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Written by Stephen Klinge
Boater’s should know quite a few knots for different situations, but at the end of the day there are really only a handful that you absolutely need to know. If you know these knots and can deploy them quickly and easily, you will be able to handle 95% of your line handling situations – and they might just save your boat or your life.
“It’s better to know a knot and not need it, than to need a knot and not know it.”
If you learn the knots below, not only will you be more a more prepared boater, but I guarantee you will also find yourself using the knots in other situations in your daily life. My kids still swing from a simple bowline I tied in a tree in front of the cabin in Canada a decade ago.
Cleat Hitch
This is certainly an elementary knot and one that all boaters use – or attempt to use – regularly. Unfortunately, too many people don’t know how to properly tie it. Need proof? Take a walk around the docks at your marina and you’ll see far too many cleats that look like the image on the right. Sure, the boat isn’t going anywhere, but what if you need to free that line in a hurry? Good luck. It also looks like a terrible mess and is a huge flashing sign that you don’t know what you’re doing. A properly tied cleat hitch doesn’t need ten wraps to make it secure. Check out the video for how to tie it cleanly and properly. Note how the two lines underneath the securing line lie parallel when it is finished. If you have a whole lot of extra line, make a daisy chain that will keep the remaining tag end neatly stored along the dock. When it’s all said and done, your cleats should look like this (2 lines under 1):
Taut Line Hitch
This is an adjustable knot which can be very useful in docking situations. The adjustable nature of the knot can be when you need to adjust the tension on a line quickly and easily. Although the knot can be moved up and down the line quite easily, it will not slip under tension. This knot is also used very commonly in staking down camping tents and hanging out of the reach of bears. It can be a great help when you are initially docking and need to figure out just how long you need your lines to be to get your boat properly situated.
Sheet Bend
Let’s say you find yourself in a situation where you only have two 15-foot lines, but you you desperately need a 30-foot line. The answer is the sheet bend. This knot is used to join two lines together, whether they are of equal diameter or not. It is secure under load, easy to tie and undo, and stronger than the square knot. Be careful though as it can work loose when not under tension.
Bowline
This is the mother of all boating knots. Need to throw a loop to someone in the water? Bowline. Need to make a fixed loop that will not slip in the end of a line, say for attaching to a cleat before docking or making a loop to slip over a piling? The bowline is your knot. The uses for this knot are endless, and once you learn how to tie one, you will find yourself tying them all the time. If there is one knot you learn, make it the bowline. Once you get it down, try the fast shipyard bowline from the video below to impress everyone at the dock.
So there you have it, four knots that can make your boating life easier, safer, and ultimately more enjoyable. Plus, If tied properly they demonstrate that you have taken the time to learn a some of finer points of boating, and that can go a long way at the dock. As you can see above, there are many knots for many different purposes, and hopefully your new found knot knowledge will inspire you to further up your knot game. Let us know if you find yourself using particular knot regularly, we might just highlight it in a follow-on post.