10 Essential Knots for a Sailor

Not too long ago, there was a discussion on the Open Boat Yahoo group about what members considered the 10 most essential knots when sailing.

Opinions varied but lists of important knots were very similar. I guess needs are similar.

The following knots are my essential knots have served me well enough while on the boats. Click on the name and see how its tied.

Bowline

Probably the first knot that you learn when you start sailing. A good all round useful knot. Besides you HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO TIE A BOWLINE or you loose all credibility!

The double bowline is included and if you need to tie it on a line and don't have access to the ends try a Bowline on the Bight

Figure of Eight Knot

You need a reliable stopper knot to stop the end of ropes from coming out of blocks and other sailboat accessories and the figure of eight knot works. I've recently started using the double overhand knot because it is not as likely to come undone.

A misbehaving Figure of Eight got me in trouble this summer. My jib sheet came undone and left me scrambling to capture it as it bounced around on my Tanzer sailboat in 20 knot gusts.

Round Turn and two Half Hitches

A good general knot to use for tying up at the dock or attaching bumpers on the side of the boat. Its easy and fast and I can remember how to make it!

Reef Knot

I use it when Reefing my Skerry Sail, but its not much good except for that. You can't trust it for other things because it you pull on one end and not the other the knot slips and stops holding.

Sheet Bend

The Sheet bend is stellar when it comes to tying 2 ropes together. Weavers used a variation of this knot but it gets called a weavers knot.

Highwayman's Hitch

The Highwayman's hitch is useful when you want to cast off by just pulling on a rope. This unties the knot and frees the line, and away you go.

Rolling Hitch

Ties on to another line and can be used to pull it to allow some slack to release a bind in a block or winch. I use it to tidy up the boat when I'm tightening up the lines so they don't rattle around when the boat is on its mooring.

Cleat Hitch

I use this knot all the time when I go sailing, either to tie the boat to a dock, or to tie the tender to the boat, or to secure the halyards to the mast. One of my absolute essential knots. Its amazing how many sailors don't know how to cleat a line properly.

Constrictor Knot

This knot never lets go. That's why its one of my essential knots. You need a really solid reliable knot like that. I use one on the boom to attach the little block for the main sheet. I also have a constrictor knot holding the upper spar of the balanced lug on my apple pie diinghy rig.

Anchor Bend

The anchor bend holds better than the half turn and two half hitches and keeps my anchor line tied to the chain.

You also need to know two other things about ropes. How to whip the end so it does not fray, and how to coil the rope end so its not tangled when you come to use it. In a pinch you can use a constrictor knot to bind the end of a rope and it will hold, but its not as pretty as a proper binding. There is an imp on my boat and as soon as he sees a loose rope he either tangles it or puts it around my foot. He's really good at loosening the ends of the halyard so that when the sail comes down the (tangled) end goes up and out of reach.

Some rope materials are notorious for not wanting to stay knotted. Polypropylene is particularly bad.

Article in All about knots on strong hitches for slippery and difficult rope. Also discusses what makes a knot strong.

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email me if you find mistakes, I'll fix them and we'll all benefit: Christine