Knots & line handling

A handful of knots covers almost everything on a boat. Practice each until you can tie it without looking — and in the dark.

Hitches

Cleat hitch

easy · Making a dock line fast to a horn cleat on the boat or on the dock

Clove hitch

easy · Hanging a fender from a rail or stanchion, where you want to slide it up or down to set the height

Round turn and two half hitches

easy · Tying a line to a piling, rail or ring when the line is already under load

Rolling hitch

moderate · Taking the load off a sheet jammed on a winch by an override, so the turns can be cleared

Anchor bend

moderate · Tying a rope rode to the anchor's shackle or ring, or to the end of the chain

Trucker's hitch

moderate · Snugging down lashings on a dinghy, kayak or gear carried on deck

Loops

Bowline

moderate · Putting a fixed eye in a dock line to drop over a piling or cleat when the line has no spliced eye

Figure-eight loop

easy · A fixed loop that will not slip, for example the loop in a trucker's hitch

Bends (joining two lines)

Sheet bend

easy · Joining two lines, including lines of different sizes, such as lengthening a dock line or tow line

Double sheet bend

moderate · Joining lines of very different sizes

Stoppers

Figure-eight stopper

easy · Stopping the end of a sheet or halyard from running out through a block, fairlead or clutch

Binding knots

Reef knot

easy · Tying reef points or sail ties around a reefed or furled sail

Line handling

General guidance for recreational boaters, researched from the sources listed and written in our own words. Your equipment manuals, local knowledge, the Navigation Rules and a qualified instructor come first.