Let's Talk In Knots!

[DeliTan]

BEWARE!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcxKIJTb3Hg

john

[jwfchase]

RUNAWAY!!! RUNAWAY!!!

(I think the thread jack has now been thread jacked and will likely die here like a crusader...)

[FalcoColumbarius]

NI!

[jwfchase]

And since we're now down a new "Bunny" trail... here's another M.P. skit that we used to show to terrified recruits in infantry training in all mock seriousness- they never quite knew if it was OK to laugh...



Maybe it can be applied to Delicas in the woods?...

[Adrock]

I poke the snowman in the eye...

figure 8?

After a few big falls lead climbing it can be a challenge to get the figure 8 undone.... however if you hand it to your belayer it is usually significantly easier given they didn't just fail their forearms a bunch of times.

[jwfchase]

I poke the snowman in the eye...

figure 8?

After a few big falls lead climbing it can be a challenge to get the figure 8 undone.... however if you hand it to your belayer it is usually significantly easier given they didn't just fail their forearms a bunch of times.

I've shockloaded a figure8 towing a car, if you work it apart in the right order it still comes undone, but definitely more of a challenge.

[FalcoColumbarius]

So what about the French Bowline? We have started a new thread about knots ~ we may as well make use of it.

[loki]

I was taught to roll the figure 8 back and forth between my hands like rubbing your hands together when cold, that usually helps it loosen up.

[Green1]

I've shockloaded a figure8 towing a car, if you work it apart in the right order it still comes undone, but definitely more of a challenge.

The bowline I shockloaded towing a car nearly became a permanent fixture in the line I was using at the time, it did however eventually come undone...

[Mr. Flibble]

Wait a moment, the turns on a figure eight are just as tight as on a bowline...... Should I be splitting this thread and starting another one on knots?

Falco.

I am going to go with Green 1 on this one. When I did my SAR Rope Rescue training they pointed out that part of the bends on the bowline were technically tighter than that of the Figure 8. SAR training was anal enough that when you tied in with a figure 8 follow through you had to tie the tail of the figure 8 to the main rope with a double overhand knot to prevent slippage!

Yes, I know a figure 8 won't slip, but not the point, these are SAR rules we are talking about. You could never use anything made of aluminum, everything had to be steel. No dynamic ropes allowed - only static. 2 ropes for each team member on a line!

The redundancy built into all that stuff was insane.

I do like how you can do a one-handed bowline, that can be useful.

Someone mentioned using the bowline for rappeling... How can you rappel with a bowline? I know you can use a munter hitch on a biner to do that....

[FalcoColumbarius]

Thus far I see the main contributors have been either Maritime or SAR, which I presume is some sort of rescue organisation (Search And Rescue?). One comment:

Another disadvantage of the bowline is that if you tie it incorrectly with the running end terminating on the ouside

I find this point inconclusive because if you tie any knot incorrectly it will be compromised. Also one other comment referred to the Maritime use of the Bowline as perhaps a "tradition", in which context to me suggested that SAR was a professional operation that dealt with saving lives ~ where the Maritime industry was perhaps a "tradition". Then it occurred to me that the professional SAR operation was maybe 50 years old, definitely not older than Canada. Where the Maritime industry has assuredly been in life and death situations for well over 4,000 years and has tied more knots than any & every living soul has had their knickers in. My old man was RN and knew a hell of a lot of knots. He used to splice all our lines when we lived on a boat. He used to make Monkey Fists for heaving lines. Word of advice to all you kids out there: Never tell you father that you are bored if he is Navy. The one knot he drove into me was the bowline as a safety measure as well as all round good knot. Tying the added hitch on the running end couldn't hurt, to be sure.

So far we have covered the Figure Of Eight knot and the Bowline knot. Does anyone know other good knots?

Falco.

[DeliTan]

So far we have covered the Figure Of Eight knot and the Bowline knot. Does anyone know other good knots?

Falco.

I tried to keep my fingers off the keyboard, but I gotta bite...

Every knot I have heard about, I have tied. Including basic decorative knots. Have to do something with my hands for the 5 months a year I spend on Mexican beaches...(between hoisting glassware).

There are several types of bowlines so its not really covered, but lets move on to a variety of sheet bends and constrictors...

(I love the Miller knot and use it wherever I can, even when it isn't the best)

john

[Mr. Flibble]

So far we have covered the Figure Of Eight knot and the Bowline knot. Does anyone know other good knots?

Falco.

The Truckers Hitch. I use a modified version of it to tie my WW kayaks to the roof racks. I find it works much better than the flat toothed straps many people use.

[Adrock]

I forgot all the names. I think I pretty much use bowline when I need an easy loop, reef to attach 2 ropes (unless i'm mixing up names, I still know how to tie 2 ropes together) clove hitch for tying around something, and a figure 8 when I'm climbing.

And yes, I have heard it called breaking the knots back, when you need to work an 8 loose. I just twist it around until things loosen up a bit

[loki]

The Truckers Hitch. I use a modified version of it to tie my WW kayaks to the roof racks. I find it works much better than the flat toothed straps many people use.

I use the truckers hitch a lot, love it.