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Essential knots?

10K views 56 replies 35 participants last post by  jackdale 
#1 ·
Last night as I was unpacking some boxes from my recent move, I came across a book of knots/ropework. So I got to thinking, what would you consider the essential knots a beginner should know and why are they so important? What's their application?

Mike
 
#3 ·
Square knot for tying two pieces of equal size line together you can't beat it

Bowline for tying a line around... well anything

Two Half Hitches for when a knot that slips is needed

Those would probaby be the three I would show a begginer. Altough I know some "sailors" who don't know any knot but the "tie a bunch of granny knots in a row" knot, and they get their boats from point A to point B... But that's neither here nor there.
 
#5 ·
Altough I know some "sailors" who don't know any knot but the "tie a bunch of granny knots in a row" knot, and they get their boats from point A to point B... But that's neither here nor there.
If you can't tie a knot tie a lot. *grin*
 
#4 ·
These threads often end up with people adding one knot to the next until some poor sap thinks s/he has to learn a hundred knots. I suggest anyone that wants to make a contribution list all the knots thought essential.

Mine:

1. Bowline
2. Clove hitch
3. Square knot/reef knot
4. Rolling hitch
5. Half hitch

I know a few others (like an anchor hitch), but I'm okay with those five and looking up anything else for special applications.
 
#32 · (Edited)
I think SVAuspicious mostly has it, but I'll add one and pick a nit.

6. Figure of 8 knot. This stopper saved kept my jib sheets within reach when I was teaching a beginning sailor to handle the sheets during a gybe.

The nit: I'd call #1 the bowline/sheetbend since from a topology point of view they are really the same knot. The former forms a loop because you tie it around something (or just make a loop) at the end of a line while the latter is used to bend on a second line of different size to your first line.

Regards,

Tom
 
#6 ·
Definetly the bowline is an essential knot. Though the halyard knot is what I choose for tying shackles to halyards. They are stronger but after being loaded they are nearly impossible to untie.

The rolling hitch is something that I use every day for various purposes. It's probably my favorite. If you go aloft on a halyard and then discover that you need to work on the sheave that you're using, you can tie your self off to a shroud or even to the mast. Thereby freeing the line. I've actually used rolling hitches tied around the mast itself to get to the top of fractional rigs. The rolling hitch holds when loaded and can be slid when unloaded so it's great for things that you need to adjust. If you get an over ride on a winch, a rolling hitch can be tied around the standing part to take the load.
The sheet bend is great for bending two lines together and is constructed exactly like a bowline.
The clove hitch is very handy.
I use a trucker's hitch a lot too.
And of course, a plain old figure eight is a handy stopper knot.
 
#7 ·
I would have to pick four
1. Bowline - simple all around and universal
2. clove Hitch- simple fast secure to a piling or post
3. cleat hitch- both locking and non-locking
4. two half hitches- simple and used to back up most other knots

The following site is a good spot to learn most that you will need and some just for fun like a Monkey's Fist

Peter
 
#8 · (Edited)
Agree on bowline, figure-8, clove hitch, rolling hitch, cleat hitch, two half-hitches/fisherman's bend.

I don't find the square knot useful--with modern synthetic lines, it slips under load. When made into a shoelace knot, with slippery ends, then it is useful for sail ties and less likely to slip, too. If I really want to tie two lines together so I trust them, it's two bowlines.

I almost never use the clove hitch either, the lead never seems right. those who find it useful, could you enlighten me?
 
#13 · (Edited)
I almost never use the clove hitch either, the lead never seems right. those who find it useful, could you enlighten me?
Try this. Pretend that you are going to coil a line. Hold the standing part in your left hand, then make a loop. Then make a second loop exactly like the first one but form it behind the first. Then put something in the loops and pull the ends and you have a properly formed clove hitch.
Obviously you don't always have the luxury of being able to slip your hitch over the end of something, but I find myself, as the guy on deck often having to send tools aloft. You can form a clove hitch like this in a couple of seconds and as long as it's been set properly, it works great. Easy and fast to tie and easy and fast to untie.

I only use clove hitches for more permanent jobs when I finish it off by tying the bitter end off to the standing part with a couple of half hitches.
 
#15 ·
Flemish Coil?

