The Most Useful Rope Knots for the Average Person to Know

I just thought I'd contribute this find to everyone here on the board.

It shows a good number of knots, but what I really like about this site is that it teaches knots that are very versatile and useful. With only a few knots such as the Alpine Butterfly, Double Dragon, Adjustable Grip Hitch, and Constrictor, you could potentially have all the knot you need for 95% of the knot-requiring situations you encounter.

Now I just wish I could find a site that compares all the different fishing knots and shows what the their best uses are.

thank for the great link! The site is well put togeather.

Thanks for the link. It realy looks informative.

Some good knots there, altho I am still looking for that "double dragon."

Makes me wonder how I made it in life this far only using a bowline, square, figure eight, sheetbend, clove (or claw in some circles) hitch, tauntline hitch, and a few others...

That site is great, but to be frank, I'd be happy just knowing the knots OldBaldGuy listed!

That's a very worthwhile one to learn. I'm pretty sure the website mentioned has it. I've seen that site before, and I seem to remember that's where I first learned how to tie the Double Dragon. It should be categorized under "single loop knots". Easy to tie and untie, very strong and secure, has a good "lead" (i.e., the loop comes off the standing part of the rope nice and straight, not cocked off at some angle). It is also easy to "inspect" (i.e., look at the final product and determine if it's properly tied or not).

The only very minimal negative to this knot is that it takes slightly more time to set it. All knots should be "set" before use (i.e., all slack taken up and things tightened so that wrapping turns lie nicely snuggled up and adjacent to each other). Because there are two wrapping turns (hence the "double" in the knot's name) it takes a second or two more to tighten both of these, as opposed to tightening only one wrapping turn found on many other loop knots.

One knot you didn't list in your "known knots" is the "constrictor". This is a definite choice for anyone's "I should learn this" list. Also learn how to "slip" it (i.e., finish the knot by tucking a loop, not just the single running end of the rope). Easier done than explained. The constrictor is so good that it can be considered a "permanent" binding, unless you slip it.

I'll go back and look some more. The sites just kept leading to more and more intersting stuff, I guess I just didn't look far enough...

Here's the Double Dragon:

http://www.layhands.com/knots/Knots_SingleLoops.htm#DoubleDragon

I know that one, I just didn't know what it was called! Thanks...

Aloha OldBaldGuy,

Is the tauntline the one that talks trash to the other knots? <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />