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MORE THAN 50 OF THE MOST USEFUL KNOTS FOR CAMPING,SAILING , FISHING, AND CLIMBING

Peter OwenI

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PETER O W E N

BOOKSAN IMPR IN T OF

RUNNING PRESSPHILADELPHIA, PENN SYLVANIA

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A QUINTETBOOK

F r!it publ ished in 1993by Running Press

Copyrig h t 1993 Qui n te t Publlshins Limited,All righ ts reserved, No P

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Page no

6

12

13

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15

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1718

1920212223

24

26

27

28293031323334

35

363738

394042

43

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CONTENTS

Introdu c tion

STOPPER KNOTS

Overhand knotOverhand loopMultiple overhand knotHea ving line kno tFigure -ot -eight knot

HITCHES

Half h itc hHighwayman's h itch(o w hitchTimber h itch

Transom knot

Constri c to r knotClove hi t c h

Clove hi t c h, dropped over a po stClov e hi t ch, made on a ringfi sherman 's bendCat 's pa wBillhitchRolling hitchRound turn e!nd tw o half hitc he sItalian hitchPru s ikknot

LOOPS

Figure-ot-eight loopThreaded figure -of-eightBowline

Bowline , casting methodClimber' s bo wl ineBowline on a bightBowline , rope under tensionSpanish bowline

GP Cl CA Sl FS Page no46

47

48

49 50 51 52 53

54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61

62

63

64 65

66 67

68

7071

7273

74 75 76 77 78 79

KEY:GP "" Gen e ral Pu rposeCl "" Climbi n gCA = ( ampl ngSL = sa ilingFS = Fshing

Angl e r's loopThre e -part -crownAlpine butterfly knot

BENDS

Reef knot

Cap sized reef knot

Th ie f kn o tSur ge on 's knot

Fisherman 's knotDouble fisherman's knot

Hunter 's bend

Sheet bend

Figure -o f-eight bend

Carrick bend

RUNNING KNOTS

Running bowline

Hangmen' s knot

Noose

Ta rb u ck knotSHORT ENING S

SheepshankLoop knot

FISHING KHOTS

Blood knot

Half tu c ke d blood knot

Blood loop dropper kn o t

Turle knot

Water knot

Gr inner knotDouble gr inner knot

Do uble loop knot

Needle knot

Glossary

GP CL CAS L FS

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INTRODUCTION

A knot is simply a cDlmeclion in a thread, cord or lengthof rope formed either by pnssing one free end - known as a

working end - through a loop and drawing it tight or by

intertwining or tying together pieces of thread, cord or

rope. However, there are several quite distinct groups of

knot - hitches and bends, binding knots, stopper knots,

knots that form nooses or loops QlId knots that join small

lines together. Each knot serv es a different purpose, and

although it is not necessary to know a large number of

different knots - four or five should suffice in most

circumstances - it is important to know which blOt is

best suited to the condition s in which it is to be used.

You should also bear in mind thai any knot, no matt er

how carefully and securely tied , will reduce the breaking

sirain of a line by between 5 and 20 percent. Just before it

breaks, a knot slips. The more tightly you can draw a

knot when you are tying it , the greater the strain it will

withstal1d before it slips.

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ROPE MANUFACTURE

Trad itionally made rope is formed o f the fibersof m aterials that have been tw is ted toge th er .If you loo k at an ord inary piece of three -s tra ndrope, yo u w ill find t hat i t is laid right-hande dtha t is, n o ma tter w h ich way up yo u h o ld it, th es tra nd s a pp ear to asce nd u pwar d an d to therig ht. Thi s is because w he n it is mad e, th e firstgrou p of fibe rs a re twis ted to form rig ht -ha ndya rn i the yarn is t he n t w isted toge the r the ot h erway to form left -hand strands; an d th e st randsar e twis ted toget h er to fo rm rig ht -laid rope. Th etension created by the alterna te di rec tion of t hetwis ts holds t h e rop e toget her an d g ives its trengt h . Even when a st ran d is un coi led fromthe ro p e, the remain ing two stra nd s wi ll clingtoget her, leavi n g a clear ly de fin ed gap in whi chth e m issing str an d shoul d lie. The w ay ase parate d strand is laid-up is a v ita l conce p t tograsp fo r it is t,he basic principle on w h ichropem aki n g is based .

Natural tiber ropesUn til about t he time of Wor ld Wa r II, rop e w asmade from na tural m ate rials - he m p a ndma n illa, cotton, co ir, flax o r s isa l. Now,howeve r, a ra nge of syn the tic fibe rs mea n s th a tth ere is a special ized rope for every p oss ibleapplication.

Most rope m ad e from natural fibe rs is thr ee

stra nd and rig h t- laid. Left -hand rope is muc hscarcer a nd is of ten four-s trand. There is also as ix-s tran d ro pe, whic h is ma de in Fran ce, b utthi s typ e of rop e has a hollow co re, whi ch has t obe filled wi th ch ea p st u ff. Four -st ra nd rope isapp roxi m ately 10 percent weaker t h an i ts t hre es tran d equ iva lent, an d remarkable, c ab le- la idline (th a t is, th ree three -strand ropes laid u pleft-han d ed t o form a ni ne -strand cable) is 40percent weaker than th e same size of hawse rlaid (tha t is, o rd in ary three -s trand) rope.

The re a re ma ny obv ious prob le ms associa tedwi th nat u ral fibe r rope. W hen we t it swells,mak ing it extreme ly diffic ult to un t ie the kn o tth e rop e a lso ten d s to beco me q ui te br ittle.Ele m en ts suc h as ha rsh su n a n d c he mi ca ls alsote nd to wea ther t he rope.

Synthetic ropesEven th ou gh natura l rope is s tr on g, it is n ot ass tr on g as it would be if the fibers ran th e wholelengt h of th e rope. Sy nth et ic rop es, on the o th erha nd , can b e ma d e [ro m on e con tin u ou s length.The filame n ts d o no t h ave to be tw iste dtogeth e r to make th em cohere. A wid e range of

sy n thet ic ropes has bee n de veloped s in ce WorldWar II, b ut th ey a ll share some characteris tics:size for s ize t hey are lig h ter t h an ropes ma d efrom n at u ra l fibers; they are availab le in avariety of colors; an d they are ch eap e r th an

Rop" is madr up of iberstwisted together, filch in tkeopposite direction 10 theprevious one to form Ihe yam;these are twisted loge/ker Iheopposite way 10 form slra'lds

whick in lu m are Iwis/M toform right-laid rope .

COM MONLY USED ROPE

E l A, ST ICA, T ED ' I J ~ G ( (

S I S A, l

7

(~z~

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0Wkichevtr way you examine "ight-hand laid rope , notia chow the strands a/ways nIlSand upward lind to the ~

right . Left-mmd lIIid rope is a0fllrity.Z

s T ~ A, ... 0

Y A, R ...

F I B E R S

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Sy111hrtic rope can be eitherlaid-up (above) or braided ill

IIle 5Ilme li.'fiythat naturalfiber rope is : al l Oilier braidedslleatll surroUllds an innercore (below); tile lalier ismarkedly superior to thai oflaid- up ropt', eSI7f!ciallyinclimbing situation s. laid -liprope is tire dlearer of he two.

natural fiber ropes . In addition, synthetic ropeshave a high tensile strength an d outstandingload-bearing qualities; they are capable ofabsorbing shocks; they are immune to rot,mildew an d degrad ation from salt water; an dthey are resistant to chemi cal damage an dcorrosion from oils, petrol an d most solvents.Moreover, because they absorb less water tha nropes made of natural fibers, the ir breakingstrains remain more constant when they arewet .

Nylon (polya mide ) ropes are st rong an dstretch, which make them us ef ul for towing.Nylo n ropes also absorb shock loads extremelywell, an d they do not floa t. Po lyeste r ropes, onth e other hand, give very little stretch, althoug hthey are nearly as strong as ny lon ropes.Polypropylene is u sed to make a populargeneral-purpose rope, which is often used bysailors, bu t it floats, which may rule it ou t forsome instance s . Polyethylene rope is not as

strong as other types of synthetic rope andis

not widely used. On e of th e strongest of thesynthetic su bstances is aramide, bu t it isexpensive an d sensitive to ultraviolet light.

