We recently republished a Chris Caswell post, Knot Tying for Boaters: 5 Basic Knots, that originally went live on boats.com more than ten years ago. Fortunately, the information is timeless, and it also "ties" in well with our popular video series, How to Tie Knots.

Here are three knots Chris says you don't need to know for safe boating: the withe knot, honda knot, and cravat knot.


And here are the 5 Chris says you do need to know:

1. Square knot (to tie together two lines of equal diameter)

2. Bowline (to create a loop)

3. Clove Hitch (for attaching a line to a railing or piling)

4. Double half hitch (for a quick tie up to just about anything)

5. Sheetbend (to tie two different diameter lines together)

I agree with this list, though I wouldn't have started off with the square knot. Yes it's easy to learn, but it's also not as useful on boats as the others. And even Chris says, "Don’t risk your life on this knot."

Okay, it's time to find a scrap piece of line about 3 feet long, and spend a few winter evenings tying and retying these beauties... so you're ready for the next boating season.

Also, let us know if you are one of the "avid knot-tying readers," who Chris predicts will want to make a case for the importance of other knots.

 

Written by: Carol Cronin
Carol Cronin has published several novels about the Olympics, sailing, hurricanes, time travel, and old schooners. She spends as much time on the water as possible, in a variety of boats, though most have sails.