Knots and Bends

Brothers--and Sisters--Curious to know which knots and bends you consider essential to your boating knowledge. I've told students over the years there are four basic knots/bends which I consider essential that they master for good seamanship. If you had to limit your suggestions to four, which would they be?

Bowline, 2 half hitches, clove hitch and properly making fast to a cleat.

Just like in rock climbing; clove hitch, figure 8, prusik, and a double fisherman's knot.

psneeld said:

Bowline, 2 half hitches, clove hitch and properly making fast to a cleat.

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Have to agree with those to be the first learned. Cleat hitch first then clove hitch. 2 half hitches over a clove hitch will secure it for the long haul. Learning to make a bowline is essential. Then others that are used less often.

psneeld said:

Bowline, 2 half hitches, clove hitch and properly making fast to a cleat.

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+1

I also use a sheet bend. It's useful for tying two lines with different diameters together.

psneeld said:

Bowline, 2 half hitches, clove hitch and properly making fast to a cleat.

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+1 Now if I can only remember how to tie a bowline!

Take a look:

Animated Knots by Grog | How to Tie Knots | Fishing, Boating, Climbing, Scouting, Search and Rescue, Household, Decorative, Rope Care,

Bowline and making fast to a cleat.

Dave

Tying your shoes properly (sometimes called a reef knot) has to be on the list. You don't want to trip and go over the side.

ARoss said:

Tying your shoes properly (sometimes called a reef knot) has to be on the list. You don't want to trip and go over the side.

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The first knot I ever learned was a double slip-knot. Tying shoes was my second most important life skill, after being able to climb into bed.

...if you can't tie a knot...tie a lot.

The problem tying a bowline is remembering whether it is a snake or a rabbit which goes down the hole and round the tree. Total disaster for the rabbit if you combine the two.
The bowline is a vital knot. A doubled half hitch after a round turn is also very useful, if somewhat maligned by cordage purists.

BruceK said:

The problem tying a bowline is remembering whether it is a snake or a rabbit which goes down the hole and round the tree. Total disaster for the rabbit if you combine the two.
The bowline is a vital knot. A doubled half hitch after a round turn is also very useful, if somewhat maligned by cordage purists.

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More than a few climbers, even expert ones, have cratered after improperly tied bowlines to their harnesses gave out. A figure 8 is stronger, is slam-dunk recognizable no matter how fatigued you are, easily unties after holding a load, but eats up more rope.

MurrayM said:

More than a few climbers, even expert ones, have cratered after improperly tied bowlines to their harnesses gave out. A figure 8 is stronger, is slam-dunk recognizable no matter how fatigued you are, easily unties after holding a load, but eats up more rope.

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But were are talking boats...not rockclimbing and a figure 8 and a bowline on a boat are 2 different animals.

psneeld said:

But were are talking boats...not rockclimbing and a figure 8 and a bowline on a boat are 2 different animals.

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Isn't the end result still a fixed loop at the end of a rope (line), be it on shore or on a boat?

Not counting 'making fast a cleat', my most commonly used are clove hitch, bowline, sheet bend and eye splice. Sine I no longer sail much, I have less of a need for the reef knot.

The problem tying a bowline is remembering whether it is a snake or a rabbit which goes down the hole and round the tree. Total disaster for the rabbit if you combine the two.

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This is the fastest and easiest way I know to tie a bowline. Takes 3 seconds. Learned it from my father-in-law. My apologies to all for the questionable quality.

MurrayM said:

More than a few climbers, even expert ones, have cratered after improperly tied bowlines to their harnesses gave out. A figure 8 is stronger, is slam-dunk recognizable no matter how fatigued you are, easily unties after holding a load, but eats up more rope.

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I thought a figure 8 was the "stopper knot" to prevent the end of the sheets for a headsail or spinnaker pulling through the sheet block and getting away from the crew. A useful simple knot, easily tied, which I guess could have multiple uses, or maybe there are 2 knots so named.

Words are so slippery...Here's a link to the figure 8 knot, and a couple variations, that I was talking about;

Rock Climbing Knots: Figure Eight

BruceK said:

I thought a figure 8 was the "stopper knot" to prevent the end of the sheets for a headsail or spinnaker pulling through the sheet block and getting away from the crew. A useful simple knot, easily tied, which I guess could have multiple uses, or maybe there are 2 knots so named.

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In nautical applications it is.

OK, to be technical, the shoelace knot is a double-slipped reef knot. In boating, the figure 8 knot is a stopper knot in one line, and does not form a loop.

My favorite bend, and one I use all the time for lines of the same diameter, is now called a "zeppelin" knot. I read the article (forget which magazine) when it was first described maybe 10 years ago, by a guy who was taught it by an old zeppelin captain. Before that, I thought I was the only one in the world who knew this one. An old fisherman had taught it to me when I was in my teens.

Now, with the power of the Internet, it's becoming more well known:

Zeppelin Bend | How to tie the Zeppelin Bend | Climbing Knots

Tie this one a few times and you'll find yourself using it a lot.

Great comments all! My wife makes fun of my insistance on using proper knots/bends/hitches. She asks," what's the difference between your fancy knots and mine?" "Honey," I answer with all the patience I can muster," both your redneck knot and my sailor's knot will hold...that's NOT the main difference. The main difference is I can get my sailor knots loose easily and quickly without a butcher knife!"

Rolling hitch, and bowline are the ones I use most, once my shoes are tied.
Steve w

Hey, I like that Zeppelin Bend...does it work with different diameter ropes like a double fisherman's?

Bowline and half hitch are the only two "boating" knots I use. The other knot I use all the time is what I learned decades ago as a "trucker's knot." It probably has other names, but it's a knot used to jam a line onto itself in such a way that it cannot come undone on its own, it cannot slip looser, but it can be slipped tighter. I use it in countless different ways.

MurrayM said:

Hey, I like that Zeppelin Bend...does it work with different diameter ropes like a double fisherman's?

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I don't know how well it "works" with different diameter line, but it looks awful that way. For that I'd use a Beckett, or if necessary, a double Beckett.

As Cap K points out, the huge benefit of a proper knot like this is how easy it is to untie. The zeppelin bend is one of the easiest, no matter how much strain it's been put under. And it's strong. I don't have any test data on its breaking strength vs. a straight line, but if you look at its structure you'll see that it spreads the load out very well.

And its symmetrical look is very tidy.

I shouldn't be telling you all this. I don't really use a lot of knots, but when someone who does starts bragging, the zeppelin is my ace in the hole. I pull that one out if they can beat me at tying a flying bowline.

Bowline, double becket bend, clove hitch and half hitches are most used for me. When I have a sailboat I would tie a bosin chair with a bowline on a bight.

My knot repertoire is limited, but it suits me well.

Double half hitch, bowline, clove and cleat hitch. When frequently operating the dinghy between boats, we prefer to set a loop in the painter for simple cleat ties. We adjust the painter lengths to allow an easy stbd side tie to our swim step / aft cleats.

Oh... and I prefer slip-on shoes and flip-flops.