On e of the main disadvantages of syntheticropes, however, is tha t th e y are so smooth thatsome knots slip undone. The old-fashionedfiber ropes ha d their ow n built-in re sista nce toslippage, bu t synthetic rope may need to besecured by an extra half hitch or tuc k. Partly toovercome this, on e kind of synthetic rope ismade in th e old way, by first chopp i ng up thefilaments into shorter lengths, an d then,tw isting them in alternate directions , byb uilding up th e strands and the n the rope itself.This is known as laid -u p rope.

The other group of sy nthetic ropes are plaited

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or braided. Plaited usually describes rope tha t i5formed of solid plaits of four- or eight-strand ed .Braided rope has a sheath of 16 or more strandssurrounding an inner hollow braided core or asolid core of parallel or only slightly twistedfilaments.

Another major problem that may beencountered with synthetic ropes is that theymelt when they are hea ted, an d it is possible forsuff icien t heat to be generated simply by tworopes ru bb ing against each other. This is,obviously, of vital i m portance to mountaineers ,wh o shou ld always be quite certain that none oftheir ropes is like ly to rub against another. Jt iseven possib le for th e heat generated by frictionto cause the rope that is tied in a knot to fusetogether, so tha t it can ne ver again be un tied.

A rope that is twice th e diameter of anotherwill be four t imes as strong. It is not necessarilyalways true, however, that the stronger of tworopes is the one to select. In some

circumstances, elasticity may be moreimportant than strength - if the rope has to bearshock loads, for example - an .d then a ropemade of polyester polyamide would be better.

Do not buy rope that is too stiff. Laid-up ropethat is made from relatively thick multifilamentsthat are tw is ted tightly together will giveexcellen t resistanc e to wear bu t may beawkward to tie, and kn ots may not hold well.Remember that, despite what the salesman maytell you, rope do e s not get more supple withtime. Beware , too, of very so ft twisted rope.

Sailors should not use a ro pe that floats foranchoring purposes in ports. A floating ropewill inevi tably be severed by the propellers ofmotor boats . Floating lines should be used onlyfo r rescue work, li ght buoys an d so forth.

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How TO CHOOSE A ROPE

Rope should be ch ose n accor di ng to th e s ituation for which it will be u sed- cons idering carefully both th e mat e rial an d the type (br aide d or laidup ).

Pu"""" .....,. CUmbing Towing AnChorage Moon"" Halyards FishingMaterial purposePolyester X X X

""'" X X X X X X"".-M X X

Sealing endsW hen you bu y sy nth e tic rope (TOm a cha ndlery ,an electricall y h ea ted knife is use d to c ut th erop e to Ihe req uired lengt h . Th is g ive s a sharpedge an d sea ls the en d . When you cut sy ntheti crope yourself, however, you will probab ly u sean ordinar y sharp knife and th e n m elt the en dof the rope w ith a cig arette light e r or an electricring.

looking after ropeRope is expen s ive so a lwa ys look afte r it. Tr y toavoid drag ging it over s harp or rou gh edges, orove r surfa ces wh ere particle s of dirt an d gritwill penet ra te the fibe rs . Do not force rope intoharsh kinks . Use floating line s only for res cue

wo rk, ligh t buo y s, etc.

CO ILING A ROPE

Thejuncti on of coiling is thatt h ~ropt will be immediatelyufll'SSibJl'ulld u7I/a7lgll'dwhell 1I=l1'd. C oiltd rupt isusl'jul ifyou want to sling therope on your backpackO T OWl"your shouldl'r .

Ill:\

--)( --- - - - - .....,dlJi ---- -----

- - - ~

9

SOME BREAKING LOADS(l bs )

M a t ~ r i a l Diame-kr 1In : 25 .4mm

6mm 8mm 10mm

aramldcore 2_ 5510 ....nykJn , 3-strand 1650 2980 4590

polyester, 3 strand 1250 22 '0 3500

polyester, 16 -brald 2200 3750 5730

~ , 3 -s t r a n d 1100 2000 3000

poIythene , 3-strand 880 1540 2400

Before coiling it , always make sure tha i th erope is dr y , even if it is sy nthetic. If it h as bee nin sea wa ter, rin se it w ith fre s h wate r to removean y d epos its o f salt. A t th e en d of th e seaso n ,wash ropes thor o ug hl y in a detergent , car efull yremoving any oil or tar s tains with petrol o rtric hl oroe thylene .

Tying knots weaken s ropes . Th e sharper thecu rve an d the tighter th e nip , th e gr ea ter is t hechance that the rop e w ill b rea k , an d wh e n itdoes so it will brea k imm edi ately outs id e theknot. Many often -u sed kn o ts are surpri si ngl yharmful to rope , th e w o rs t offe nder be in g th es imple ove rhand knot (see page 12) . Nev e r usetwo ropes of diff erent materia ls to getherbecause onl y t he mor e rigid o f th e two w ill

work under st rain.

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Selecting knotsOne of th e main reasons for selecting on e knotrather than another is th e relative s treng th o fthe knots. This is es peciall y true for cl imbe rsan d mountaineers, bu t it is a lso a con s iderationfo r mariners. Other characteristics such asspeed and ease of tying, bulk an d reliability willalso influence the choice.

Climb er s gene rally use knots tha t aTe bu lkyan d that have seve ral wrapping turn s, whichare designed to absorb strains an d to avoidweakening the rope unnecessarily. Knots usedby climbers must be checked regu lar ly,eSpecia lly if stiff rop e is used, because it is mo red ifficult to tie tha n more flexib le line an d theknots may be less secure.

Anglers use similar, bu t m uch smaller, barrel-sh aped knots, partly to impr ove their chances

of a good ca tch an d pa rtl y to sa fegu ar dexpensive fishing gear.

Ge n erall y, yo u sho uld also un t ie k n ots assoon as possible afler use. This w ill be eas ier ifyou choose a s u ita ble kno t in t he firs t p lace .An d remember tha t knots that d isappear wh e nthey are s li pped off t h eir foundat ions such asthe clove hitch an d Prusik kn ot (see pages 24an d 34) are no le ss s trong or sec ur e.

Finally, remember that tying kn o ts requirespracti se. You must be a ble to t ie them quicklyand easily when you are halfway lip a mountainor at sea. Th e on ly wa y to gain t h e nece ssaryskil l an d con fid e nce is to practise each knot ove ran d over aga in un til the s tep s becomea ut om a tic an d yo u do not have to think aboutthem. In some circumstances your life or thelive s of your companio n s could depend on it.

ROPE PARTS

S T A N D I N G E N D

R 0 P E

I G H T

H OW TO USE THIS BO O K

The di"'gr",ms Ih"'l co mp l ete ly diffe re nt knot G E N E R A L P U R P O S Eacco mpan y th e Th e knots in thi s book ca ndesc riptions of th e kn o ts be use d i n differenta re int en de d to be self situ",tio ns: ge neralex pl ;!.na tor y . Theauows purpose , cl imbing, CAM" NGindicate th e directions in u m pin g, 5.) iling an dwhich you s hould push o r fishing; th es e n e shownpull the working ends of be low u sy mbols .

C l l M l l I o I Gyour line, wh i le th e Each knot in th e book isdotted lines ind ica te accompanied by th eintermedi",te positions of rel ev ;!.nt sy mbolJ s;

~he rope. Always follow designed to give yo u at ", S A I l I 101 Gth e orde r indicated of gla n ce i n fo rm at io n aboutgo i n g over or under a th e uses of a particularlength of line ; reversing knot .

11hi s orde r co uld result in a f I S N I 101 G

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O V E R H A N O K N O T

O V E R H A t l O l O O P

" - "

M U L T I P L E

O V E R N A N O K N O T

STOPPER KNOTS

This group of knots is most often used to prevent the end

of a length of rope, string or small stuff slipping through

an eye or a hole. Stopper knotscan also be used to bind

the end of a line so that it will not unravel, and they can

also be used as decoration. At sea they are frequently used

to weight lines or on running rigging , and they are also

used by climbers, campers and fishermen.The simple overhand knot, which is the basis of so many

other knots, is a stopper knot. Sailors tend to Il se the

Jigure eight knot for general use and multiple

overhand knots to weigh down or decorate the

ends of knots.

