Boating the knots

Welcome to Boating Knots

These animated knots are primarily for boaters, but many are useful for anyone who uses rope and values safety. Select the knots from: the index above left; the pictures above; or the Boating Applications page.

 

Selection

The selection of knots is based on many years of sailing combined with feedback and advice from several helpful captains. Click on the picture on the right to see the selection. The knots are arranged roughly in order of importance - except that the Square Knot, the Sheet Bend, and the Figure 8 Knot, are placed at the bottom because they are primarily located in the Basics Section.

Boating Knot Characteristics

Rope used in boating is durable and expensive and is often handling heavy loads, e.g., when berthing, mooring, towing another vessel, preparing for a storm, or managing sails. The emphasis, therefore, is on safety, reliability, and convenience. In contrast to the fishing knots, value is also placed on being able to use the rope repeatedly and untie each knot withour difficulty.

Standing End, Tail, and Bitter End

In many boating knots it is convenient to talk about the Standing End - which takes the strain, and the Tail - the loose end in your hand. On a large ship, each shore line is initially tightened using the winch. The tail is then properly called a Bitter End as it is transferred to the Bitts. To make this possible, a second rope is tied to the hawser with a Rolling Hitch to take the strain temporarily.