Use: This reliable knot is quickly tied and is the hitch most often used in mooring.
How to tie:
Pass end of rope around post or other object.
Wrap short end of rope under and over long part of rope, pushing the end down through the loop. This is a half hitch.
Repeat on long rope below first half hitch and draw up tight.
Bowline
Use: This knot doesn't jam or slip when tied properly. It can be tied around a person's waist and used to lift him, because the loop will not tighten under load. In sailing, the bowline is used to tie a halyard to a sail head.
How to tie:
Make the overhand loop with the end held toward you, then pass end through loop.
Now pass end up behind the standing part, then down through the loop again.
Draw up tight.
Double bowline
How to tie:
Make a loop with the running end crossing over the standing end.
Make a larger loop that passes over the first loop, again with the running end passing over the standing end.
Pass the running end through the first loop from the bottom.
Wrap the running end behind the standing end, and back down through the first loop.
Tighten
Stevedore knot
Finished stevedore knot
Stevedore knot before tightening
Use: The Stevedore knot is a stopper knot, often tied near the end of a rope. It is more bulky and less prone to jamming than the closely related figure-eight knot. This knot is excellent for anchoring a tarp. Pass the end of the rope through a tarp's grommet, tie a stevedore, and anchor the other end with a taut-line hitch. Its added bulk prevents it from pulling through the grommet.
How to tie:
The knot is formed by following the steps to make a figure-eight knot, but the working end makes an additional round turn around the standing part before the end passes back through the initial loop.
Anchor bend
Use: The Anchor Bend is a knot used for attaching a rope to a ring or similar termination. The round turn and tight application help keep the rope from chafing.
How to tie:
Make two turns around a hitch.
Pass the running end around the standing end and beneath the two turns.
Finish with a half hitch on the standing end.
Square Knot
Use: Also known as a Reef knot, the Square Knot is easily learned and useful for many situations. It is most commonly used to tie two lines together at the ends. This knot is used at sea in reefing and furling sails. It is used in first aid to tie off a bandage or a sling because the knot lies flat.
How to tie:
Pass left end over and under right end.
Curve what is now the left end toward the right and cross what is now the right end over and under the left.
Draw up tight by pulling one end and line away from the other end and line.
WARNING: Do not rely on this knot to hold weight in a life or death situation. It has been known to fail.