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H E A V I N G l l t l E

K t l O T

f i G U R E E I G H TK N O T

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. ~

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MULTIPLE OVERHAND

KNOT

Also known as: BLOOD KNOT

Thi s knot's altern at ive na me has a rath ergruesome derivat ion: the kn ot USL>d to be tied inthe ends of th e las hes of t he cat Q'nine ta ils, t hewhi p used for flogging in both the Br itish Army

an d Navy unti l the punishment's officia l

abolit ion in 1948. A far less grisly use is as aweight in the co rd s with which Capuchinmonks tie th eir habits. Sai lors use th e knot as as toppe r or we ig ht ing knot o n small s luf f,althoug h it is d ifficu lt to untie when the lin e iswet.

When you lie the kn o t, keep th e loop openan d s lac k, an d then pu ll ge ntl y on both en d s ofthe line simultaneously, twi s ting th e tw o ends

in oppos ite di rect io n s as yo u do so.

~ I_L -___ ~ ~____________________ ~o

13

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HEAVING LINE KNOT

Also known as: FRANCISCAN KNOT, MONK'S KNOT

This knot is principally used for sailing when aheavy line is to be thrown ashore or aboardanother boat. It is attached to a heaving line-that is, a light line - which can be thrown aheadso that the heavier line can be pulled across thegap. The knot is tied to th e en d of the lighter

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line to give it the ne cess ary additional weight.Heaving line s are usually 1f.z-.. inch in diameterand may be up to 80 feet long. They s hould floatan d be fl ex ible , an d it is important that they bestrong enough to bear a man' s weight.

The kn o t's a lterna tive nam es derive from itsuse 10 weig h t the ends o f the co rd s tha tFra ncisca n mo n ks use as be lts.

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15

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IZS FIGURE EIGHT KNOTAlso knmon a s: FLEMISH KNOT, SAVOY KNOTThi s interlacin g kn o t h as for lo ng been rega rde das an emblem of in terwoven affec tio n ,appearin g in h era ld ry as the symbol of fait h fullove. It al so appear s in the arms of the Ho use ofSa voy.

The knot , wh ich is made in the end of a lin e,with th e upper loop aroun d th e standing parian d th e lower loop around the wo rkin g en d , isw ide ly used by sa ilor s on the runnin g riggin g .

... _ .

- - - - -L - - - -

_- - - - -_L - -----..........--...-

FIGURE-Of E IG HTCH A INTh i s popular de corativechain can be m ade, quitesimply , by making aseries of figur e- of -e ightkn o ts all in the sa medire

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H I G H W A Y M A N ' S

H IT C H

T I M B E R H I T C H

C O N S T R IC T O R

K H O T

( lO V E H I T C H

HITCHES

Hitches are knots that a re used to secure a rope to a post,

hook, ring, spar or rail or to another rope that plays no

part in the actual tying. Hitches do not keep their shape

on their own . Because they are often used by sailors jar

mooring, lashing and fastening they must be able to

withstand parallel strain.

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F I S H E R M A N 'S B E N D

R O U N D T U R N A N D

T W O H A L F H I TC H E S

ITA lIA " H I T C H

P R U $ I K K I ' I O T

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~ HIGHWAYMAN 'S HITCHAlso kno wn as: D RAW HITCH

The name hi ghway man 's hit ch co m es fr o m th efac t th e kn o t wa s s u pposed ly used by robbe rs toin sure a sw ift r e lea se fo r th ei r horses' reins an dthu s a rapid get-awa y. A sin gle pu ll on thewo r king en d un ti es t he k n ot , b ut th e sta ndin gpart ca n safel y be p ut un d e r len sion .

IZE HALF HITCHThe half hitch is am ong th e most wid ely used offa s te n ings, bu t it is, in fact, a tem po rar y knot,formed of a single h itch mad e around th es tan di n g part of an ot her h itc h - as in a ro un dtu m and two half hi tches, fo r exam ple. The

kno t is no t mea nl lo la ke an y st ra in b ut is ra th eruse d to comp le te an d s tre ng the n ot he r kn ots,w hi ch may then be u se d for ty in g, han g in g o rho o ki n g .

T W O H " ' l ~ HI T C H t S

$ I H G l E H A L F H I T C H

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Cow HITCHA l s o knowlI as : L AN Y ARD /l lTe l IThis hitch, co mp o sed of two sing le h itches, isgener all y made around a rin g a nd is probablythe le ast sec ure o f all th e h itches , an d it sho u ldbe regar d ed as only a te mpor ar y fasten ing. It sn ame sugges ts its mos t co m mon u se - as am ean s of te the r in g livestock .

,/

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o

~ TIMBER HITCH

Whfll a singl e hitch is add edto tile "core r e lld 0[11 log orspr,r , with Illil1l/>I'r hi/dlllithe jurl/lcr end, the resil/tingKiIliclr iii/eli mabi es tile loadto be draXXed wi/holll ilswhrginSaroumi ,

21

This dist in ct ive -looking knot is really only atempor ar y noose, for med by twis ting thewo rki ng en d around its ow n pa r t an d notarou nd the standing pa r t . Three twis ts ar eu s ually suffic ie nt to sec ur e th e ro p e arounds u ch objects as tr ee tr unks, planks or pol es sothat they ma y be raised or lowered or dragge d

or pulled. Mo re twis ts m ay be n ee d ed if th eobject to be mo ved is especia lly thick .Un for tunate ly, this knot is easily tied incorr ectl y.

I

Im

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Tying lo ge tiler the cross -bars(Jfu ki l l' is best do n I' with 11T ran Slllll/m ol ,

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.

TRANSOM KNOT

Garde ne r s will fin d thl' t ran so m k no tpart icu la rly us eful fo r makin g t rel lises or tyin gu p bean po les . I t is si milar t o t he co ns tri ctorkno t (see page 23) , a nd , a s wit h t ha i kno t, t heend s m ay be t r i m me d o ff fo r nea tn ess .A lth ou gh i t ca n be pr ized un d o ne, it is p rob ab lyeas ier s im p ly 10 cut through th e d iago na l, wh enth e tw o halve s w ill fall apart.

/ '

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Tile COlls/rictorknot ispopular as an all -purposeknot becallse it is a firm kllolwhich does/I'/ slip.

~ CONSTRICTOR KNOTThis knot has grown in popularity in recentyears, an d it has dozens of uses . It can be usedon the ends of ropes as permanent ortemporary whipping; it can be used to securefabric bags such as those containing bouquetgarni; i t can be used in woodworking to ho ldtw o pieces in position while th e glue drie s .

23

Th e knot is formed from an overhand knot,trapped beneath a crosswise round turn, whichholds it firmly in place. The constrictor knot willstay tied an d grip fir m ly, and, in fact, the ropemay have to be cu t fre e unless the las t tuck ismade with a bight to produce a slipped knot .

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Also known as: BOATMAN'S KNOT, PEG KNOT

The name clove hitch firs t appeared inFalconer's Dictionary of the Marine in th e 18 thcentury, bu t the knot wa s probably known forcenturies before then.

Th e main advantage of the clove hitch is that,given practise , it can be tied around a post withjust on e hand, which makes it particularlyuseful for sailors wh o may, for example, needto tie a dinghy to a ballard with one hand while

24

holding onto a guard rail with the other.Although it is often recommended as a mooringknot, th e clove hitch is not, however, totall ysecure if th e strain is intermittent an d at aninconstant angle, an d while it will afford atemporary hold, it should be replaced bysomething more stable as soon as is practicable.Adding a stoppe r knot or making one or twohalf hitches around the stand ing part of therope will make th e knot more secure,

Campers often use it to secure tent poles,which is the origin of one of its alternativenames, the pe g knot.

