Types of line
Figure of eight
Bowline knot
Round turn
Clove hitch
Reef knot
Double sheet bend
Rolling hitch
Knot: Any connection between two or more ropes, involving a number of loops, ties and twists, and having the property that the link cannot be parted or broken in any way or through any means, other than by severing it with a knife.

This section reviews the basic boat knots... On most boats, you can find a bowline, a figure-eight, a square knot, and maybe a couple of half hitches somewhere. With a five-foot length of rope, you can practice these basic knots at home and master them quickly.

Even on short sailing holidays, you will find yourself having to coil ropes, secure fenders, tie off the tender... etc Knowing how to tie these basic knots (especially the bowline and the round turn with two half hitches) and using them properly can save you a great deal of time and make your life afloat safer... Master them, and you're well on your way to becoming an "able seaman."

Ropes in common use are nylon, polypropylene and polyester - but it's fair to say that while these synthetics have been in use for more than 20 years - their advantages and disadvantages are not readily understood - so a few words, before we talk about how to tie the basic boat knots.

Types of line

A disadvantage which applies to all synthetic ropes is their lack of friction. Many boat knots and splices which were very effective in the days of hemp and manila - simply will not hold in synthetic rope. As a result these knots are not widely used.

Also, synthetic ropes come undone more easily than natural fibre ropes - in fact they can untie themselves... To guard against this always leave long ends, and pull your boat knot tight.

There are four types of synthetic ropes used in boating, all of which do not absorb water to any significant degree.

1. Nylon is more resistant to the damaging ultraviolet rays in sunlight than polyester but it still loses about a quarter of its strength if left exposed to the sun for a year in the tropics.
   
   Nylon is however very resistant to loss of strength by stretching. It is a fairly elastic fibre and will retract, retaining most of its strength after stretching... This elasticity makes nylon ideal for boat anchor lines or the lines of permanent boat moorings. Nylon is also heavier in water so a slack line will not lie on the surface where it might foul the propeller of a passing boat.
   
   
2. Polypropylene is the most suitable rope for docking lines. It has most of the stretch and shock absorbing qualities of nylon but one of its important characteristics is that... it is lighter than water and will always float... The advantage here is that polypropylene line is unlikely to end up around the propeller should you ever allow it to trail.
   
   
3. Terylene is very strong rope with excellent abrasion and sun resistant qualities. It is also low stretch, making it the choice of sailors. Terylene rope is relatively expensive, and because it is mainly produced in braided form it is not widely used in power boats other than large ones, where it is sometimes used as mooring lines because of its strength.
   
   
4. Polyester line is widely used on sailing boats as it is the most abrasion resistant of the common synthetics... it can be made into soft surfaced rope which is comfortable to handle. It is also more reliable for knotting than the other synthetics.
   
   Polyester is used for running rigging, for sheets and halyard tails on a sailing boat and for griplines on a power boat.

Use the right boat knots for the right purpose and know the names of the parts of a rope.

	Standing Part: A rope has two ends. The part of the rope between those two ends is know as the 'standing part'.
	Bitter End: The end of a rope that is secured to some object... the other 'end' of the rope is free.

Figure of eight

Used as a 'stopper knot' the figure of eight is generally tied into the end of a rope to stop it from pulling through a block or pulley... you don't want to tie knots in the ends of jib sheets because you may need to let the line run through the block in an emergency.

It also provides a good handhold at the end of a rope for good leverage when pulling hard.

Also used to position buoys along a tow line... this keeps the line on the surface and away from the propellers.

1. Make a loop in the end of the line.
2. Pass the end of the line under, back over, and through the loop, so that it looks like a figure eight.

Bowline knot

Probably the most useful of all boat knots and the most secure... the bowline (pronounced bo-lynn) retains over 80% of the strength of the rope in which it is tied - and can be called the essential sailing knot... quick to tie, easy to untie, a practical knot all around the boat on bareboat yacht charters.

The bowline is an excellent method of making a temporary loop in the end of a rope... It can be used for making fast to a rope... It can be used for make fast to a pile or bollard or any other object that a loop can be thrown over.

