How Many Different Knots do you Regularly Use?

[stevensc]

Bowline
Rolling hitch
square knot
Spliced Eye

Steve W

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by foolishsailor

All the above but cant belive anyone doesnt ise the Prusik Knot? So easy to tie, so great for a number of emergency and everday situations...

Need to secure a snatch block to a stantion or rail?

Need to secure and awning tie point to a shroud?

Tie off the bottom of your courtesy flag hoisting line?

If you need an attachment point for anything like a shackle to an antenna there is nothing better. Tie a loop of line, make the knot and you are left witha loop on whatever that Will. Not. Slip. That you can attach anything to.

I used it extensively for my incredibly unsuccesful attempt at using my staysail, hospital tubing, innumerable snatch blocks, and ingenuity to develop a wind based autopilot based ona book i read that i am sure you are all well familiar with. Needless to say it didnt work as well as hoped and thankfully there were enough variables to blame besides my ingenuity that i was able to walk away unscathed...

...but the prusik knot that was recommened came through unscathed and is a core part of my limited knot repertoire

Here is the knot..functional easy, uncommon! Enjoy!

Prusik - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ah, you must have missed my list, post #6.

I also use the Prusik for attaching snubber to the anchor chain. Like you say, it doesn't slip or like most types of chain hooks pop loose.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by David M

Oh yeah, and the shoe lace knot (bow knot).

As a proper sailor you should refer to that as the double slipped reef knot.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

I learned something called the Zeppelin Knot for my hat string.

That one is a very cool knot but I always have to get the book out and scratch my head a bit to tie it.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by minaret

Morrow book of Knots has a fabulous technique for tying the monkeys fist around your hand, once you've used it a couple of times you will never forget, its that easy. Once tied you insert the heaving line ball of your choice, rubber if youre nice, lead if your not and want max range.

This is one to make you look salty. Learn to tie this sans book. Then when on a long tack sit in the cockpit and tie it while sipping a beer.

One of my crew started funnin' me about creating a messy ball of string with the end of the lazy sheet. A minute later, I cinched it and hit him with it...

Good for messengering and keeping crew in check...

[SkiprJohn]

Hope you chose lead to hit him with.

Gotta learn the drag'n bowline and flying bowline if you don't know them already. When we meet I'll show them to you.

kind regards,

[Bill Lee]

I'm a power boater - I only know 22 knots - 30 knots at WOT
Cheers,
Bill

[minaret]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Hope you chose lead to hit him with.

Gotta learn the drag'n bowline and flying bowline if you don't know them already. When we meet I'll show them to you.

kind regards,

The flying bowline-awesome. The draggin' bowline-nobody is gonna fall for that one again!

[jackdale]

My knots

Figure 8 - stopper
Double overhand - better stopper
Reef knot - opposite end of the same line
Bowline - temporary loop, I teach 2 versions (no rabbits and trees): I know 5
Double sheet bend - joining lines
Cow hitch (lark's head) - various applications
Rolling hitch - relieving overrrides and setting snubbers
Trucker's hitch - lashing the tender on the foredeck
Round turn and 2 half hitches - various applications
Cleat hitch
Clove hitch
Fisherman's knot - my Tilley (not worn much)

[Jimbo485]

Thanks, Dockhead!

<The bowline is truly the king of knots. But besides that, you must have:

1. Rolling hitch (how in the world else would you tie on a snubber? Free a sheet with a riding turn? and a million other things.)

2. Clove hitch (how in the world else would you tie on a fender? throw a mooring line on a bollard?)

3. Round turn and two half hitches (how in the world else would you tie up your dinghy painter?)

4. Figure eight (how else would you make a stopper knot in your sheets and halyards?)>


We use all of these and a few more, but I didn´t know all the names. Thank you!


Not that the names will change anything onboard our boat, but you never know.... Everyone permanently here (ie. family) knows what knot is for what purpose, even if there is no specific name. Tie a fender, tie the dinghy up, prepare the snubber, etc all attract their own knots nowadays even though we have no names for them. Hmmmmm......

Seriously, you only really, truly, need to know the bowline, the reef knot, the figure eight knot, a hitch knot (any hitch), and if you want to upset your neighbour, the granny knot. That is it. The rest are details and can be used to show off to the others in the anchorage during a raft-up or BBQ.

[SimonV]

I just use what works and they tend to be the basics, nothing fancy.

[sww914]

In order of frequency-
Bowline
Cleat hitch (If anyone does it wrong I make them do it again. Anyone.)
Clove hitch
Gobs of half hitches
Square knot
Trucker's hitch
Figure 8

Usually a gob of half hitches will fix anything, unfixing it is another story.

[sww914]

And the fisherman's knot, I use that often on the poles but not on the boat.

[mrm]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

I use about 8-10 different knots.

(you all failed to read the title of the thread - LOL)

That, and also everybody assumed it was about boats.
How about 'in private'?

[SkiprJohn]

Minaret

"The flying bowline-awesome. The draggin' bowline-nobody is gonna fall for that one again!"

Shhhh! There might be someone here who hasn't seen it. Kind of like "mail buoys" and "sea bats."

regards,