Knots
Sheet Bend
The Sheet Bend is recommended for joining two ropes of unequal size. The thicker rope must be used for the simple bight as shown. It works equally well if the ropes are of the same size.
Figure 8
The Figure 8 provides a quick and convenient stopper knot to prevent a line sliding out of sight, e.g., up inside the mast. Its virtue is that, even after it has been jammed tightly against a block, it doesn't bind; it can be undone easily. This virtue is also, occasionally, a vice. The figure 8 can fall undone and then has to be retied.
Square(Reef)
The Square (Reef) Knot is usually learned when we tie the laces on our first pair of shoes. Admittedly it is usually a bow that we tie - but the underlying knot is a Square (Reef) Knot. We also learn just how unsatisfactory the knot is. It slips, it comes undone, it jams, and it is all too easy to tie a granny instead which behaves even less well.
The Bowline
The Bowline makes a reasonably secure loop in the end of a piece of rope. It has many uses, e.g., to fasten a mooring line to a ring or a post. Under load, it does not slip or bind. With no load it can be untied easily. Two bowlines can be linked together to join two ropes. Its principal shortcoming is that it cannot be tied, or untied, when there is a load on the standing end. It should therefore be avoided when, for example, a mooring line may have to be released under load.
The Overhand
The Overhand Knot is "the simplest of the Single-Strand Stopper Knots." It can also be used to prevent the end of a piece of rope unraveling.
Comparison: The animation shows the close similarity between:
Comparison: The animation shows the close similarity between:
- The Overhand Knot – tied in the end of a rope;
- The Half Hitch – attaches a rope to something, e.g., a Hitching Post;
- The Half Knot – a binding knot – first part of a Square (Reef) Knot.