It is also a good way to bring someone in the water back to the boat, as it can be slipped over the head and shoulders and placed around the body. This boat knot will not slip, so it cannot close up on the body and crush it when the rope is pulled hard.

The easiest way to remember how to tie a bowline is the kid's way - by imagining a rabbit coming out of his hole.

1. Make the rabbit hole as shown.
2. The rabbit comes up through the hole, around the back of the tree.
3. The rabbit goes back down the hole.
4. Pull the three ends to tighten.

To untie a bowline, bend back the part formed when the rabbit goes "around the back of the tree," and the knot loosens up nicely.

Round turn & two half hitches

The round turn and two half hitches is the most underrated of basic knots. It's the most practical boat knot used all over the boat. And easy to tie, even under pressure situations when you need to make that rope fast now!

Tying two half hitches is a quick way to temporarily cleat off a line on a winch or other fixed object or when a rope such as a tender tow rope or bow rope, has to be made fast to a boat or a jetty... use for securing fenders. If the rope is going to be under load, add the extra friction of a wrap or two around the object before tying the hitches (hence the term round turn and two half hitches). That way, you can untie it easily later, even if the rope has been stressed to its limit.

A round turn means that the rope goes around the post completely and the half-hitches are made in the same direction each time.

1. Make two turns around the mast or object so that you can comfortably hold the line in your hand.
2. Tie two half hitches (two overhand knots) around the standing part of the line.
   
   This boat knot should not be used in any situation where the rope will be subject to great strain, as it will jam under tension and cannot be released without difficulty.

Clove hitch

The clove hitch, a close cousin to two half hitches, but must be tied around something, such as a lifeline or piling. It's a quick and lazy knot for tying a dock line to a piling, and anything used temporarily... but don't make this knot at the very end of the rope - it can work it's way around and slip.

With the first loop, you can hold the line in place, and then you can tie the second loop to be secure. Unlike a round turn with two half hitches, the clove hitch can get very difficult to undo as it tends to tighten under pressure. Follow the step-by-step detail to tie a clove hitch.

1. Make a loop around the pole or object.
2. Make a second loop by crossing over the first loop.
3. Pull the tail under the second loop.
4. Pull both ends to tighten.

Reef knot

The reef knot is a very useful boat knot for low-load, cosmetic tasks... such as tying sail ties around a furled sail on the boom. The reef knot is simply the bow knot you use when tying your shoes.

It is not meant to be used to tie two ropes together, as it will shake loose rather easily if let go slack... use a Sheet Bend... The reef knot is used widely in first aid, it makes a good flat knot that sits neatly on a patient's body.

1. Tie an overhand knot (the first knot you tie when tying your shoes).
2. On the second overhand knot, tie it the opposite way.

If you put the left piece over the right on the first knot... put the right piece over the left for the second knot. (A granny knot is when you tie both overhand knots the same way).

You've tied it right if the ends of the lines are parallel to the standing (working) part of the lines - so that it looks like two symmetrical loops. Use a reef knot to tie two lengths of the same type of line together.

Double sheet bend

The double sheet bend is a more secure version of the sheet bend and is the basic knot to be used when tying two lines together, particularly if the lines are of different diameter. It is frequently used on sailing boats, less so on power boats, but is nevertheless a very useful boat knot when you have to extend the length of a line when it is just too short for the job.

1. Make the bight (loop) in the larger diameter rope.
2. Put the free end of the smaller diameter rope up through the loop.
3. Take an extra turn around the bight.
4. Take the tail end around behind the loop and tuck it back under and pull tight.

Rolling hitch

This is a great all-around basic knot... The rolling hitch is used for tying one line to another. It grips so tight that you can use it to take the load off the end of the other line in an emergency (such as a winch override)... If you look closely, you'll see that a rolling hitch is a clove hitch with another twist or two.

1. Make two loops around the rope or other item to be attached.
2. Put the tail over the two loops and then make a third loop.
3. Put the tail under the third loop and tighten.

Always wrap the first two loops of a rolling hitch on the side closer to your intended pulling direction...For example, if you're tying a line to a halyard coming off the mast, wrap around the bottom first, because you intend to pull down. The third loop (the "hitch" that turns it into a real knot) wraps above the first two.