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~ ~ CLOVE HITCH , DROPPEDOVERA POST

The knot formed when two overlapping halfhitches

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CLOVE HITCH, MADE ONA RING

Th is part icu lar version of the clove hitch is mo recom mon ly us ed in mountainee ring than insai ling, for in sailing the ring is usuallynarrower than th e rope, which ca n beco m ebad ly ch afed an d therefore dangerous.Cl imbers use it to regu lat e th e lengt h of ropebetwee n th e climber an d th e piton (th a t is, th epe g o r sp i ke driven into roc k or a crack tos uppor t th e rope) .

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m

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. IZEFISHERMAN'S BENDA lso k n ow n a s: A NCH O R BEND

If the co w hi tch is th e lea s t secure of th e h itches,th e fi sh e rm an 's be n d is t h e mos t st ab le. S im pl yfo rm ed by m akin g two turn s ar ou nd th e p ost orth r ou g h the r in g an d th en tu ckin g th e wor kin g

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e nd th r ou g h bo th turns , th e kno t is wid el y use dby sa il or s to mo o r their boats a t th e q ua ys id e.Extra secur ity ca n be pro vided by addin g a ha lfhitch.

The knot's othe r na me - the an chor be n d -d e ri ves fro m t he fact t hat sa ilors us e it to tie onthe an c ho r ring, a ltho ug h a st opper kn ot sho u ldbe add ed ( or sa fety's sa ke .

f l S H E R M A N " S l E N D

WI T H AN A D D E D

H A L f H I T C H

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CAT'S PAW

o

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Because the strain is equa l on both sides, th is isthe bes t h oo k knot fo r rope o f m ediumdia meter. It has lon g bee n used by d ockwo rkers a nd sa ilors to sl in g hea vy load s, an dthe name ca t' s pa w has bee n curre nt sin ce atleas l l he ear ly 18t h cent u ry. When a s ingle pa rtof a loa d ed ro pe is hun g over a hook , the line isweake ned by a bou t o ne-t hir d. A cat 's paw,secure ly dra w n up , gives the additi onalassurance thai, sho u ld on e leg break, the othe rwill lasllong enough to allow th e loa d to besafely ioweI'd to th e groun d.

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0 '

I

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CD

Tire maill / J e n ( f t t o f f l r ~Rollillg hitch is its ability tos/idetQsily%llg Ot( lint towhich it iso/taclitd. Dileo/I h ~traditiO/la/llses of/ helorol isformakillg Ihejlagirlllyard/a s/ to IlIeb llrgce staffor o r hoislirrg thelIa/yardilOri umla ll y .

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~ ROLLING HITCH

Also known as: M AGNER'S /fiTCH, MAGNUS HITCH

Th is useful knot is basic all y a cl ove hi tch w ithth e firs t tur n re pea ted. It is emplo ye d by bot hmariners a nd m oun t a in eers a nd is the moste ffective way of secur in g a s mall rope to a larg erline tha t is u nd e r s tra in . As lon g as the sma ll e rrope is pe r pe ndicular to th e la rger, t he kn o t wills lide easi ly along; once tensio n is exerted o n thes tanding pa ri an d work ing e nd of the s mallerrope, the knot locks in position. I f yo u plac eyour hand ove r the knot an d slide it along th eth ic ker lin e it will slide off the en d and unco ilinto a straig ht length of rope.

The name rolling hitch has been use d s inceth e 1840s; before then the knot was known asmagner's o r m agnus h itch.

m

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~ ~ ROUND TURN AND TWOHALF HITCHESUse this versatile knot whenever yo u need tofasten a line to a ring, hook, handle, po le, rail orbeam. It is a strong, dependable knot , whichnever jams. I t has the additional advantage thatonce one end has been secu red with a roundturn an d two half hi tches , th e other end can be

tied wi th a second knot, which ma kes i tinvaluable for fastening unwieldy objects toautomobile roof racks.

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T W O HA l f H I T C H E S

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ITALIAN HITCHA ls o h l O w n as : MUNTER FRICTION HITCH, SLIDING

RING HITCH

Th is ad di tio n to the mo unta inee rs' lexico n ofkn o ts wa s in t roduc ed in 1974, an d it is th eofficia l me an s o f be layin g (that is, fixin g aru lUling ro pe a round a rock or a clea t) o f th e

TI IC / I~ l il 1 / ll l i l c ll is 11 11inllova l i!Jf: climbillg kllotIIsed for belaying; ils cI ,fe!advantage being its means ojabsorb/lIS the ellergy ofQ jail.

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Uni o n Internationa le des Assoc iatio n sd 'Alpi nism e . Th e rope is passe d around an dth r ou gh a ca rabiner an d will c heck a climber' sfa ll by lock ing up . AJternativel y, the r ope ca n bepa id o u t or p ulled in to pro v ide s lack or tens ionas req u ired .

Th e ma jor d isad va nt age of th e kn ot is that itis easy to tie i nco rrectl y. I

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I j PRUSIK KNOTThis knot is named after Dr Carl J'rusik, wh odevised it in ]931. It is a comparatively simpleknot to tie, which is used by climbers to attachslings to a rope so that they slide smoothlywhen the knot is loose bu t hold firm when asideways load is imposed. Although the knotdoes not always slide easily, once th e load i s inplace it can be re le ased on ly by removing theweight an d freeing th e turns of th e rope. Th ePrusik knot is us e ful for anyone wh o ha s toscale awkward heights- tree surgeons an d(avers, for example - as well as for climbers,wh o use it as a safety mechanism whenabseiling or rappelling (that is , descending asteep rock face by using doubled rope fixed il t ahigher point).

The knot must be tied with rope thai isconsiderably thinner than th e line aroundwhich it is tied, an d it is important to note that itma y slip if th e rope is wet or icy.

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1 H R I " ' 0 ( 0f i G U R E l iGHT

1 0 W l I I< I (

C l l " ' I ' R '

1 0 W l i H I

1 0 W l l " '0" ... liGHT

Loops

Loops are made to be dropped over an object, unlike

hitches, which are made directly arollnd the object and -

follow its shape. They are knots formed by folding back

the end of a rope or Line into an eye or loop and O W l

fastening it to its standing part so that the knot is fixed

and does /lot move, Sailors find loops, especially the

bowline, indispensable.

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5 ' ' ' ' " 1 5 1 1

1 0 W l I " '

" ' " G l E R ' S l O O '

T " R l l . . . . RT

C R 0 . "

" ' l "" 'I U T T E R f l Y k N O T

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/

THREADED FIGURE EIGHT

This is a variation of th e figure eight loop. Th emo st freq ue n t uses of the threaded figure e igh tar e for tying on to th e rop e an d fo r anchoringno n-cl imb in g mem bers of a tea m .

Th is is probably t h e commo nes t wa y o fattach in g rope to th e ha rn ess. T y ing -on us in g aBow line is equall y sa ti sfac tory, b ut not aspopular.

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A stopper knot must be

ad ded wh e n th e thr eadedfigure eighlloop is used totie o n 11 line.

oo

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~ IZE BOWLINET he bowli ne is simple, strong and stab le. It ison e o f the bes t k nown an d most w idely usedof knots, espec ially among sailors, an d isgenerally tied to for m a fixed loop at the end ofa line or to attach a rop e to an objec t. At sea it isu sed on running r iggi n g an d for hoisting,joining an d sa lvage wo rk.

Tie a bowline by forming a loo p in thestan d ing pa r t o f the line . Pass the wo r king e ndup through the eye of th e loop, aro u nd the backof the standing pa r t an d the n do w n thro u gh the

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eye aga in . For safety's sake, fin ish the bowlineoff w it h a s topper knot to prevent it fro mturning int o a sli p knot.

Among th e knot' s advan tages are the factsthat i t do e s not s lip, come loose o r ja m a nd thatit ca n be quickly an d easily untied, ev e n whenth e line is under te n sio n. A major disadvantagecan be that if it is tied with st iff rope, it is liabl eto wo rk loose as the lin e ca nn ot "bed dow n "proper ly.

