quote:

Originally posted by TMats:

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:
(western saddle conch knot),

What does this mean?

I don’t know, Chance. Clove hitch and two half-hitches are closely related. I was thrown off specifically by “conch knot.” Just never heard that before. Isn’t that the same way you spell the big pink sea shell?

I belong to a group that teaches knot tying from time to time.
Nope. Unless I tie them every day, I cant recall them. Even have a wallet card with knots depicted on it. Nope again.
So I fall back on the Granny knot.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:
(western saddle conch knot),

What does this mean?

I don’t know, Chance. Clove hitch and two half-hitches are closely related. I was thrown off specifically by “conch knot.” Just never heard that before. Isn’t that the same way you spell the big pink sea shell?

That's what you get when your horse bucks and your privates land on the saddle horn.

I'm a little embarrassed to say: it's been a long time since Boy Scouts, and I've forgotten most of the good knots I learned back then.

I will typically use bowline, two half hitches, clove hitch, square knot.

Bowline, square knot and many variations of uni knot are my go tos with bowline being my favorite and most useful.

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:

A square knot is the strongest way to tied two ropes together (stronger than two bowlines because it spreads the load instead of concentrating it), but good luck getting one apart after it is pulled on. I jut rarely need to tie two ropes together end to end like that.

Try a sheet bend instead. It is basically a bowline made with two ropes. When doing tree work, we use a sheet bend when the worker aloft requests an additional rope. We can attach that rope anywhere along the rope already in use so that he can haul it up.

Snipped from Wikipedia: As a bend, its advantages lie in its simplicity and non-jamming properties. Nevertheless, it is much more secure and reliable than knots such as the reef knot (square knot)[2], which is a binding knot often mistakenly tied as a bend; Clifford Ashley states, "Employed as a binding knot, to reef and furl sails or to tie up parcels, [the reef knot] is invaluable. But employed as a bend [...], the reef knot is probably responsible for more deaths and injuries than have been caused by the failure of all other knots combined." [1].

I live on the water and mostly use knots for boats. #1 is a bowline. If you got rid of all other knots I wouldn't care, I would survive.
#2 is half hitches, but never for anything serious. Normally to determine the height of something like a boat fender.
#3. clove hitch. For when you need to tie off a mooring line on a dock etc.
#4. figure 8. keeping stuff from running loose.
On the rarest of occasions I use a sheet bend.
That's it for real life. I used to rock climb and used a whole bunch of others, but that's a specialist area.
If you can do a bowline and half hitches you are GTG for almost anything.

On board our sailboat I use a lot of the standards like bowline, sheet bend, clove hitch, figure eight, and two half hitches, but I use a rolling hitch quite a lot, and even an anchor bend periodically. Cleat hitch is a knot too, I guess.

I also went through a point where I was tying decorative knots for various parts of the boat like Turk's Heads and Portuguese Sinnets, and occasionally did them for friends. I also Whip all the lines on board, I suppose that's a knot.

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
In addition to those above, tautline hitches are useful too.

+1

Square knots and taught line.

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
Cleat hitch is a knot too, I guess.

Oh yes. It's quite entertaining to walk a random dock and see how people cleat their lines.

Learned a lot of knots in Scouting, and more later during high angle/low angle rescue classes, etc. Don't really use any of them that often these days, though.

But about two weeks ago I finally learned how to tie a bow-tie. Found that I greatly prefer it to having a dangly long tie flopping everywhere (which I'd been tying since I was 11).

truckers hitch

Bowline
Water Knot
Figure 8
square knots
trucker's hitch
Various girth and half hitch's

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Shugart:
Square knot and the bowline here. It's surprising how many people have no idea about the bowline - it's an extremely useful knot. I know how to tie a lotta knots and even how to do splices.

I know about 8 knots, being in the marine industry and can also splice 3 strand rope. I use the bowline the most as no matter how much tension you put on it, it easily comes undone. Next would be half hitches.

Those of you who can splice rope what is your recommendation for learning this skill? I'm going to YouTube it and then go get some practice rope.

I'll take any hints you guys have though the brainpower and experience here is awesome!

quote:

Originally posted by rsbolo:
Those of you who can splice rope what is your recommendation for learning this skill? I'm going to YouTube it and then go get some practice rope.

I'll take any hints you guys have though the brainpower and experience here is awesome!

1. Use new line. Line that has been wetted and dried or weathered will be much more difficult to splice. 3 strand polypropylene is probably the easiest to learn on.

2 Make sure the ends of each lay are very well taped or whipped.

3. The back lay on a three strand eye splice never looks right when you are starting out. Keep practicing and experience will tell you where to make the critical tuck.

4. Start with eye splices. Short splices, long splices and butt splices are all variations on the theme. I probably use eye splices 10:1 over the others.


Splicing the new 8 stand and 12 strand superbraid lines. Number all your strands and follow the manufacturers instructions EXACTLY.

Double braid line isn't really worth the effort to spice correctly.

Bowline, truckers, hitch, half hitch and figure eight stopper knot.

Thank you CaptMike!