7 Nautical Knots You Should Know How To Tie

Knowing how-to keep your boat "where you left it" will help give you peace of mind (either while away or at anchor overnight). Here are 7 nautical knots we think all Captain's, and First Mates, should know.

Ashley Stopper Knot (Oysterman's)



Uses: The Ashley Stopper Knot is the name now commonly given to a knot described by Ashley as the Oysterman's Stopper. It is an excellent bulky stopper knot. Ashley's description is that the knot "...has three rim parts, and these are quite symmetrical when viewed from the underside". This 3-lobed structure can be seen in the final Frame.

Advantages: As a bulky, secure, stopper it deserves to be more widely known. It is far less prone to shake loose than the figure 8 knot and is the bulkiest of the simple stoppers.


Bowline Knot



Uses: The Bowline makes a reasonably secure loop in the end of a piece of rope. It has many uses, e.g., to fasten a mooring line to a ring or a post. Under load, it does not slip or bind. With no load it can be untied easily. Two bowlines can be linked together to join two ropes. Its principal shortcoming is that it cannot be tied, or untied, when there is a load on the standing end. It should therefore be avoided when, for example, a mooring line may have to be released under load.

Shakes Undone If Not Loaded: A bowline makes a poor safety knot for a swimmer. When a bowline is unloaded, it can very readily work its way untied - I know, it has happened to me! Fortunately I only lost a scrubbing brush.


Chain Splice

Uses: The Chain Splice is a modification of the Eye Splice. It is particularly useful when a chain/rope combination passes over a windlass and descends into a chain locker.

Durability: By its nature, a chain splice may be subject to heavy load and chafing. It should be inspected if used frequently and a worn splice should be cut off and remade a few inches further up the rope. However, in many yachts where the anchor is only used occasionally, the chain may rust and become untrustworthy long before the splice shows significant wear!


Cleat Hitch (Dock Line)



Uses: The Cleat Hitch secures a rope to a cleat.

History: "Belaying a rope" means securing it or making it fast. Before cleats were common, a rope used to be secured to a vertical pin in a wooden beam called, of course, a "Belaying Pin".


Figure 8 (Flemish) Knot



Uses: The Figure 8 provides a quick and convenient stopper knot to prevent a line sliding out of sight, e.g., up inside the mast. Its virtue is that, even after it has been jammed tightly against a block, it doesn't bind; it can be undone easily. This virtue is also, occasionally, a vice.

Comparison: The Figure 8 should be compared to other common stopper knots. It is much better than the simple Overhand Knot which is smaller and can bind so tightly that it can be really difficult to undo. However, both the Double Overhand Knot, and the Ashley Stopper Knot, make better Stopper knots because they are larger and more stable.


Running Bowline



Uses: The Running Bowline is a valuable way of tying a type of noose which will not bind and can be slid undone easily. In boating it is recommended for use when retrieving lumber or rigging which has fallen overboard and in climbing for retrieving objects in places such as crevasses.

Advantages: Using a knot like a bowline is that it will not close up and bind on the standing end. So long as the rope is under tension, the running bowline will grip its load.


Square Knot (Reef Knot)



Uses: It is intended to be a binding knot and, tied in the right material against a curved surface, the first Half Knot may bind – but it cannot be trusted. That is why surgeons use an extra turn in the first Half Knot – to achieve the binding required while they prepare the second Half Knot.

Teaching: Experience of tying a Square Knot teaches the fundamental process of tying a Half Knot or Half Hitch.

What's your go to knot while boating?