The runn in g bowline ma kes a n oose that fallsopen as soon as the tens ion is removed fro m t heline . Th e le ft-handed bowli n e is not as secure asthe bowl ine itse lf an d s h ould be avoided.

If the bowline is tied tooloosely it may turn into aslip knot. Always finish itof f with a stopper knot.

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/

BOWLINE, CASTINGMETHOD

Use the method of ty ing a bow line illu stra tedhere wh e n you need t o fas ten a line a ro un d anobjec t. When synt het ic rope is used to t ie t hi skn ot , it m ig ht be less reliab le . It is a goo d idea tosec ur e t he en d w ith an extra half -h itch , o r tu ckit and trap i t be neat h one of the rope 's s tran d s.

oo

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~ I Z BCLIMBER'S BOWLINEAlso known as: BULIN KN O T

Climbers us e th e bowline - which is known bythem as th e bulin knot-as a safety measureduring ascents, when it is clipped into thecarabiner.

Climbers also tie this knot directly aroundtheir waists so that they can adjust the length ofline before undertaking an ascent . Whenever itis used in this wa y , the knot must be finishedoff with a stopper knot.

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\

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)

The Climber's bowIiue is fosl

to tie alld is easily umlOllcafter it has beelr iWllvilyloaded, bill il dOtrs ha ve II

tellde/lcy 10 work loose,especially i[lIlc rope is stiff. IIshOldd always, therefore, bellsed in c(mjullctiOll willI IIStopper kilO!,

4'

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. I J~ I Z UBOWLINE ON A BIGHTThis is an ancient kn ot, bu t on e that is still inus e today, especially in sea rescues. If theperson wh o is being rescued is consc ious, he orsh e places a leg through each loop an d hangson to th e stand in g part.

I f the cas u alty is unconscious, both legs areplaced thro u gh on e loop while th e other loop ispassed under th e a rmpits . The knot is equallysuitable for salvaging inanimate objects.

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The knot is formed fro"two loops of equal size .The loops overlap e a~h

olher bu t~ a n

be openedou t and used se parately .

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)

BOWLINE, ROPE UNDERTENSION

Thi s kn o t is used by sai lors to altach boa ts torings. Th e stand in g pa r t re ma in s tau tthr ougho ut , w hi le t he wor ki n g e nd is tied tocre ate a sec ur e fasten in g.

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oo

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-" SPANISH BOWLINEA l so known as: CHA.IR w a rTIli s is an ext reme ly stron g kn ot that is used byfir em e n (when it is known a s th e chair kno t),coas tguards an d mountain resc ue r s. Li ke thebowline o n a bight, it is an ancient knot, whichis for m ed of two sep a rate an d independ en t

CD ,

4 4

loops that hold sec ur ely, even underco nsi de rable st r ain . O n e loop i s s lipp ed ove rthe cas u alty's h ead, a rou n d the back and underthe armpit s; th e o th er loop goes around ho thlegs, just behind th e knees. It is vital that eachloo p is adj u sted to s ize an d l ocked in to po sition,otherwise an un co nscio u s casualty could easilyfa ll - perhap s to h is or he r death - through theloo ps.

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Tht Spanish bowlineis IIu-rsatill' kno, which is l i s e d illmallYsilualions includingr=:lI ing peoplefrol'll the se Qand hOisting objects in Ifhori:wntal position.

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o

o

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~ Ii ANGLER'S LOOPAlso known as: PERFECTION LOOP

Th e an g ler's loop is know n to ha ve be e n i n u ses ince the 18705. It is, as its na m e sugges ts, m ostfre quen tly em ploye d by fisher men. Inad d itio n to fishing line, it call be tie d wi th st r ingor fine synt h etic line . A ut ho r ities d iffer ab o utwhethe r it is a s ui table knot fo r r ope. It isd iffic ul t to untie, whic h ma y m ilitate agains t i tsus e a t se a , an d it is prone to ja m . It is a lso ara th er bulky knot.

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OIICC the angkr' s loop is

ma5lercd . il fa l ! be lied veryqllickly. ami il is a/St.)a verysecllre and stable knOI,Campers liSt' it hi 11 variety ofways.

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. 1:

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ALPINE BUTTERFLY KNOT

This symmetrica l knot is sometimes used byclimbers, wh o loo p it around th e ch est. It willho ld equa lly well whichever en d is he ld; it canbe tied quickl y; the loop does not shrink whenth e knot is tightened; an d it (

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I l l f II,.. O T

CA ' ! l l l ClI I l l f 11 " 0 1

(

~ " "1 0TH I E f I I " ' O T

S U I G I O " ' ! . , . . O T

F l S H E I " ' A "" S l ( " ' O f

BENDS

Bends are used to join the ends of wo lengths of rope to

form one longer piece, Ideally , to insure that the knot is

secure, the two ropes that are to be joined should be of the

same kind and have the same diameter, Unusually

however, the sheet bend (see page 57) is secure even

when it is used to join ropes of different diameters,

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D O U I L lf l S H I I I M A N ' S

J I C " O J

H U " 1 E I ' ! I E " O

"'

H E E T I E " O

f l G U l I 1 l i G H T

I l " 0

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gD REEF KNOTAl so known as: SQUARE KNOT

Thi s is an a ncie nt k not , which was knowndurin g the Late S tone Age. The Ancient Gre e kskn ew it a s the H ercu les kn ot, an d it was alsotied in An cie nt Ro me. It is of te n th e o nl y kno tapa rt fro m t he gran ny kn o t - Ih at man y peop leknow , and w hen the en d s a re o n ly pa r tlydrawn th rough the knot to leave loops an d toform a d oubl e reef bow , it is freque ntl y us e d t otie shoe laces. Its traditional an d proper use i s

WAINU4 THIIIIIOT II NOT A IAFI .IHD AND IHOUlDNIVII I . t l lD WitH 1 0 , . 1 0 ' D l f n l I M ' DIAMIUI$ .

CAPSIZED REEF KNOTAlso known a s; LARK'S HEAD KNOT, CAPSIZED

SQUARE KNOT

The reef of a sa il is tha t par t w h ich is ro lled an dtied u p b y the ree f p oin ts to reduce th e areacaug ht by th e wind, an d th e ea se with which areef knot can be sli pp ed apart mad e it per fectfo r reefing sail s. When one end of a reef knot ispulled sharply or is subjected 10 strai n , the knotw ill untie an d become unst ab le. Cap size d reefkno ts hav e caused acc id en ts an d s ho u ld beused with caution .

50

to jo in the two e nd s of a rope when reefing asai l.

Bot h short e nd s o f the kn o t are on th e sa mes ide- if th e y ar e not, it is a thief knot -and th ekno t is fla t - if it is not, it is a grann y kn ot. Thefec f knot is more sec ur e than both the thief knotan d th e granny knot, but it should be u se d onlyas a tem po ra ry measure an d with lin es of th esame diame ter that wil l no t be s ubjec t to s tra in .If il ha s to be use d wi th lines tha t will bea rconsid erab le weigh t, s topper knots should betied in the s h o rt ends.

\

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Usually th e r e d knot can~ b r o k ~ nby pullingsharply on one of theshort ends. A cow hitch is

The Rcefknol is a mullipurpose kiwi which issymmetrical and made fromtwo j n t e r l o c k ~ d/rights. lisbeauty IiI'S in its simplic;ty.

then formed, which caneasily slide off thestraight length of rope.

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THIEF KNOT

\ "-\

""

,

According to legend, sailors on whaling shipsused this knot to tie their clothes bags. Thieveswould retie them with reef knot s, thusrev ea ling that the bags ha d been burgled. Thethief knot is very similar to the reef knot, bu tth e short ends are on opposite s ides .

----

The Reeflowt lying side--bysidewi th the ThiefKnotshowsclearly how easy it is toconfusethe two krwts.

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(

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i SURGEON 'S KNOTAs its name s uggests, this knot is used bys ur ge o n s to ti e off blood vesse ls, an d it seems tohave been in u se since about th e end of Wo rld

\

53

War I I. The knot has a good grip, hvisting as itis drawn up an d the diagonal is wrappedaround it . It is le ss bulky an d flatter than so meof the other knots used by surgeons - thecarrick ~ n dan d th e reef knot, for instancewhich tend to leave visib le ~ ca r s.

