Essential Knots and How To Tie Them

Learn the handful of essential knots every sailor should know, with clear one-handed techniques you can practice at home.

By
Marc Robic
-
11

Like most sailors, you’ve probably seen many articles and books about knots. You’ve probably also seen the hundreds, if not thousands, of social media posts about many different knots. Although these are all educational and entertaining, after over 40 years of sailing, in my experience, there are only a handful of primary knots all boaters should know and be able to execute easily and quickly.

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Marc Robic
Marc caught his love of sailing and all things water from his father from a very young age. He has owned many sailboats in his 40+ years of sailing. An avid do-it-yourselfer and handyman, he builds, modifies, improves and executes all his own repairs. He also enjoys testing, documenting & sharing products and how-to methods with other sailors and boaters. Posting many how to videos on his YouTube channel and Facebook page. He is a member of the Canadian Power and Sail Squadron. Currently, he sails his Catalina 270, Aquaholic 3, out of the Ile-Perrot Yacht Club in Montreal, where Marc spent 16 years as Harbour Master. He is also a regular bareboat yacht charterer, having sailed most of the Caribbean islands. In the winter months, Marc regularly hand builds exact scale models of friends’ boats to give them away in the spring.
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11 COMMENTS

  1. I would add a string of half hitches. Two round turns and a string of hitches is a common way to secure a dock line to a piling. A string of half hitches is the standard way to tie-off a lifeline or standing rigging lashing (PS tested this –at least 6 hitches for Dyneema lashings). Easy to adjust, very strong, and reliable as long as the tail is secured against loosening with a seizing or close double overhand around the standing part.

    • Hi drew, thanks for your comment and suggestions. And I certainly agree with those knots and technics. As you know, when it comes to knots, we can go on and on and come up with a few dozen knots, based on personal choices. BTW, the article is intended to show a few basic knots, with a special attention on how to accomplish these using one hand. Also, as I’ve learned over the years, many knots, albeit the same, have different names depending where you are!

  2. One knot, especially for sailors, is an absolute necessity. Everyone experiences a winch override at some point – usually at the most inopportune time. With a “taunt-line-hitch” tied to the load-side of the override, the tail can be lead to another winch to take the pressure off the fouled line, and the override released.

  3. Sorry, but I believe there are some important errors in this article that are misleading. The knot identified as a “rolling hitch” in not a rolling hitch. It is not even a hitch. A hitch is used to tie a line to something. This is a stopper knot and not a rolling hitch. Secondly, the knot identified as a “reef knot” is not a reef knot. It is a dangerous thief knot that will slip easily to the point that it will fall apart when put under stress. A reef knot should be used as a binding knot as when reefing a sail to the boom. It is not that great for tying two ropes together. Use the sheet bend for that. The reef knot can slip, but not as easily as the thief knot shown. The two free, working ends (short ends in this case) that he wrongly calls the “bitter ends” throughout the article on a reef knot should both be on the same side of the reef knot pointing in opposite directions. The bitter or standing end of a line is the far end that is attached to something. This term evolved from tying the end of the anchor rode to the bitts, but it could be the end of your bow painter that is tied to the boat. If the gentleman used the thief knot as shown to tie two lines together in order to secure his boat to shore, I think he’s lucky to have his boat still there when he returned.

    • Hi Rick and thank you for your time for sending your comment. Indeed I seem to have mislabeled the one labelled rolling hitch as it is a “stopper” knot.

      As for the reef knot, I use this when I need to extend a line with an other of the same size and material. This knot would be used for somewhat temporary needs. However, the ends of each line, when left longer, can also be tied down or chock around the opposite line to prevent slipping if needed or kept under tension.

      As for my use of the term bitter end, I do understand it’s origins, but it has become a pretty common name indicating for the end of a line. But I will try and remember the proper term, standing end, moving forward.

      Again, thank you for your comments Rick. I really do appreciate them and do take away the extra knowledge.

    • Do you mean a butterfly knot or a figure 8 on a bight? A butterfly loop (aka alpine butterfly loop) is the only common knot with “alpine” in it. commonly used to add a loop in the center of a line. A figure 8 on a bight is also common for this.

      Yes, a butterfly loop can be tied with one hand, although even hanging from the side of a cliff (I’m still a frequent climber) or climbing the mast I have never needed to tie any knot more complicated than a slipped half hitch or figure 8 on a bight with one hand, and the figure 8 was only because I could. Being able to tie each knot wearing mittens in the dark, on the other hand, can come in handy, which is why climbers stick to just a few simple knots.