The knots you really need on board
The knots shown here are all in common use on board. But the ones to know by heart are the bowline, the slipped clove hitch with a half hitch, the round turn and two half hitches and the double sheet bend. On board you will learn one more essential knot: the cleat hitch. Nearly every knot has a short video filmed by Loïck, with commentary and titles in French. You learn a knot by watching and by tying it again and again: these notes are a reminder, not a substitute for practice on board.
The vocabulary of knots
A few words come up in every description:
- A line (in French un bout, pronounced “boot”): the general word for a rope on board.
- The working end: the free part of the line, the one you tie the knot with.
- The standing part: the “fixed” part of the line, under load or made fast.
- A loop (or eye): a circle formed by the line.
- A bight: a loop formed by doubling the line back on itself, which allows a quick release.
- Bend: a knot for joining two lines. Stopper knot: stops a line from slipping or running out.
The bowline
What it is for
The most important knot on board. It makes a fixed loop that does not tighten on itself: you use it to bend on a halyard or the jib sheets, to moor the boat, or to pass through a ring. Reliable when properly tightened — provided you leave a long enough tail on the working end, as it can always slip a little.
How to tie it
- Form a small loop in the standing part (“the rabbit hole”).
- Bring the working end from underneath and up through the hole, from bottom to top (“the rabbit comes out of its hole”).
- Take the working end round the standing part (“it runs round the tree”).
- Bring the working end back down through the hole (“and goes back down its hole”).
- Tighten firmly by pulling on the standing part and the loop. Leave a good tail.
The method described here (there are several) is the one taught in professional fishing and merchant navy schools: the quickest and most reliable once you have mastered it.
The reef knot
What it is for
The classic bend for joining two lines of the same diameter, but to be used with caution: its real field of use is very limited. On board, it is mainly kept for tying reef points. To join two lines under load for any length of time, the double sheet bend is preferred.
How to tie it
- Cross the two working ends: left over right, then pass one round the other.
- Cross back the other way: right over left, and pass through again.
- Remember the order: “left over right, then right over left”. Crossing the same way twice gives a granny knot, which slips: avoid it.
- Tighten by pulling on both standing parts at once.
The clove hitch
What it is for
Used to make a line fast quickly to a fixed point (rail, cleat, pulpit, post). In its simple form it is not very reliable on its own; it becomes secure when both ends are made fast on either side — for example to hold a tiller amidships. Above all, it is the basis of other knots: the slipped clove hitch for fenders and the rolling hitch.
How to tie it
- Pass the working end round the support to make a first turn.
- Cross over and make a second turn, passing the working end under the diagonal of the first turn.
- Tighten: the two turns lock against each other. The knot can be tied in either direction.
The slipped clove hitch with a half hitch
What it is for
The knot for fenders. It can be released very quickly thanks to the bight — handy when a fender has to be moved at the last moment! — and it stays very reliable thanks to the half hitch round the standing part.
How to tie it
- Start a clove hitch round the guardrail or the pulpit.
- On the second pass, take the working end through as a bight: this is what lets you release it in one pull.
- Lock it with a half hitch round the standing part, then tighten.
The rolling hitch
What it is for
A variant of the clove hitch. When a line is jammed under tension — a halyard or a sheet with a riding turn on a winch — you tie a second line onto it with a rolling hitch to take up the load: the winch is relieved and the jammed line can be freed. You need a good grasp of the clove hitch to tie it well.
Loïck’s tip
Start the knot on the side from which you want to take off the tension.
Round turn and two half hitches
What it is for
The mooring knot par excellence: simple, extremely reliable, and it can be tied under load — invaluable for making fast to a ring or a dock cleat while the boat is pulling on it.
How to tie it
- Pass the working end twice round the mooring point: that is the round turn. It takes most of the load and lets you work without straining.
- A tip from on board: pass the working end under the ring — when you slip the line doubled, it will run much more freely.
- Make a first half hitch round the standing part.
- Make a second half hitch in the same direction, then tighten.
The quick-release mooring hitch
What it is for
A knot for fun: you can do without it, but it comes in handy to moor a dinghy or a boat for a short while and leave again very quickly.
The figure-of-eight knot
What it is for
A stopper knot tied at the end of a sheet or halyard to stop it running out through a block or a jammer. It is the stopper knot of choice: unlike the overhand knot, it does not jam and is easy to undo, even after taking a heavy load.
How to tie it
- Form a loop with the working end.
- Pass the working end behind the standing part, then bring it back to the front.
- Thread the working end through the first loop: the line forms the figure 8.
- Tighten. The bulk of the knot stops it passing through the block.
The sheet bend and double sheet bend
What it is for
The right bend on board for joining two lines. Easy to tie, reliable, easy to undo — and you do not need lines of different sizes: it also holds very well with two lines of the same diameter (even more secure as a double sheet bend). It is preferred to the reef knot as soon as there is any load.
How to tie it
- Form an open loop (the “bight”) in the thicker line.
- Pass the working end of the second line up through this loop from underneath.
- Take this working end round both parts of the loop, then tuck it under itself (without passing back through the loop).
- For the double version (more secure): take an extra turn round the loop before locking it. Tighten.
The carrick bend
What it is for
A good bend for joining two lines. Left loose, it is the decorative knot of knot charts; pulled tight, it joins two lines reliably and can always be undone easily.
A game for knot geniuses
The carrick bend can be tied by making the first loop the other way round. Your challenge: find the path of the other line that gives the same result.
The capuchin knot
What it is for
A lasting stopper knot that will not come undone on its own: it is used in particular at the end of halyards, to stop them running out through the clutches. It is not that easy to tie: you need good control of the line all the way through.
The bottle sling
What it is for
As its name suggests, it is used to hang a bottle on board — and it looks very good.
How to tie it
The technique is hard to put into words: watch the video closely and pause it as you go. Once the knot is tied, slip it over the neck of the bottle and pull on both sides.
And the cleat hitch?
Essential for making a mooring line fast to a cleat, it is learnt on board, rope in hand.