\\ \\ \\ \

\ \\ \

\ \\ \\ )

V z

"~

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r.;< i DOUBLE FISHERMAN 'SKNOTAlso kn own as: GRAl'EVINE KNO T

This is on e of th e st ronges t k no ts for joi ningropes o r for fo rm ing s lings, an d it is use d no to nly, as its name s uggests, by angle rs to se cu r ethei r IinC' s but a lso by cl imbe rs on s m a ll st uff. Itis a compar ative ly bulky kn ot an d is not, fortha t rea son, s uitable for anyth in g moresubsta ntial t han thin line or st ri ng. The endsca n be ta ped or seize d to the working pa r ts t om inim ize th e risk of the knot working loose.

C limb el'5 lape the e nds tosto p th em ca tching on th eroc k (ace.

__ 11 -55

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"~

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~ HUNTER ' S BENDAlso known as; RIGGER'S BEND

On 6 October 1968 The Times (London) carried areport on th e front page des cr ibing ho wDr Edward Hunter , a re tired physician, ha dinv en ted a new kno t. Th e article generat ed a lotof intere st in both Europe an d th e UnitedState s, bu t at th e height of the publi ci ty itwas found that the knot had already been

described by Phil D. Smith, an American, inabout 1950 in a publication calle d Knots forMountaineers. Phil Smith had been workingon the waterfront in San Francisco duringWorld War II when he had devised th e knot,which he ha d named a rigger's bend.

I t is a lso easy to un t ie. [t is based on twooverhand kno ts an d is st ronger than thefisherman's bend, the sheet ben d an d thereef knot, alth ough it is not as strong as th eblood knot.

The Hun/er's bend is a usefulgel leral purpose knot, whichis stable alld has a good grip.It is also easy to ulilie .

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~SHEET BEND

Also k n o w l l as: COMMON BEND, FLAG BEND

Th e sheet bend is un usua l in tha i it can be G)use d to jo in lin es of un eq u al dia me ters. I t ispr obab ly th e most often used of a ll thebend s, bu t il is nO l l 00 perce n t sec ur e an dshoul d ne ver be use d in circumsta nceswhere it is go ing to be su b jec t to grea t st r ain .Its breakin g strai n is fur the r reduced inproportion to the difference in the diameter sof th e line s jOined .

Although th e knot may be see n in Ancie ntEgyptian paintings, the name did not appear in pr int in 1794 . The sheet was or igina lly therope attache d-fClthe clew (t he lower or aftercorner) of a sa il, which wa s used fo rtr im min g t he sa il , a nd it wa s from thi s usagetha t th e knot d er ived its name. It is a lsotraditiona lly used to join the two corners of aflag to t he rop e used for raising or loweringit. On s uch occ asions it is so meti mes refe rr edtoas a flag be nd. It can also be use d to makea rope fast to anyt hi ng wit h a n a pe rtur e - aha n dle o n a s pade, for exa m p le - th r o ughwhich the line can be passed an d trappe dun d e r itse lf. Whe n th e kn o t is tied w ith thes hor t en ds on oppos ite sides it becomes aleft- handed. s heet be nd , b ut th is is to beavoi d ed as this kn o t is not secure.

A slipped s hee t bend isformed by placing a bightbdween Ute loop of thehe avier rope an d thestanding part of thelighter rope. Th e slippedknot may be more easilyuntied wh en th e rope isunder s tra in .

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zo~

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/I

I

//

/

FIGURE EIGHT BEND

/

Also known a s: FtEM IS H BEN D O R KN a f

Alth ou g h thi s is a s imple knot to ti e - sim pl ymak e a figure eight knot in on e en d and followit ar o u nd with t he ot he r work ing en d - i t is on eof th e s tron gest bend s that can be ti ed in bothrope an d s t ring .

- -----./ / - - ...............

-----

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- ---o- -,:c"

- - - - - - - - - - -- - - -

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- ~ ~ CARRICK BEND ro pe is wet. When it is used, its main purpose isto join large -dia meter ha w sers an d warps, an din these circumstances it is usually left in it s flatform with th e ends seized (that is, secured bybinding with turn s of yarn) to the standingparts. In its flat form it is sometimes also used tofasten scarves an d belts, an d its symmetricalappearance has made it a great favorite withillustrators of military uniforms .

CD

A ls o know n as : COWBOY KJ"rQ T, SPLI T KNOT, WARP

KNOT

This stable knot, which is form ed from tw ooverhand loops crossing each o the r, was themost widely used knot on ol d sa i ling sh ips. It sco m mon na me s s u ggest some of the otherci rcumstan ces in which the carrick bend ma y be

found - it is known as the cowboy knot tocowhands, th e split knot to knitwear

manufacturers an d the warp knot to sailors.Today, however, it is less often used aboard

ship because it can be d ifficult to un t ie when th e

When it is drawn up it capsizes into acomple tel y different shape, an d for this reason,although it has been recommende d as a knot formoun taineer s, it may be unsuitable as it isprobably too bulky to pass through a carabiner.

---- ~ . ~. . - " - - --......." , " ' " ..------ .....- ,

An attractive knot , knowna s th e Japanese ParIknot , is tied in the samewa y as th e Canick Bendusing doubled ends .

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zo~

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II.U I'I I ' I I I'I G . O W ~ I I ' I E

H A I'I G M A I ' I ' S KI'I O T

RUNNING KNOTS

Running knots are also known as slip knots or nooses.

Their main characteristics are that thelj tighten around

the objectson which they are tied but slacken when the

strain is reduced. This group a/knots is divided into two

kinds: those that are tied by passing a bight through a

fixed loop at the end of a line and those that are formed

from a closed bight knotted at the end of a line or along it .Running knots must be among the oldest knots known to

man, They were used in prehistoric times to make

weapons and snares to trap animals,

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1'1 0 0 S (

T AR I U ( II. K I ' I O T

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~ RUNNING BOWLINETh is is probably th e onl y running kno t t o beu sed by marin er s . It is found on th e runn ingriggi ng or it ma y b e used to ra ise fl oat ingobjects tha t have fall en overboard.

At sea during the 19 th century i t was use d totig hten the sq uares ai l to the ya rda rm in hi gh

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winds, and at th e sa me time in the country itwas used by poac her s. [t has many othe r us es,being strong and sec ure , eas y to slide an dsi m ple to u ndo. Tying it does not wea ken therop e . The kn o t is mo s tl y use d for hangin gob jec ts w ith ropes of unequa l diame te rs. Th eweig ht o f the objec t cr eat es the ten s ion neededto make th e knot grip .

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ANGMAN 'S KNOTA l so kno wn a s: J A.CK K ETCH'S KNOT

Thi s knot is one o f th e ru nn in g kn ots t hat isform ed by kn ott in g a dose d bi g ht at th e e n d o fa li n e . Its n ame reveals its ma c ab re u se, an d itsa lt e rn a t ive name co m es fro m the noto ri o ush ang man a nd exec u tio ne r Jack Ke tch , w h o di ed

in 1686.It

is a stro ng noose, whic h sli

des

easil

y.Th e n um be r of tur n s can vary betwee n sevena nd thi r teen, a ltho ug h a n odd n u mbe r sh ou ldalways be use d .

o62

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CD

TARBUCK KNOTLike th e hangman ' s knot , this kn o t is fo rmed byknotting a closed b igh t at th e en d of a lin e. Itwas devised fo r u se by climbe rs w hen th e rop ewas likel y to be subjected to heavy oru nexpected stre ss because t he kno t abso rbedth e shoc k. It ha s recently fa ll en fro m fa vor,ho w ever , because d o ub le-b ra id (sheat h a ndcore) ropes can now absorb an y s hoc ks and th eknot wo u ld , in a ny ca se, da m age t he s heath ofthe se ne w type s of rope .

This is, n ever theless, a useful genera lpurpose knot , which grip s under st rainalth oug h it can be s lid alon g the stand ing part.It is not, however , a partic ul a rly secu re knot.

