Zeppelin bend - dissimilar sized ropes?

[SaltyMonkey]

The zeppelin is very *airy which means it's easy to snag an open accidentally. This is why the Alpine Butterfly is a superior knot and why climbers prefer it over the Zeppelin.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Palarran

SWL,
I just couldn't do it myself and probably won't put that much time into learning the knot in the future. With our boat I haven't in the past had a situation which would lead to needing this knot.

The need to tie two lines together is not a daily or even weekly thing, but when required, it may be in an emergency and will occasionally then be underwater (extending med mooring lines etc).

Other than the Alpine Butterfly (and that be slow to dress in thick stiff line, as was used in this example) nothing else comes close. Bowlines can shake loose underwater when load is continually applied and released (that is often the situation with underwater uses).

It is well worth adding to the knots you know, but if we ever meet I promise there will not be an exam .

Originally Posted by Palarran

With respect to the bowlines though, I do disagree. I'm pretty fast at tying them, never had one even come close to slipping, always been easy to untie, and if the last 5% of rope strength is lost in the selection of knot, I chose the wrong rope to begin with.

This is an example of a bowline binding when a sudden load had been applied. I had to cut this off. I know it looks nothing like a bowline, but this is how it appears if it capsizes:

Originally Posted by Palarran

It's crazy how with your zep bend that it doesn't tighten more though. I'd have thought after a night of snubbing that the gaps would have pulled closed.

After 2-3 days the collar was still "open" (a hole is visible in the nylon portion if you enlarge the image). You can see by the thinning of the nylon standing part that considerable load is being applied here:




It undid easily with one hand after holding our boat. It is an absolutely brilliant knot. I would not trust our boat to anything else:

[OldFrog75]

The Zeppelin bend, like many sailing knots, would be a lot easier to tie with 3 hands.