Knots

Generally speaking a good knot not only holds whatever it is designed to, but is also easy to untie. Knots on top of knots on top of knots, shows a lack of confidence that the original knot will hold. And we've seen a lot of bad knots through the years of Ephemerisle.

Everyone should know these

• Cleat Hitch - Used for attaching anchors lines or dock lines to a cleat.
• Bowline - Forms a loop which holds perfectly, yet unties almost effortlessly and bowline on a bight is a bowline where you don't have access to the end of the line.
• Round turn with two half-hitches - Great knot for attaching to almost anything.

Other good knots for Ephemerisle

• Figure 8 - Stopper knot
• Clove Hitch - To tie off a line to a post, or railing.
• Slipped Reef Knot - A good temporary knot which will hold, but comes undone with one pull.
• Trucker's Hitch - To tightly ratchet down a line around something.

Extra credit

• Double Fisherman's Knot - A good way of attaching two lines together
• Rolling Hitch - To tie one line onto another - can be used to relieve or distribute pressure on an anchor line.
• Sheet bend - Great for tying together to ropes of different sizes. It's actually identical to a bowline, just using to ropes.
• Additional boating knots are listed on Animated Knots.

Getting Salty

Salty...

• Monkey fist - A nice decorative knot to tie on the end of a line which gives it weight for throwing.
• Splicing 3 strand - Permanently attaching two lines together with very little loss of line strength, or attaching a line to itself.
• Common whipping or Sailmaker's whipping - Ways to use thread to keep the end of ropes from fraying. Electrical or gorilla tape works pretty well too, but a whipping is much more stylish.