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I

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S H E E P $ H A t - I l (

SHORTENINGS

As their name implies, these invaluable knots are used to

shortell/ ong lines. Short ropes may be needed

temporarily to tow a car or haul a load , for example, and

a shortened rope is always more secure than two cut

leng ths joined together with another knot. In any case, a

longer rope may be needed at some later date, and a rope

shor tened by means of a knot can always be leng thened at

some later date. Shortenings can also be used to take up

weakened or damaged leng ths of line so tha t they are not

subjected to any strain. These knots are well worth

mastering.

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l O O P K t - I O T

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' ~ SHEEPSHANKTh e sheepshank is a seafarer's knot: it does notch afe, it unties easi ly, an d it has a goodjamming action. It is an easily tied knot, whichhol d s under tension - in fa ct, as soon as thete ns ion is released, th e kn o t falls apart. Then u m be r of ha lf hitches can vary fro m t hree tofive , an d that nu m ber dete rm ines both th efi rmn e ss of the grip of th e knot an d the lengthby w h ich th e line is sho rten ed.

In a d dition to s h o r te ni n g lines without th eneed to cu t them, th e sheepshank is used a t seafor tow ing boa ts an d on the runn ing riggi n g. I tcan also be u se d to keep slac k lines o u to f theway, which co uld ha ve nume rou s appl ications,includin g keeping bell rope s tidy. When th eknot is used to sh o r ten a dama ge d line, it isim portant that the da m aged sec tion o f ropepasses throu gh both of the half hitches.

The Sllaps/lDnk is able tow ry the length ofa rapt to

suit the immediaterequirement wit/lOul hlWingtocutlheropt!.

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. ""

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Loop KNOTOn e of the best ways of sho rten in g a dama gedro pe is to t ie a loo p kn ot. This simple fa steni ngtakes up the we akened part o f the line in thece nter of the kn o t so tha t it is not pu t unde rs tra in . The knot i s o ften used for t owinga utom ob il es and trucks.

Pull the eods of thecompleh?d Sheepshanka nd th e knot becomesquite decorative.

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B l O O D K t l O T

B L O O D l O O P

D R O P P E R K N O T

H A l f T U C K E DB L O O D K N O T

--- 1/ - ~

WAT E R K I ' l O T

FISHING KNOTS

Because the conditions on a river bank may not be ideal, it

is important that fishermen thoroughly master the art of

tying a variety a/knots before they set out. Knots must be

tied securely and correctly if they are to be oj any use, and

wet and windy weather or poor light are not the ideal

conditions in which to attempt to tie a knotfor the first

time . Practise tying the knots that are described on thepages that follow until you are confident that you can tie

them accurately and quickly - then you are ready to tie

them on the river bank.

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~ : I I I I "" I : . . . .G R I N " ' E R KIoI01

D O U I L EG R I N N E R 1 ( 1 ' 1 0 1

" \ )O Q U B l (

l O O P K I < 0 1

t l E E P L ( K t l O T

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The knots used in fi shi ng are diff ere nt fromtho se used by mariners, cl imb ers and campersbecause they are tied in fin e mo nofilam en t, andthe very na ture of mo nofilament m eans tha tonce fas tened , t hese knots cannot u sually beuntied. Ea ch kn ot that a fis he rman usesperforms a d iffe ren t fu nction, a nd it is p ossibleth at as many as eight knots at a tim e ma y berequired. A kn ot may b e used to j oin tw olen g th s of fis h in g line, it may join a line to alea d er, or it may atta ch a lure , hook sinker orswivel to a line, for exa m ple , and a knot tha t ispe rfect for o ne tas k will no t necessarily serveanot he r purpose.

When yo u w ork with mo nofilamen t you willfind that mo isteni ng t he line by d ip p ing i t inwater or lubri cating it with saliva will hel p yo uto draw it up smo ot h ly an d bed it do w n t igh tly.You will also find tha t a pair of pliers is esse ntia lwhen you are us in g o ne of the heav iermonofilament lines. It is almost impos sib le todraw a line really ti gh t with yo ur bare hands.Resis t th e temptation to add a lu brican t such assilicone to help draw the knot tight: the

lu brica nt will rema in in the knot an d will ad d tothe chances of the knot slippi ng wh ile the line isin u se.

The finer the ga u ge of line you use to tie aknot, the easie r it is to dr aw it up tigh t an d seat

it sec urel y . The diameter o f th e line may alsoinfluence the kind of knot you tie, for someknots tha t work well with fine mon ofilame ntcannot be drawn up tight wh en th e y are tied inheavie r gaug e line. Remember that when youti e two le ng th s of mono filament tog et her , thekn ot will be more secure if the lines are m ade bythe same manufacturer. This i s the case even ifyou are tying toget her lines of differentd iam eters . Different man ufa cture rs producelin es tha t diffe r in the degr ee of stiffness, an dthi s can affect the success of the knot.

Once the kno t is fir mly seated, it should betrimm ed . Do not try to b urn the tag end as youwill on ly w ea ken th e knot. Use a pair of nailclippers, sciss or s o r cutting pliers or a pai r ofpu r po se -made cutters to trim the end at anan g le of 45 degrees so close to the kn o t that th een d does not protrude. It is import an t th e tagend doe s not extend; if it do es, it might catch onth e hoo k or get caught up in weeds.

You will find that some kn ots can withstand aconsiderable strain th a t is consistently appl iedwhile they fail when they are sub jected to a

sudden jerk. You can tes t the cha ra cte ris tics ofd iffe rent knots for yoursel f by asking a fr iend tohold the ends of some len gt hs of line while youpull on th e other ends. Wear glo ves to prote c tyour hands when y ou do this .

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Most fishing line, known asmonofilament. is made ofnylon because it is tough alldflexible. It comes in brmkillgstrains of8 OUIlCes up to 1()()pounds fo r very s tro llg lil Iesused in derp -sea biggamefishing.

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0

I i BLOOD KNOTA lso kllow " as: B ARREL KNOT

Th e n ame barr e l kn o t de r ives f rom theap pea ran ce o f th e numerou s wr ap p in g t ur n sth a t are r eq uired to comp let e thi s kn o t, whi chha s a rela tively high breakin g s train . It is widelyu se d to ti e nylon line in a host of situa t io n s,a lth ou gh it is most succe ss ful wh e n th e lin e is ofm O Te or less eq ual thickne ss.

Because an gle rs tie their kn ots in s uch f in eline, o nce t hey are drawn up tigh tly it is a lmo stim po ss ible to untie the m - th e lin e usu a ll y hasto be c ut. During the 19th cen t ury, an gler s and

, ,

70

tackl e make rs u sed to b e ab le to ke ep sec re t th ein t ri cacies o f th e va riou s knot s th ey t iedbe cau se it w as so d iffi cult to unra ve l th em . Jus tbe f ore Wo rld Wa r L h ow ever , an e ng in ee r onboard an ocea n-go in g liner , Jock Pu rvis, we nt toth e in fin ite tro ubl e o f di ss ec tin g a ndre co n stru ctin g a s pecim e n b lood kn ot, keep in gthe cut sec ti o ns i n paraffin wax an d u sin g am icrosc o pe to exa min e the twists and turn s ofth e lin e. Purvi s' s finding s we r e publi sh ed in th ean glin g pr ess in 1910.

When yo u tie a blood knot , it is bes t to leave i tslack so th at yo u can coun t t he tu rns. Thi s w illmea n tha t the e nds w ill ha ve to be cut nea tly,but the gr ip i s exce ll e nt.

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i BLOOD LOOP DROPPERKNOTAlso known as: DR OPP ER LOOP

When fishermen wa nt m ore th a n on e fly on aline a t t he same tim e, the y u se a we ight ed linewi th a se ries of hooks at in tervals a lon g it.Ad d itio nal flies a re know n as dropper s; an dthis is th e loo p th at is used to attach th em to apaternos ter because the loop is fonned at a r igh tangle to th e line.

