Ideas for cover protection from docking ropes

[Kirk Rieber]

I got an evolution cover at the end of last season and I need to have it modified for cleat access for the dock.  I keep the boat on whips at the dock and it works well, but the knot at the top of the loop for the cleat will rub on the cover and wear through it over time (I'm on a rough part of the water and the boat moves a lot)  I'm thinking of having some velcro sewn onto the cover where the knot can make contact and using some sort of heavy duty fabric to attach to the velcro so that I can easily replace the material as it wears out.

Does anyone have recommendation on a material that could take that kind of abuse for a season?. More Sunbrella, Duck Canvas, HD vinyl??

[formulaben]

https://chafepro.com/chafepro/chafe-mat/

[oldjeep]

So here is a dumb question.  Why not tie a bigger loop so that the knot is higher than the cover?

[justgary]

Or splice a loop and forego the knot altogether....

[Kirk Rieber]

With a larger loop, the boat moves more than I'd like.  The water right off the dock is very shallow.  The whips keep the boat about 4-5 feet off the dock under calm conditions and the running gear is only about 6 inches from the bottom.   When the traffic picks up, the boat can get to within a foot of the dock.  I've had better luck making the loop as small as I can and still fit it over the cleat, and I then run the loop in from the bottom of the clean.  This actually solves the knot problem, but the ropes themselves will still rub the cover with a lot of wave action, it just takes longer to wear through the cover.

 

I think the ballistic nylon might be the way to go.  Thanks for the suggestion.