie a mooring line to a tree, post, or anchor.
You’ll need the free end of the rope to tie this knot.
Unlike the Round turn and two half hitches, it’s hard to tie this knot when there is a load on the standing end of the rope.
Anchor Hitch
The Anchor hitch is the recommended hitch for tying the anchor line to the anchor.
It’s one of the strongest knots used at sea because it works pretty well under dynamic loads.
Clove hitch
The Clove Hitch is a strong and easy to tie knot.
But it may slip, sometimes jam, and require the free ends to tie this knot.
Buntline Hitch
The Buntline hitch is used to secure the foot of the sails to the buntlines.
It is a self-tightening knot. It is impossible to tie this knot under load and when loaded, it’s difficult to untie as well.
Related Questions
Is Pile Hitch Secure?
The Pile Hitch is a secure hitch, but you can make it even more secure by tying a double Pile Hitch knot.
That’s it for this article! How do you plan to use the Pile Hitch in the future? Let us know in the comments below.
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