Alternative to Tying a Sheet Bend on a Straight Line?

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by OldFrog75

If you reverse engineer a sheet bend by loosening the knot and then straightening the normally bent line you will see what I'm talking about

Now I have "straightened the normally bent line" and this is what I get. It simply slips regardless of which way I pull. Were you using line of very different diameter? Or very rough line?

[OldFrog75]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Now I have "straightened the normally bent line" and this is what I get. It simply slips regardless of which way I pull. Were you using line of very different diameter? Or very rough line?

Maybe it only works with coarse, weathered lines. You also have to be able to tighten the knot enough to get a slight bend in the straight line so it will grip.

[macbeth]

I've found it best if the line doing the pulling is a smaller diameter than the line to which you attach it.

I used this knot once when pulling furler foils up a forestay. It didn't undo for an hour when the tension was released ! I was in a panic, but then the wind changed direction, and the knot loosened !! Whew - what a relief !

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by macbeth

I've found it best if the line doing the pulling is a smaller diameter than the line to which you attach it.

Yes, I agree .

The reason I tied OldFrog's knot in lines of the same diameter is that a sheet bend works best for this. I tried thinner line and it was a bit better, but still slipped. I think the key to OF's knot working for him was probably as he suggests, the line was coarse.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by macbeth

I've found it best if the line doing the pulling is a smaller diameter than the line to which you attach it.

I used this knot once when pulling furler foils up a forestay. It didn't undo for an hour when the tension was released ! I was in a panic, but then the wind changed direction, and the knot loosened !! Whew - what a relief !

The Rolling Hitch is known to jam after heavy loading. A good non-jamming alternative is a Blake's Hitch. But as SWL points out, a Rolling Hitch is quick to throw on a line in an emergency.

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by StuM

The Rolling Hitch is known to jam after heavy loading. A good non-jamming alternative is a Blake's Hitch. But as SWL points out, a Rolling Hitch is quick to throw on a line in an emergency.

Put a couple of loose half hitches on before the rolling hitch. Separate them by a handspan or better use a cow hitch configuration, so they wont bind, then put on the rolling hitch. Less slip and less binding. Even one half hitch really helps.

These days I make a selvagee strop out of a few wraps of small spectra, and prusic it onto the line, then tie the line in with a bowline or such. No slipage or jambing under very heavy loads. Cow hitch it onto a railing to keep it handy.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

These days I make a selvagee strop out of a few wraps of small spectra, and prusic it onto the line, then tie the line in with a bowline or such. No slipage or jambing under very heavy loads. Cow hitch it onto a railing to keep it handy.

Excellent idea.
A Klemheist would be even better than a Prusik if the load is to be taken just in one direction.

In an emergency using a loop is slower though, as it involves tying two knots (the loop to the taut line and another line to the loop).

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by StuM

The Rolling Hitch is known to jam after heavy loading. A good non-jamming alternative is a Blake's Hitch. But as SWL points out, a Rolling Hitch is quick to throw on a line in an emergency.

I've never had this problem. All the stress is on the inner two (or three) turns; and the outer turn - nearest the end of the rope - is always loose. I've always been amazed at how easy it is to get a snubber off after a hard blow.

Maybe if the load is perpendicular to whatever you've tied to - but that's not what the rolling hitch is for.

[estarzinger]

I might throw in the rat tail as an option . . . it's the "big ship" solution. I like it because it is very easy and intuitive to tie.

[Jammer Six]

Seaworthy Lass, I've never seen your correct version tied, but I have sworn at the 3rd version on a jammed winch when it didn't work. (There were no fingers involved, fortunately.)

The 3rd version is what us former Boy Scouts (I know, I know, but the hiking was fun) called a "Tautline Hitch", and it absolutely does not work on a jammed winch with a bunch of tension on it.

How is your correct version tied? All the "animated knot" sites only show the Tautline Hitch version.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Jammer Six

Seaworthy Lass, I've never seen your correct version tied, but I have sworn at the 3rd version on a jammed winch when it didn't work. (There were no fingers involved, fortunately.)

The 3rd version is what us former Boy Scouts (I know, I know, but the hiking was fun) called a "Tautline Hitch", and it absolutely does not work on a jammed winch with a bunch of tension on it.

How is your correct version tied? All the "animated knot" sites only show the Tautline Hitch version.

Grog shows the correct version for tying line onto line just under the heading of 'Rolling Hitch' in the boating section here:
Rolling Hitch | How to tie the Rolling Hitch and Midshipman's Hitch | Boating Knots

The 'normal' version shown is the same as mine in Photo 1 above.
In Ashley's Book of Knots this is knot #1735 and is called 'Rolling Hitch (2)' and is described as the way to bend line to a rope.

The knot I showed in Photo 3 is Ashley's #1734 and is called a 'Rolling Hitch (1)'. Ashley's states this is the way to bend line to a spar. Grog says it "grips well on poles and bars but is less secure than Version 2 on line".

It is really confusing as both are called a Rolling Hitch. Yes, thankfully no fingers were involved if the version you tried on line was the one in photo 3 .

[Jammer Six]

Thanks!

That explains why everyone says "use a Rolling Hitch!" on a jammed winch, and why I could never make it work.

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by estarzinger

I might throw in the rat tail as an option . . . it's the "big ship" solution. I like it because it is very easy and intuitive to tie.

This threw me, never heard it called a rat tail. We always just called them stoppers on the british ships and we used a very similar one called the west country stopper, or double stopper. But the grog "rat tail" version shows a very neat start if you look closely that grips the rope cleverly. They also tie it of whereas we used to twist up the ends.