How Very Knotty

Bikes still stuck on the boat...what to do? Why, practice some knots, of course!

As the day waned, I enjoyed a pipe on the deck and listened to the waves crash on the shore. Had some cord handy, so practiced some knots.

The ones I use all the time:

Bowline: famous for being very secure, easy to tie, and easy to untie. Saw several of these in use on the Stahlratte.

Trucker's Hitch: excellent for cinching down a load, particularly if you don't want a permanent knot in the middle of your line. Comes out easily when you're done with it.

Picked up the double figure 8 from my brother, as he's gotten into climbing in recent years. It makes a sturdy stand-in for the bowline, but takes more time to tie (at least for me). I hear that it is preferred by climbers largely because it is more easy to verify that it has been tied correctly -- particularly for novices.

Double Figure 8 Knot: another great way to secure a load, though a bit slower to tie than a bowline.

A couple years ago on my solo trip into the mountains near Monterrey, I very nearly got myself stuck all alone in a dry riverbed far from help.

Notice that the rear wheel is only partially visible. Also: the kickstand is not down; yet, the bike has no problem standing upright.

When I got home, I researched ways that I might be able to self-rescue if need be. The Z-Rig came up as pretty much the ultimate answer. Haven't had to use it yet, fortunately, but useful to keep up-to-snuff on its components: the Prusik knot, which requires a Prusik loop typically made using a double fisherman's knot. When a pulley came loose on the Stahlratte during our passage from Panama, the captain used block-and-tackle and a Prusik knot to finish hoisting the mainsail. Very practical!

Prusik Knot: you can easily slide it along the line it's attached to if you grab the knot itself, but when you pull on the loop, it holds fast in place. *NOTE: the Prusik Loop is the solid green line in this photo, though in the following photos I was practicing the same thing with the green and yellow line.

Double Fisherman's Knot: one line turned into a loop. On this side of the knot, you see four wraps, neatly adjacent to one another.

Double Fisherman's Knot: on this side, you see two "X" shapes. Tell-tale signs it's tied correctly.

On our annual canoe trip this year (Dad, Travis, and I), I elected to attach my bow and stern lines so that they would be less likely to drag in the river. To do so, though, I needed to put them through a pre-existing hole in the deck, then make it so they couldn't come back through the same hole. The stopper knot came to mind, but wasn't big enough, so I followed by brother's instruction for tying a monkey's fist. Did the job, though took some work to tie it and get it tight.

Stopper Knot: puts a lump in the end of a line to keep it from sliding back through a hole, etc.

Monkey's Fist: puts an even bigger lump in the end of a line, though takes quite a bit more time to tie...and a bit of practice doesn't hurt.

So there are some knots for you. Barely scratches the surface, of course. Would love to hear about your favorite knots and how you use them in the comments!