Needed : Knot specialist or creative minds

[The Brockerts]

Task at hand is to keep the balls of Tide minders very tight together so it will work on a square pole. The only way this systems works is when the balls are tight together to keep the line off the corners. So I’m looking for some kind of knot that I can tie very tight against the last ball with the mainline. Right now I thread a smaller line through the center with the main line and and loop it around the end balls and pull it tight. It works for a while. I would like to remove this line and be able to tie a knot of some kind in the main line that I would be able to tie/pull very tight against that last ball The corners are very hard on the balls as you can see in the picture and the small line eventually wears through. This whole systems last about a month or 2 before something need replaced.

Replace the small line with a SS cable?
Run 2 smaller lines that some how pull against each other and keep the balls tight.?

The Brockerts

 

[Comodave]

Maybe a Figure 8 knot. It is a stopper knot.

 

[SteveK]

Have you ruled out bungy cord

 

[psneeld]

I just use a figure 8 on the main line. No little line to complicate things.

 

[The Brockerts]

I'll have to try harder to get the figure 8 much tighter. I've not found a method to tie a figure 8 knot creating pressure against the base of the knot.

I've been thinking about sewing the base of the figure 8 knot in place with Tenara thread and then checking the movement under load.

In the figure 8 knot method I would pre-tighten the base figure 8 knot with a few hundred pounds of pressure to get the base of the 8 knot to push forward on the 8. Think of it as flatting the bottom of the 8 against the first ball. I found it moved 1/2 to 3/4 inch's under this pressure on a 3/4 inch line. Then add the balls and another figure 8 as tight as I could get it to the balls. In about a month or 2 this knot gave about the same ground as the base knot, or even a little more. This 3/4 inch plus the ball wearing down allows the corner to get to the line. Once that happens is just days away from failure.

My picture's didn't show this version with the figure 8 knots because I stopped using it.

The interior line method seems to be working better and the next version of it will have a groove in the first and last ball to protect the line.

The Brockerts

 

[psneeld]

I would be using wire, but That would get expensive replacing balls all the time.

I would think there is an alternative to the balls, but would have to study the operation further.

 

[Comodave]

Maybe look at a system like slidemoor.com. It isn’t cheap but it looks pretty nice.

 

[The Brockerts]

Yep, I were going to stay here I would build a galvanized square with rollers on it, just like on the piers. I'm thinking these square piles are just not that common and I'll find round poles more the normal as I work up and down the east coast. The balls work great on those poles.

The Brockerts

 

[Solly]

Instead of tying something how about a clamp to keep the balls from moving ? Plastic, 2 halves that have screws holding them together? Fit tight on the rope, wire the ball are on. No idea where to find them though...

 

[psneeld]

Except in some unusual docking situations, are you thinking tideminders other than home marina?

I know of no cruisers that fiddle with them cruising.

 

[The Brockerts]

I use them at my home marina, Corpus Christi Texas with a tide swing of 2 feet and to handle storms. They are the only approved way to connect to the center pole in a slip.

Since I'll be heading up the east coast after hurricane season I would think that they would be in use with tide swings of 7 or 8 feet for instance in Boston Harbor.

The Brockerts

 

[psneeld]

Georgia has 8-10 foot tide swings and almost all floating docks.

Long time since I was Boston and North. Anyone know of fixed docks in that area?

I certainly wouldn't mess with them in a 2 foot tidal area unless like I have one short breast line on for hurricanes and an easy tideminder setup....but have never used one for 8 years at my current marina or any other for that matter....but this is my first hurricane season in the water in Florida.