My Favorite Knots

My Favorite Knots

The knots that I find most useful aboard Snickerdoodle are: the square knot; the double half-hitch; the double half-hitch with an extra turn; the bowline; and the figure-8 knot.  Here’s what they look like.

The square knot is easily tied.  It consists of an overhand knot followed by underhand knot.  It is particularly good for joining two lengths of line together temporarily.  When you want to untie the knot, simply bend one loop toward the middle and the knot will loosen up.

This is the double half-hitch.  This knot is sort of a double loop.  It makes a good knot for tying around a piling; or for hanging a length of line on your stern rail.

An even better knot is a double half-hitch where you have looped the line around the piling twice before tying the double half-hitch.  This knot prevents the line from binding down on itself; so it is easy to untie when it’s time to leave the marina or dock.

I probably use the bowline more than any other knot on Snickerdoodle.  This is the old “the rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around the tree, and dives back down the hole” knot.  Use this knot for tying sheets onto the jib’s clew and dozens of other places where a loop is called for like loops on cleats, etc.

Finally, the figure-8 knot.  This knot is often used as a stopper knot to keep a line from paying out of a block - - like at the end of a jib sheet so that the sheet cannot escape from the lead block in a tack or jibe.

So, there they are - - my favorite knots.

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