Maybe it looks snappy to you but it is neither good for the line nor the deck. Much better to properly coil the end. From the excellent Animated Knots by Grog | How to Tie Knots | Fishing, Boating, Climbing, Scouting, Search and Rescue, Household, Decorative, Rope Care,

"Pros and Cons: One of the major disadvantages is that pulling the rope out from the center introduces twists in the rope. The Flemish Flake may be appropriate on a boat's deck where there should be little dirt. It is also used for dock lines when a boat is docked for a short stay, e.g., overnight. For longer periods it is a deplorable way of treating rope: it gets trodden on, it collects dirt, and it stains the dock or deck with a spiral coil pattern of dirt."
 
#12 ·
To answer this question, I just thought about what knots have I actually tied lately while sailing, and got the following:
1) cleat hitch
2) bowline
3) clove hitch
4) square knot
5) shoe laces on new rawhide in Sperrys
6) Once a year maybe an eye splice on a new dock line, but that's not really a knot.

And that's about it for me.
 
#14 ·
All lists above good. I love the reefing knot when you get adept it just looks and feels sharp...releases fast too :)

Ashley stopper knot is a good one...stays better than a figure eight.
anyhoo
3D Knots is a great little ap for your phone its been helping me learn all sorts of knots. And you can slow the process down or roll it back till you "get" it
Cod;);)
 
#16 ·
Only one person mentioned a sheetbend?

For tying two lines together you best be using bend of some sort. I will not tie two lines together using anything else. Two bowlines is a slackers way of getting away not knowing the proper knot. MAYBE for a very short period of time, but left alone and loaded and unloaded they will chafe. Not very seamanlike.

You should know the knots that have been previously mentioned as well as at least two bends and variations thereof.

Oh, and the Ashley stopper is okay, but an easier knot to tie, more compact and flatter on the side of the knot that you want to "stop" is the Stevedore's stopper. Just like a figure 8 but with an extra half twist. Snug it up and it is much better than an Ashley or an 8.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Bowline - 75% of what you need
Half hitch - 5%


Cleat hitch and Flemish - every time you dock


After these three essentials, learn how to coil a line so it does not tangle


The coil to hang a line to dry
The coil to let a line (halyard) run free
The figure 8 coil (on a winch)


Is the figure 8 or Ashley stopper DVD considered worthy of
 
#23 · (Edited)
Check out these knots

Zeppelin bend (loop also) - probably the best bend.

Alpine butterfly loop (bend also) - best knot for making a loop in the middle of the line. The hand method is super easy. I like this as a loop over the bowline in some places because it dresses neatly.

Ashley stopper - as mentioned, the largest stopper for a given rope size.

Double overhand stopper/slip knot - clean looking stopper and a nice compact slip knot.

Adjustable grip hitch - great slide and grip hitch for making adjustable loops.

EDIT: While looking stuff up after this thread I also reminded myself of one more nice knot:

Surgeon's knot - a slight variation of the reef/square, one extra turn when you first tie it that makes it easier to tighten down and more secure.
 
#26 ·
If you know a few knots, there is no reason not to know many more knots that are simple variations or combinations.

If you know the figure-eight, then it seems easy to know the figure-eight loop, figure-eight bend, double figure-eight-loop and the one-way knot.

The bunt-line is a clove-hitch over the same line.

Double the "rabbit-hole" and you have a double-boline; triple it and you have a triple-boline; make the "rabbit hole" a clove hitch and you have a water-boline. The boline is not all that reliable when not under tension -- finish it off with a half-hitch or feed the bitter end back up through the "rabbit hole" for a Yosemite-boline.

As mentioned, the Alpine butterfly is also a bend. Also as mentioned surgeons-knot is a square-knot with a an extra turn and more secure.
 
#30 ·
In addition to the usual suspects above, add the round-turn-and-two-halfhitches. This hitch should be used where many use the clove hitch, as the clove hitch can loosen itself if there's pull off the plane of the knot.

FWIW, the ASA 101 program includes these;
figure eight
clove hitch
sheet bend
square knot
bowline
round-turn-and-two-halfhitches
 
#31 ·
My list

figure 8
double overhand
reef knot
clove hitch
cow hitch / lark's head
rolling hitch
cleat hitch
round turn and 2 half hitches
trucker's hitch
double sheet bend
bowline (I know 5 ways to tie it, but I only teach 2)

I use them all, but prefer the double overhand to the figure 8

I also prefer flaking to coiling.
 
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