The pulley for applying force, but… watch out for the eyelet

When you need to apply significant force, setting up a pulley system onboard is an excellent solution. It’s often used to secure something on deck, like a tender, or, as shown in the photos, to secure the boom.

The process is extremely simple, but there’s a common mistake made at the heart of the pulley system: the eyelet through which the working end of the rope (the free part) passes.

What often happens is that the rope is folded in half, and a simple knot is tied. In this case, you’ve created an eyelet to pass the working end through. However, once tension is applied, the knot will tighten so much that it becomes extremely difficult or even impossible to untie.

The alternative is to create the eyelet differently. Instead of tying a knot with the doubled rope, you should make one by passing the working end over the standing part and then back through.

This way, you’ve created an eyelet through which the rope can pass to set up the pulley system. The eyelet knot will tighten under tension but won’t jam. To complete the pulley, you just need to wrap a few turns and secure it with a half hitch.

To undo it, simply pull the working end, and the rope will be free.