Tying your own bridle, What knot?

[morrchr1]

A little background: Right now I have a Capri 22 and have done a lot of day sailing but that's about it. We have a couple of little anchorages around so would like to do a couple of overnights but the only thing I haven't done much with this boat is anchor. Being a small boat, it doesn't have any kind of line feed or center cleat on the front, therefore you have to cleat the anchor line to one of the bow cleats that are set a decent way back. This caused the boat to sail quite a bit. This caused me to look into bridles, but I'd rather not $130 for something I think I could make for $20 (and is way oversized for this boat).

Would it be possible to tie a bridle either into the middle of the anchor line or tie a separate line to create one and shackle them together? I don't have a breadth of knots down but am trying to pick some up as I go. Just glancing through some webpages the only one I found that would be useful would be the Alpine Butterfly. Do one ahead of time and mark equal distances on both sides for where to cleat each one. Then either tie the anchor line to that loop or just tie another one in the anchor line, shackle the two together, and have secure the rest of the rope as a fail-safe.

This may be a ton of overkill, but it should work. The only thing keeping me nervous is I can't find that knot referenced anywhere related to boating. Am I way overthinking this?

[Shrew]

Tie the anchor line to one cleat. Tie a prusik knot onto the anchor line to act like a spring-line. Then take the bitter end of the springline and tie it to the other cleat. Pay the anchor line and the spring line out until the 'V' of the bridle clears the bow and is even on both sides. Make sure both lines have chafe protection where they go through the chocks or over the rail.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prusik

[John_Trusty]

You probably are overthinking it, but there is nothing more useful than learning another knot. I would suggest you bookmark Animated Knots by Grog if you have not already done so - Animated Knots by Grog | How to Tie Knots | Fishing, Boating, Climbing, Scouting, Search and Rescue, Household, Decorative, Rope Care,
It gives excellent video tutorials on knots, and information on their uses. Grog also offers a nifty iOS app (for a modest fee that supports the site) with the same information and videos.

The Alpine Butterfly is a great mid-line loop knot that was borrowed from climbing. It is useful because, unlike other loops, it does not tend to slip or bind if pulled only from one "leg" of the loop. It also does not seem to bind if wet and dried. Grog's video using your hand to make the loop is really easy to follow. I agree with your plan to tie this in a larger rope ahead of time to make a bridle you can rig to your bow cleats, marking equal distances for cleating. By the way, if this costs you $20 for the materials to make your bridle for a 22 foot boat, you're paying way too much for rope!

Shrew's suggestion of tying the anchor rode to one cleat, and using a smaller line to the other cleat with a slide/grip knot works as well as a bridle, without having a dedicated piece of line aboard. Personally, I would use an Icicle Hitch, rather than either a Prussik loop or rolling hitch. I have find that Icicile hitches do not slip (ever!), where rolling hitches sometimes slip on wet line or under tension.

[Cotemar]

Maybe this will help.

You can use bowline or water bowline knots to connect to the bows.

Just a figure 8 knot before the anchor is all that's needed.

[StuM]

To answer your second question first - the Alpine butterfly is an excellent loop knot and should be in every sailor's repertoire.
I fully endorse John's reference to Animated Knots. It's a brilliant resource.
Grog's demonstrated method if tying the AB around your hand can be a bit difficult with larger diameter line, I prefer using the "double twist" method.
See for example: Butterfly Knot - How to tie a Butterfly Knot

And back to your first question, I agree with Shrew and John again. For a boat your size, hitching a second line to the anchor rode and running it to the opposite cleat is the simplest solution and should be quite adequate. And yes, the Icicle Hitch is a good one for this.

[Captaink73]

I have a similar issue with my 30'. I have a bow roller, no windlass, and chain to rope rode; this caused me to get a little creative. I used an old anchor line about 15' long (use whatever length you're comfortable with), tied eye splices in both ends (long enough to secure to the cleats). Mark the dead center of the bridle with brightly colored tape. When anchoring, use that tape mark as the center of the Prusik knot around the anchor rode at the desired length. Secure the bridle to both of the bow cleats and let the anchor rode out until it goes slack in hand, all tension should be on the bridle at this point. Like Shrew said, CHAFE PROTECTION (I secured mine to the bridle with yet more tape). It seems like a pain in the rear but it's cheap (I'm not independently wealthy) and it's held us through some pretty rough nights on the hook and hasn't slipped yet. I like Shrew's spring line idea but it wouldn't work with my roller.

[belizesailor]

Also look at a rolling hitch. Very commonly used for this purpose too and another good hitch to know.