Most useful Knots on board a vessel

Although I am patient ( to a fault) it absolutely amazes me when I have to go out and RE teach splicing. Again and again And afffukingan!

From an engineerā€™s point of view ā€¦ the ones you get from sneaking in ā€œhurry homeā€ turns.

[QUOTE=RkyMtn Paul;112942]Honestly had to look up the trucker hitch and butterfly knot. Will start working on those. The absolute must knows: bowline, clove hitch, single and double becket & half hitches and a proper square knot. Good ones to know: figure 8, rolling hitch and the barrel hitch.[/QUOTE]

Iā€™m glad you used the word ā€˜properā€™ before mentioning the square knot. Iā€™m also glad you put it [I]behind[/I] the becket bendā€¦ my favorite (along with the under-used carrick bend) for joining two lines.

The truth is that I use the square knot more than all the others combined (so do you, when you tie your shoe laces :wink: ) but itā€™s nothing but a hazard on deck.

(Jesus, when did [I]I[/I] start sounding like Mr. McCoy? )

Bowline, clove hitch with half hitch, stopper hitch are my most used ones. Prefer carrick bend or zeppelin bend over single or double becket bends, Seizing bend for two different diameter lines when using small stuff is eye catching and easy to untie. Heaving line bend for passing a messenger. Constrictor knot can be useful. Sometimes use a bowline with a draw loop or any half hitch with a draw loop when using the same line to lower or hoist several times. Splicing multi strand and double braid is therapy when mastered. Samson has excellant splicing instructions online or by dvd. Their splicing manual is good but nothing compared to the video. Puget Sound Rope recommends using the Moran 5-4-3 splice for plasma.

a noose for bad deckhands who canā€™t tie bowlines and clove hitches

[QUOTE=cmakin;112939]Just keep wraping line around itself until what ever you are securing doesnā€™t move. That is the engineerā€™s way. . .[/QUOTE] itā€™s a good way in a sense that you can always untie it, the load is on the wraps and not on the knot. nothing is more frustrating than a bad knot that is tighter than a gnats ass wrapped around a drum.

If you canā€™t tie a knot, tie a lot

[QUOTE=boatengineer;113091]If you canā€™t tie a knot, tie a lot[/QUOTE]
ok, this one is used alot unfortunately. a couple of wraps and then alot is better.

The bow knot. I use it every day onboard to prevent my shoes from falling off.

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The bow knot. I use it every day onboard to prevent my shoes from falling off.

Ever see this knot?

No, and I donā€™t think I ever want to.

[QUOTE=KPChief;130577]Ever see this knot?

[/QUOTE]
Yes but it was about 25ā€™ above the anchor and couldnā€™t make it up the hawsepipe.

itā€™s the " this is knot happening " knot , sometimes called the " pack you gear " knot.

I believe that is a ā€œGas Ax / Link Knotā€. Cut the knot out with a torch and install a new link.

on a heavy strain a bowline will jam hard to untie

IMG_5198

In my translatation this is a scaffolding board with scaffolding knot. How do you call this in proper American? We used this for over the side hull painting.

No idea about proper English as I donā€™t speak thatā€¦, Iā€™ve known it as a stage and stage hitch. Only time I ever saw one used was as a cadets on the Empire State where the goal was to find the least efficient and most labor intensive way to do things ion order to keep 500 cadets busy.

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Ah, touchyā€¦:wink: I will rephrase it as proper American. But thank you.

I was thinking more of what sailors speak rather than that strange dialect they have acquired in the UK

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In my time sailors were painting the hull in smooth weather while underway. In hindsight I think now that this was pretty stupidā€¦