...some of the knots we have used and are using.
Bowline ABOK 71 very common, the standard for making loops at the end of a line.. Is used for gangway lifts etc. Some of our hawsers eye?s are done with bowlines rather that a splice (lazy..)
-- or
flexible (re size of the eye!). Ever seen a bowline capsized? Because I've seen such
in trawler mooring hawsers so often as to wonder if it's intended (by forming the knot with a
loose/large collar)!? --attached image
And your hawsers, are they laid, or a braid of some sort?
Figure Eight ABOK 520 at the ends of all our running lines
Clove hitch ... Used to tie heaving line to hawser. Little used elsewhere unless with two half hitches to the standing part as a native Clove hitch will loosen
And for the messenger-line hitch, is the Clove un
guarded -- i.e., no precaution against loosening?
And, re that, how about a simple stopper (the Fig.8, or the more-easily-tied-snug-to-object Overhand)?
Constrictor ABOK 1249 used in conjunction with whippings. Fore topmast ratlines use a constrictor to the shrouds with the ends sized
Interesting, this. --
someone's notion of improved security; I think that comes from
the seizing, beyond which anything else is redundant/unnoticed. Frankly, I have long wondered
why the ends of ratlines are
spliced to the shrouds, which is a bit of pain to do, rather
than simply tied (and seized). Brion Toss said that this was to avoid some abrasion on sails
hitting the knots; to me, it seems that hitting the (sometimes steel) shrouds alone would
be a problem to avoid, nevermind the knots that might lie along it!?
Overhand knot tied in a double end. ABOK 518 Used for tying down cargo. Used only with surplus small rope that will be thrown away.
And is it reliably so tied; or quickly, w/o much regard for dressing, and maybe with
what Ashley shows (there & #1009) as the tail end being loaded? It is a common
knot in commercial fishing bridles, and as a mid-line eyeknot.
Loop knot ABOK 532 Used when a loop is required in a bight of good rope
Ah, I'd bet better than even odds that this was an
educated (vs.
naturally arising invention) import.
Did you take note of this forum's Alpiner's nice contribution of a quick tying method for it? !!
... Timber hitch ABOK 1733 general use
Rolling hitch ABOK 1735 Used to tie off a line under tension. We have used this when moving hawsers off bits to the capstan
Is the Timber h. like this, with the HHitch
guards (often mistakenly (IMO) called "Killeg/K..." h.)) ?
-- or w/o, plain. Here it will take less load, being
guarded, and so be easily untied.
In some other uses, I'd think that Ashley's recommendation of #1669 would work well.
Backhanded Mooring Hitch ABOK 1795 I used this when I worked on a tug boat...
"... when working on a tug boat":
as well (also)? (We don't want to contaminate the data.

)
Did you make that first bight-cast as Ashley shows? -- for Brion Toss, in
Rigger's Apprentice ,
gives the alternative orientation, where the immediate continuation really is "backhanded",
wrapping in the opposite direction. Frankly, in using the knot to tie off rope that I put into a
pulley hook for stress-testing something, I find Ashley's way maybe a bit kinder on the hitched
rope. -- could be a flip-of-the-coin variance; the multiple wraps work either way.
Carrick Bend ABOK 1439 Have used this to tie two hawsers together - bulky
Funny how even the simplest knots seem so monstrous in big rope, eh?! -- and how much
rope that they consume (to me, who might find a scrap of maybe 12-25' of such rope) !
I think that Rosendahl's Zeppelin bend would make a good alternative.
Sheet Bend ABOK 1434 I had the loop end of a hawser start to slip through the nip. Fortunately I was right there and was able to hold the loop end until it set up.
!! Wow, good catch! Dave Richards did testing in kernmantle ropes and found it to
slip in sometimes both ends, but at rather high loads.
Zeppelin Bend I use for joining ropes, lines etc
Tyer's perogative, here? Did you ever have cause to try some other bends,
such as #1408, #1452, #1425?
Most of these are taught from one sailor to another as needed, there is no formal training. New knots do not often appear as the "tried and true" are part of the continuity of the ship, and who is going to tell the Capt his knots are out of date???
Oh, did the Capt. pass along Rosendahl's knot, then?
New rope is closely watched as some if is very slippery and we take extra care when using anything new. - Old fashioned I guess but who wants a spar dropped on their head???
Indeed. But this sounds like just
watching w/special attention, but not, say,
putting in some extra knotting such as a stopper knot, or extra turn?
There are probably many ?knots? that I have missed, but that is a good first memory...
Excellent recall, thanks much!
I guess two knots that might be missed in the above list are the Fisherman's Bend / Anchor
Bend/hitch, and Two Half-hitches. Yes, you mentioned the latter, as a securing to the Clove,
but not as a main knot for hitching directly. No Reef knot, either -- but you bind sails ?
--dl*
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