Get trained
This page explains the principles. It is not a substitute for hands-on instruction from a recognized program such as US Sailing, the RYA or ASA, and it does not replace the safety rules that apply where you sail.
This page deliberately gives names and purposes only, with no tying instructions. Some of these knots hold boats in place, and the sources note that some can slip. Learn to tie them with an instructor who can check your work. Descriptions below come from ASA, the New Zealand Maritime Museum, Animated Knots and Yachting.com.
Loops
- Bowline
- Makes a fixed loop at the end of a line that will not slip or jam and stays easy to untie. ASA and the New Zealand Maritime Museum name it for attaching sheets to sails and for many general jobs.
- Eye splice
- Not a knot but a splice: a permanent loop worked into the end of three- or four-strand rope (Animated Knots).
Stoppers
- Figure-eight knot
- A stopper knot tied in the end of a line to keep it from running out through a block or fairlead. ASA and Animated Knots note it stays easy to untie even after it has been loaded.
- Heaving line knot
- Adds weight to the end of a rope so it can be thrown farther (Animated Knots).
Hitches: tying a line to something
- Cleat hitch
- Secures a dock line or other line to a cleat (ASA; Animated Knots).
- Clove hitch
- A quick, adjustable, temporary hitch around a post, rail or stanchion. ASA and Yachting.com both note that it can slip.
- Round turn and two half hitches
- A secure hitch for tying a line to a post, ring or mooring when it has to stay put (ASA; New Zealand Maritime Museum).
- Rolling hitch
- Attaches one line to another line or to a spar so that it grips along the direction of pull. One use is taking the load off a jammed sheet. Yachting.com and Animated Knots warn it may slip on modern ropes.
- Anchor hitch
- Connects an anchor line to the anchor (Animated Knots).
- Halyard hitch
- Attaches a halyard to a shackle or to the head of a sail (Animated Knots).
Bends: joining two ropes
- Sheet bend
- Joins two ropes, including ropes of different thickness. The New Zealand Maritime Museum and Yachting.com say the double sheet bend is more secure.
- Zeppelin bend
- Joins two ropes securely and can still be untied after heavy loading (Yachting.com; Animated Knots).
- Double fisherman's knot
- Joins thin, stiff or slippery lines (New Zealand Maritime Museum).
Binding
- Reef (square) knot
- Ties the two ends of one line around something, traditionally when reefing a sail around the boom or tying on a sail cover. ASA and Yachting.com say it is for low-load jobs only.
Quick reference
| Knot | Job | Limit the sources mention |
|---|---|---|
| Bowline | Fixed loop | None stated |
| Figure-eight | Stopper | None stated |
| Cleat hitch | Line to cleat | None stated |
| Clove hitch | Temporary hitch | Can slip |
| Round turn and two half hitches | Secure hitch to post or ring | None stated |
| Rolling hitch | Grip on a line or spar | May slip on modern ropes |
| Reef knot | Binding | Low loads only |
| Sheet bend | Join two ropes | Double version is more secure |
| Zeppelin bend | Join two ropes | None stated |
"None stated" means only that the sources we used do not list a limit. It does not mean a knot is suitable for every job or every rope.
The rope matters too
Different ropes suit different jobs. Cruising World describes polyester as long-lasting, UV-resistant and the long-standing standard for halyards and sheets, though it stretches more than high-tech rope. It recommends nylon where shock absorption matters, such as dock lines and anchor rode, because it stretches. High-modulus lines such as Dyneema are very strong and light. Given that the rolling hitch may slip on modern ropes, ask your instructor how the line on your boat behaves with each knot. More on line is on rigging and hardware.
Where knots come up
The jobs above map onto boat handling: the cleat hitch for dock lines when docking and mooring, the anchor hitch for anchoring, the reef knot for its traditional use in reefing, and the figure-eight to stop a line running out through a block. Ask your school which knots its course covers.