71

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0

ill HALF - TUCKED BLOODKNOTAlso known a s: CLINCH KNO T

Ang lers u se thi s k no t when they need to ti e asw ive l or eyed hook to th e ir l ines. It is an ea sykno t to mast er an d can be tied quickly.However, it is only rea ll y successful wh en it isused with fine monofilament. Thi s is no t a

sui table knotfo

r h eavyli

n es.

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i WATER KNOTAlso known as: COVE KNOT

It seems likely that this strong knot was knownto Izaak Walton (1593-]683), an d th e earliestprinted reference to it is believed to have beenin 1496. It is especially useful because it can be

74

used to join Hnes of different sizes, and th ebreaking strength can be even furtherenhanced by tucking the ends three mOTe timesto create a quadruple overhand knot with bothlines an d then drawing them carefully togeth eras you would a multiple overhand knot (seepage 14).

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til GRINNER KNOTAlso known as; D U NCAN LOOP KNOT, UN/-KNOT

This is an excellent an d ju s tifiabl y popular knotfor join ing either a fly or an eyed h ook to aleader (that is , a le n gth of nylo n that forms th ejunction between the fly-l in e an d the fly) o r to atippe t (the th in , term in a l section o f a leade r).

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TheGrinnerblOlondthe ,.;: I/ )

Half-tuckedbloodhwtareth t Z ZtwobestmethodsaftyingJly 0to/ine . Theyar t difficultto ..... Zmaster and flyfishtnntl1 will \/ I Gbenefit from p1l1c/isingalh(tTTlt.

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Ii DOUBLE GRINNER KNOTAlso known as: PARACUM KNOT

This knot is actuall y tw o grinner or uni-knotstied back to back . It is used by fishermen wh oare trying to catch la rge fish with small flies onvery fine tippets as it is an effective wa y of joining together tw"o sections of a tippet or a leader.

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I i DOUBLE LOOP KNOTAl so know n as: SURCEON 'S LOOP

This kn ot is tied in t he sa me way as thesurgeo n 's kno t (see page 53) except tha t it ismad e wit h a sin gle le ngt h of line . Th is no n -s liploo p can be tied very q uick ly.

Interlocked loop s are aneasy and quick way ofattaching to a line hooks

thai ar e already tied to alength of nylon. Maketwo double loop knots inthe end of a line, leaving

th e loops quite long.Thread one loop throughth e other, pass the end of

the hook through the lin eloop an d puilihemcarefully together .

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iii NEEDLE KNOTAlso known as: NEEDLE NAIL KNOT

The needle knot is u sed to effect a smoo th joinbetween t he fly- line an d th e bu tt end (that is,the thick pa r t) of the leade r. No t only is this anex tr emely strong wa y of fasteningmonofil ame n t to a fly -line, it is also unlikely toca tch or snag on debris as the l ine is fished.

FL Y L I t-I E

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M O H O F I L A M N T

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GLOSSARY

B ~ c k in g line m on ofilament or a braidedpolyes ter line with a b reakin g s train o f 15-1 9pounds used u nd e r the fIy-line to bulk ou t a fly-ree l spoo l. II pr e ve nts the fi ne fly- line fromtw is ting an d for ming into tig ht coils. Wh en alargejish that makes a long run is caught , t heback ing line can a lso be all ow ed to ru n ou t afterth e fly -line.Bend ve rb used to describe th e act ion of ty ingtwo ro p es toget he r by the ir ends; thus th e na meof various knots u sed to tie on e ro pe to an othe ro r to a n obje ct.Bight the slack sec tio n of a rope, ex tendin g fromthe w orkin g en d to t he st a ndin g en d (qq.v),especi all y w he n it is form ed in to a loo p w he n arope is bent back o n itself. A kn ot tied "i n thebigh t" or "o n th e bight" do e s n ot requ ire th een d s for the tying proces s.Breaking stra fn or strength (BS) the ropeman uf acturer' s es t imate of th e loa d th at w illcause a rope to p art ; t he calcul a tion takes noacco un t of wear an d tear, s ho ck load ing orknots, an d it ca nnot be re gar de d as a safe

work ing load ('f. v .) . The manufacturer'scalcu la tion i s base d on the stre ngt h of a linewh e n it is dr y . Lin es ar e weaker when the y a rekno tted or we t.Butt the thick part of a lea d er, th e ot h er s ec t ionhavi ng been jo in ed to th e fly-line. it is us uall ymonofilamen t with a breaking st ra in of 19- 22pounds, alth o ug h braided monofilament issome time s u sed.Cable a large rope or anchor w a rp ('l.v.) orchain.Cable -laid rope fo rmed of th ree rig h t-handedhawse rs laid up left -handed to form a lar ge r ,nine -s tranded rop e or cable .Capsize verb u se d to describ e th e dis tortion inth e sh ape o f a knot that loosens or s l.ips when itis u nde r s tre ss; so m e knot s ar e d eliberate lycapsize d as a way of tying or untying them .Carabiner a m e tal co uplin g link with a safetyclosu re used by mountaineer s.Clear verb u sed to describe th e act ion ofloose ning tangles i n ro pes.Cleat a small piece of wood or m et a l withprojecting en d s on which a ro pe may befaste ned .

Co rd the n am e g iven several tightly twi ste dyarns ('l.v.) to ma ke a line w ith a di a mete r ofless tha n 'h inch.

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Cordage a co llective n am e for ropes an d co rds,used espe cially to d esc ribe t h e rop es in a ship'srigging.Core or heart the in n er part or hear t of a rope orsennet ('l.v.) of more tha n t hree s trand s an d inmost bra ided lines; it is formed from a loos elytwi s ted st rand or from a bund le of paralle lyarns an d runs the len g th of la r ge r ropes. Itm ay be a cheap, weak filler or serve s pec ificall yas a s tre ng thene r or s tiffener.Dog verb used to describe the winding back ofth e tail end of a rop e a round itself or aroun dan o th er rope (often la rger) wi th th e lay ('l.v.) tosecur e it tem po raril y aga in st a lengthwi se pull .Dog ge d th e wo rd u se d to describe a draw loo pthat is prevented from undoing accidentally bywhipping (q .v.) it or stic king somethin gthrough it .Double: line: si milar to a loop ('l.v.), but bothstr a nd s o f line a re u se d toget he r rath er tha nworking wi th the loop t ha t is form ed.Dropper a s hort length of m onofilament be aringa w e t fly and joined to th e lea d er between the

en d fly and the fly- line . So me leaders areco m m ercia lly made with d rop pe rs attached;altern ative ly, dropper s ma y be attached to ap lain leader by means of a b lood kn o t (see pa g e70). See also team of flies, below.Eight -pla it stro ng bu t flexible rope formed fro mfo ur pa irs o f stra n d s, tw o of wh ich sp ira lclockw ise an d tw o of w hich spiralantid ock w is e; such rop e does not ki n k.End u sually th e en d of a length of rope that isbein g knotted, bu t see stand ing en d andwor kin g e nd .Eye a loo p fo rmed a t the end of a len g th o f ropeby seizing or sp licin g (qq.v.J.Fid a tapering wooden pin use d to work orloosen str ands of a rope.Fout d esc ribe s a rope th a t cannot s lid e because itis tan g led or caught.Fray verb used to describe the unrav eli ng ,espe cia lly of the en d , o f a lengt h of rope.Grommet a ring, usually of twisted ro pe orme ta \, use d to fast e n th e edge o f a sa il to itsstay , to ho ld a n oa r in place, etc.Hanger see penda nt .Hawser a rope or cabl e large eno u gh for towing

or m oor ing ; it usually has a circumf erence of5-24 inc hes.

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EXPERT INSTRUCTIONS FO R TYING KNOTSCORRECTLY AND SAFELY

STEPBYSTEP, COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS CLEARLYINDICATE EVERY LOOP AND BEND

FULL GUIDANCE IN SELECT ING THE RIGHT KNOT FORSPECIRC SITUATIONS

USEFUL INFORMATION ON SELECTING THE PROPERROPE FO R THE JOB

INCLUDES STOPPER KNOTS , LOOPS, HITCHES,SHORTENINGS , RUNNING KNOTS , AND ANGLING KNOTS