The King of Knots! Most important knot you should know.

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  • Most important knots to learn (you can pic more than one)

    • Anchor bend

      Votes: 5 2.7%
    • Bachmann knot

      Votes: 0 0.0%
    • Bowline loop

      Votes: 135 71.8%
    • Butterfly knot

      Votes: 5 2.7%
    • Cleat hitch

      Votes: 12 6.4%
    • Clove hitch

      Votes: 62 33.0%
    • Cow hitch

      Votes: 1 0.5%
    • Constrictor knot

      Votes: 3 1.6%
    • Double fisherman

      Votes: 13 6.9%
    • Half Hitch

      Votes: 49 26.1%
    • Honda knot (lasso)

      Votes: 1 0.5%
    • Pile Hitch

      Votes: 1 0.5%
    • Running Bowline

      Votes: 14 7.4%
    • Sheeps Shank

      Votes: 8 4.3%
    • Sheets bend

      Votes: 14 7.4%
    • Square Knot

      Votes: 74 39.4%
    • Tautline hitch

      Votes: 31 16.5%
    • Tautline to rope

      Votes: 4 2.1%
    • Transom Knot

      Votes: 4 2.1%
    • Yosemite Bowline

      Votes: 3 1.6%

    • Total voters
      188
    • Poll closed .

    somoss

    Silver Spring
    Feb 18, 2006
    376
    I don't know how to tie any of these but I can make a knot of sorts when needed. I was also taught that if you don't know how to tie a knot then make lots of knots. :lol2:
     

    Mark75H

    MD Wear&Carry Instructor
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 25, 2011
    17,174
    Outside the Gates
    The bowline is not only easy to tie and untie, it stays easy to untie. A boat tied up with a bowline can be untied just as easily a year later as a minute later. It doesn't cinch on itself no matter how much load is placed on it.

    I can tie my shoes - and I can tie round shoe laces so they stay tied all day and still untie with a single pull (without being too tight all day, too)
     

    nedsurf

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 8, 2013
    2,204
    It being a superlative question, I'd go with the figure 8. It can be rethreaded, made with two ropes, doubled over, made on a bight or at the working end. It can be made to make a lasso. Many other knots do some specific aspect of ropework better than the figure 8 but if you only know one knot, the figure 8 can almost do it all.
    You have a bunch of climbing/rescue specific knots in your list. Where did you come up with the choices you offer?
     

    cpc1027

    Active Member
    Jun 25, 2010
    913
    Sparks
    How many here were in the Boy Scouts & had to tie a loop around themselves with one hand while the other hand was raised & held against the wall? (To simulate hanging from a cliff of course and being able to tie a safe loop around yourself when a rescuer passed a rope down to you.)

    I did. I have won a few bets by tying the fastest bowline using the one handed method.
     

    Minuteman

    Member
    BANNED!!!
    It being a superlative question, I'd go with the figure 8. It can be rethreaded, made with two ropes, doubled over, made on a bight or at the working end. It can be made to make a lasso. Many other knots do some specific aspect of ropework better than the figure 8 but if you only know one knot, the figure 8 can almost do it all.
    You have a bunch of climbing/rescue specific knots in your list. Where did you come up with the choices you offer?

    Good question.

    Answer: Random.

    I simply found lists of knots, then picked 20 randomly, focusing on those that seemed most familiar.
     

    Clark W. Griswold

    Active Member
    Oct 5, 2009
    929
    You know there is always one a**hole who when given twenty different choices in a poll still has to pick something different. I guess I'm going to be him today! If you can only know one knot I'd vote for a figure eight. It's easy to learn and with It you can:
    -Tie a simple figure eight for a stopper/ end of rope
    - Tie a figure eight on a bite for a loop
    - Tie a figure eight on a bend to join to rope ends
    - Tie a figure eight follow through to tie a rope securely around something.

    Anyway my 2c.

    make that two because I agree with you.

    Figure eight will do everything a bowline will only better. Figure eight will not bind up under load, will not slip and if I recall has one of the strongest ratios of all knots. Somewhere around 80% of the rope strength.
     

    Mark75H

    MD Wear&Carry Instructor
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 25, 2011
    17,174
    Outside the Gates
    make that two because I agree with you.

    Figure eight will do everything a bowline will only better. Figure eight will not bind up under load, will not slip and if I recall has one of the strongest ratios of all knots. Somewhere around 80% of the rope strength.

    Are you sure an 8 won't bind under load? Seems like I've had to cut some that bit into themselves so tight you could hardly see there was a knot. A bowline will never do this.

    The only thing I see an 8 has over the bowline is its easier to tie.
     

    llkoolkeg

    Hairy Flaccid Member
    I don't know the names of all the ones I use particularly for fly-fishing, e.g. to join backing to fly line and fly line to leaders(which I taper and tie myself) but surgeon's loop, trilene knot, palomar knot and nail knot are among them. I meant to watch "Knot Wars" to determine if mine needed updating based on scientific evidence but never got around to it. I guess I should add the sheep shank but only learned that one from watching Jaws and have never actually needed to use it.
     

    bkuether

    Judge not this race .....
    Jan 18, 2012
    6,212
    Marriottsville, MD
    Bowline, Square Knot, Clove hitch.

    In that order.

    If not a lot of load and similar line thickness, square knot will function to connect two lines together.

    If you can't tie a bowline, don't even THINK about operating or buying a sailboat.

    Clove hitch, designed exclusively for high wind landings at strange marinas..... Ask me how I know.....

    :rolleyes:
     

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