Securing the belay station with a Man O War hitch

[le Voyageur]

First, this hitch can not be tied with webbing, idea is a short section of static line 10.5mm up to 13mm d. Having said that...

 

Form two bights around a suitable anchor (this tree isn't)

 

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/hh427/Chowanoke/DSCN0505.jpg

 

Tie a set of grapevine knots

 

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/hh427/Chowanoke/DSCN0506.jpg

 

Adjust height, and cinch down

 

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/hh427/Chowanoke/DSCN0507.jpg

 

Tie a Figure 8 in the large loop, a rope thimble has been added for shear reduction

 

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/hh427/Chowanoke/DSCN0508.jpg

 

Add your belay device (here I'm using a Trango Cinch). At this point the height of the hitch can be fine tuned by the belayer.

 

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/hh427/Chowanoke/DSCN0509.jpg

[Beavah]

Yah, interestin' le Voyageur. Love you sharin' your various knot setups and experiments. Have learned a fair bit over da years from tryin' 'em out.

 

This one should work OK, but I'm not as fond of it. Has the advantage of stayin' put at a given height (is that why you like it?).

 

Does seem like on a broader tree/rock that cinching it up tight might put a lot of stress on the knot and rope (from the wide vector it makes to get around the tree). Sorta like a pair of anchor points webbing'd up too tight, eh? Forces would tend to get multiplied and pull the grapevine apart.

 

Besides that, da single-point-of-failure is an issue, but I'm assumin' you're only describin' one leg of the anchor system.

 

B

 

[le Voyageur]

Came across this hitch in an 18th century sailing manual being used to move masts and cannons. It was obviou that this hitch was well suited for extremly heavy round objects. As such, for the past 5 seasons, we've been using it at our camp's climb site. It's been both a solid performer, and bombproof protecting hundreds of climbers. It's apparent that those old timers during the days of sails knew how to rig...

[Stosh]

While taking the Emergency Rescue Technician training, we were taught two knots, double half hitch and figure eight. The double half hitch was used to create a slip loop and the figure eight to create a non-slip loop. Everything was secured with these two knots. While this was many years ago, we used only a "Swiss" seat, D-Ring, and climbing rope. The only "safety" person was the person on the ground during a rappel that could lock you on the line if you were in trouble. Belay rope? No such thing. Kinda makes one wonder how I have lived so long.....

 

Stosh

[resqman]

I was a certified Emergency Rescue Technician for the state of North Carolina. I completed the states High Angle Rescue certification while an active member of the technical rescue squad for over 10 years. I enjoy ropes and knots.

 

While the knot arrangement seems adequate to act as a belay station, I am curious why it is so elaborate. Why not just tie the rope into a loop via grapevine knots and use a biner to attach the belay device to the loop? Fewer knots, easier and less likley to be tied incorrectly? I am not sure of the advantage of the proposed setup.

[le Voyageur]

 

What it does is it that it allows a group being trained in belaying to adjust the height to his/her own comfort level quickly. There's no slip, thus they don't get distracted.

Serves the same purpose on long days where you have to swap out belayers when climbing large groups....(This message has been edited by Le Voyageur)