__Knots 2Use! ...a knot tying introduction_____________

We begin our knot tying page with some basic terminology. Our animated knots are quick loading and will show you how to tie the easy way.

These knots are selected for their tying ease and usefullnes, most examples will be followed with more advanced variations as we progress. Although this page is designed to help you rig your model sailboat, it will also be of use to anyone interested in learning knots for scouting, fishing, and sailing and (uh..) what knot.

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Rope is made from fibres twisted or woven together. Generally falling into two categories, natural and synthetic. Some natural fibres used are cotton, sisal, manila, and where people are trusted not to try to smoke it, hemp. Synthetic ropes are mostly Dacron, nylon, mylar and polypropylene.

Unless they are braided, common ropes are made by twisting fibres (usually) to the right into lengths called yarns. Yarns are then twisted together to the left and called strands. Strands are twisted together to the right.

Most braided rope has a woven shell surrounding a core of fibres. It is more flexible and has less stretch than twisted rope.

Not all ropes are the same, some may only have three twisted strands and nothing else, some only have two yarns, etc.

When the strands are twisted to the right, it is said to be "laid" right handed. So heavy rope laid this way should be coiled in a clock wise (left to right) manner. It is these twists in the rope that give most knots their gripping power. So, a knot that works well with rope may slip apart when tied with a smooth monofilament fishing line.

When a knot is tied, fibres become bent, stretched, squeezed and broken. This weakens the strength of the rope, knots may be rated by percentages of how much havoc they cause on the over all strength of the rope. Some knots weaken a rope by 20% some 50%. Add to this the age and the amount of use a it has seen also weakens rope. For this reason the rope and knots used for climbing have to be chosen with care.

Here are a few definitions for your scrolling pleasure :) bend - a knot used to join two ends or two separate ropes together. bight - taking hold of a part of rope (an open loop) between the standing part and the end that will be used in tying the knot bitter end- (naut) the end of a rope wound around a bit.- the inboard end of a rope or cable- the working end dress - partially closing the knot by drawing up the knot to make sure the knot is tied correctly, end - the end of the rope being tied. fid- (naut) a small wooden spike friction hitch - a knot tied to another rope, or an object so that it can be adjusted (slid), but stays in place (from friction) when the load is on the standing part hitch - a knot that attaches a rope to something, like a spar a post or another rope. lasso- long rope with a noose at one end used to catch livestock line - on boats, rope that is used for something is called a line. loop - (also called a "turn" ) a circle of rope in which the rope crosses over itself, i.e. the end is placed over the standing part. manila- rope made from the leaf fibres of the abaca (Phillippines) marline- a chord used for winding around the ends of ropes to prevent fraying. marlinespike- (naut) a spike like tool used for separating the strands of rope for splicing-a general term for having knotting skills monofilament- one solid string of synthetic material used in fishing line noose- a loop that closes under strain round- to wrap completely around seize- to lash or bind ropes together set - to close or tighten a knot. slip - to use a loop (bight) of rope instead of the end when closing a knot to make untying the knot easy. sisal- rope made from the fibre of agave leaves (Mexico) splice - joining two ends, or joining one end to a standing part, of rope by weaving together its unravelled strands. spike- (naut) a metal tool used to tie and untie knots (see marlinespike) standing part - the main part of the rope not in the knot itself, the rope not being tied is the standing part. stopper knot - used to stop the rope from pulling through a cleat, hole or pulley. working end- the end of a rope being worked into a knot whipping - wrapping the end of a rope with twine to keep the strands together.

For rigging your model you need to know a few sailing as well as fishing knots.

The twiste line that comes with your kit has the same properties of synthetic rope. This line is best cut by holding the line near, (not touching!) a small flame from a lighter or a candle. This seals the ends as it cuts and prevents fraying.

Some of the more complex knots will be difficult to tie (in miniature), but can be tied with the aid of an upholstery needle.
(See article mini-marlinspike)

__overhand, overhand loop,_________________

It does not get more basic than the overhand, (thumb knot) you can tie this one blindfolded. As it is, it does not have much use other than a stopper knot.

Its difficult to untie, and weakens the rope. But it is the foundation of many other knots that you will find useful.

An overhand loop, or loop knot, is the simplest fixed loop you can tie. Like the overhand above, it is very difficult to untie.

You can use a variation of this to tie two lengths together , hold two lines together, and tie both as if one line, and form an "X" or a "Y" they will not come apart or slip.
-If you pass the doubled up end through the eye of the loop a second time, you will form a "surgeons loop" that is slightly stronger.

__reef knot, half and double hitch_____________________

The reef, or square knot is a classic, used by sailors to bunch up sails, to tying up your karate belt. It is used for tying two lines to bind things together. It is easy to tie, untie and adjust.
-Another way to tie this is tie two ends together as an overhand, then tie the two ends together a second time.
-If tied improperly, you got a granny knot!   :^)

A half hitch is a common way to end off many knots.

Here is a single, followed by a double, half hitch. This will loosen and slide under use, when strained from different directions.

__figure of eight, bowline___________________________

These two are similar in function to the overhand and overhand loop, and represent the next level up.

Figure of eight, is another stopper knot, this is larger than the overhand, it can be untied, and it has less impact on the overall strength of the rope.
-You can double up a length of line, and tie a figure eight, (similar to that shown in the overhand loop above) and produce a better all round fixed loop.

Bowline. The most widely used fixed loop. Much of the language of sailing and knotting is influenced by the slang of British sailors, "main sail" is pronounced, "mainsl'" etc. The correct way to say it is bo-lun'. To me, bo-lun' is what my uncle does on Saturday night. Whatever... the bowline is easy to tie, untie and strong.

__anchor bend, fishermans knot______________________

Anchor bend. This is really a hitch. Note the similarity to it and the double half hitch above, slipping the working end through the turn locks the knot in place, preventing it from sliding.
-For tying a line around a spar, I find using an extra round turn, so that there is one on both sides of the standing part, even holds it in place better.

The fishermans knot is a simple way to join two lengths of rope or string. It doesn't work at all with mono fishing line. And I wouldn't trust it with that hard yellow polypropylene stuff either.
-It is the twists in a ropes strands that lock into each other that make almost all knots work.

__Trilene, surgeons knot_____________________

The trilene was developed by the company that makes the fishing line, its about the best there is for tying a mono line onto a hook or lure.
-You can learn about a dozen other ways, but this is the one you really should know.
-tip: Mono line should be moistened (water or spittle) before closing the knot to keep down friction heat that can weaken the line, also never tug on a knot too much to "test it", it makes no sense put 10 pounds of strain on an 8 pound line!

The surgeons knot is used to tie two lengths of monofilament line together. Note that one end will have to be worked through the loop. So, if you are tying two long lengths together, the end that will be worked through the loop should be wound around something or left on a spool. The loop made in this case should be large enough to pass it through the eye.

This is our first page on knotting, a second is under construction. If you want to learn more about knotting, visit Ropers Knot Page, one of the best knotting sites on the web.

I don't expect anyone to "just happen" to have some rope handy while surfing the net. Save the page to a folder and open it later and work off line. If you are new to the internet and computers, here is how its done. When online, click File, then "save with images as..." and choose a folder or directory to save it to. Later, start the browser, cancel the dial up, (and/or click "work offline") and open the file.

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