Knots and Ropes                              Home page

http://www.tollesburysc.co.uk/Knots    (Thanks to Tollesbury Sailing Club). Click on the knot images for animation.

You need to know all of these knots:

1. Making fast to a cleat - the OXO technique.  One round turn, one figure of eight, another round turn. You can apply a locking hitch if leaving the boat.  Also works for chain.
2. Figure of 8 - good stopper knot to stop sheets running back through a block etc, but can come undone. Put two turns round the standing part to secure it (double figure of 8)
3. Bowline - the most useful all round knot. Easy to untie except under tension.  To tie sheets to sails, or to make a loop for a bollard or cleat.  Note the Bowline shown on the Tollesbury site is wrong - its 'left-handed'. 
4. Clove hitch - good for fender ropes, easily adjusted, tends to slip over the long term. Put a half hitch in to secure it.
5. Rolling hitch - To tie one rope on to another rope or a spar for towing.  Good for taking the strain off another rope eg a riding turn on a winch or an anchor warp. Also for pulling a line up a mast or boom.
6. Round turn and 2 half hitches - secure for mooring, can be untied even when under tension.
7. Sheet bend / Double sheet bend - to join two ropes of unequal diameter. NB tie this so both free ends exit the same side of the knot.
8. Reef knot - a temporary knot, do not use for anything serious.

Always leave 5-6 inches of free line at the end of a knot.

Other recommended knots:

• Constrictor knot - a development of the clove hitch. Use for a really tight binding ie when preparing to whip a rope's end. When tight it can only be released with a knife.  A looser variant is to pass the final end under the final turn:

Ropes

• Nylon 3 twist or plait for anchor or mooring warps for its stretch qualities.
• Polypropylene - floats, good for dinghy painters.
• Synthetic braid - good for sheets, easily handled.
• Kevlar/Spectra - virtually no stretch, good for halyards - but expensive.

knots yacht mooring springs warps breast rope oxo knot fenders

Posted Thursday 5th November 2009