Knots Worth Knowing...The Bowline©

 

 

Learning knots is like learning plant identification, not the most exciting thing in the world, but absolutely important.  And the bowline is one of the knots worth knowing!

 

The bowline is often called the “king of knots”.  A bowline is also called the “bowling” or “bolin” knot and is identical in form to the sheet-bend knot, but instead of joining two different ropes, it joins the free end of the rope to itself, making a no slip loop.  It is an important knot to know, because it makes a loop which, according to the Building Strong Bodies, “neither slips nor jams”, and is always secure and easily untied. 

 

There are various ways to use a bowline knot.  At sea, it is used to tie a boat’s painter to a mooring ring, it was tied around a sailor’s waist, as a “monkey rope”, if he had to be lowered over the side, it is used to moor ships by making a loop and throwing it over a bollard, to secure a bosun’s chair, or it could be used as a “running bowline” to create a noose. 

 

On land it is used to tether horses, cows, dogs, or other animals so that they won’t choke themselves, or to tie a tow-rope to a car.  It can be tied as a “running bowline”, to break a horse of the habit of halter pulling.

If tied on-a-bight, it can be used to lower an injured or unconscious person safely to the ground.

 

Tying or throwing a bowline...

 

So how do you go about tying, or throwing, as it is sometimes called, a bowline?

 

Tying a bowline-on-bight...

 

To tie a bowline on-a-bight, start by making a good-sized bight and tying the knot as you would on a single strand of rope.

 

Bowlines are important rescue knots.  Imagine you are up to your waist in the water or in a bog and someone throws you a rope.  You grab the rope, and tie a bowline around your waist, because you know the knot won’t slip and you can be pulled back to solid ground!  To watch a video on how to tie a bowline around your waist, one-handed, go HERE.

 

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That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Sources

 

Ashley, Clifford W.; The Ashley Book of Knots, [Geoffrey Budworth, Kent, England, 1993], https://www.liendoanaulac.org/space/references/training/Ashley_Book_Knots.pdf, accessed January 25, 2022

 

Blauser, Israel Park; Practical Uses of Rope on the Farm: Knots, Hitches, Splices, November 1925, Circular No. 301, [University of Illinois, Agricultural Experiment Station, Urbana Illinois, 1925], page 22, https://books.google.com/books?id=MaVRAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=uses+of+a+bowline+knot&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDpd3fyfKGAxXpFFkFHYwrAFMQ6AF6BAgNEAI#v=onepage&q=uses%20of%20a%20bowline%20knot&f=false, accessed June 29, 2024

 

Boy Scouts of America, Knots and How to Tie Them, [2002]

 

Campbell, D. M., Ed.; Veterinary Medicine, Volume 21, [Veterinary Magazine Corporation, Chicago, IL, 1926], page 140, https://books.google.com/books?id=F1ImAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA140&dq=bowline+horse+halter&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjv493JuoGHAxUwL1kFHdI_ADQQ6AF6BAgJEAI#v=onepage&q=bowline%20horse%20halter&f=false, accessed June 29, 2024

 

Dunn, Donald; “The Bowline-On-A-Bight”, Cruising World, Jul-Dec 1988, page 90 to 91, https://books.google.com/books?id=dZvBxcbd1gkC&pg=RA3-PA90&dq=bowline+on+a+bight+used+to+lower+unconscious&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAjIHSrYGHAxWEVjUKHWLkAH4Q6AF6BAgIEAI#v=onepage&q=bowline%20on%20a%20bight%20used%20to%20lower%20unconscious&f=false, accessed June 29, 2024

 

Headquarters, Department of the Army, Survival, FM 3-05.70 (FM 21-76), [Washington, D.C., May 2002], page G-3, https://irp.fas.org/doddir/army/fm3-05-70.pdf, accessed January 24, 2022

 

Hutchinson, Woods, M.D.; Building Strong Bodies, [Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 1924], page 162, https://books.google.com/books?id=hzBMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA163&dq=%22knots+worth+knowing%22+bowline&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjUhonP8--GAxUbFVkFHaBuDi0Q6AF6BAgHEAI#v=onepage&q=%22knots%20worth%20knowing%22%20bowline&f=false, accessed June 25, 2024

 

Marco Products, The Camper’s Knot Tying Card Game, [USA, 1986]

 

McLean, Ridley and Van der Veer, Norman Reeve, Lt.; The Bluejackets' Manual, United States Navy, 1917, [Military Publishing Co., New York, NY, 1917], page 264, https://books.google.com/books?id=0q9EAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA260&dq=uses+of+a+bowline+knot&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDpd3fyfKGAxXpFFkFHYwrAFMQ6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&q=uses%20of%20a%20bowline%20knot&f=false, accessed June 29, 2024

 

Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization, United States; Federal Civil Defense Administration; Technical Manual: TM-14-1, [United State Government Printing office, Washington D.C., revised June 1959], page 12, 14 and 67, https://books.google.com/books?id=y6FIAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA69&dq=bowline+on+a+bight+used+to+lower+unconscious+person&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjTz9THxYGHAxUBN2IAHYZYC1QQ6AF6BAgJEAI#v=onepage&q=bowline%20on%20a%20bight%20used%20to%20lower%20unconscious%20person&f=false, accessed June 29, 2024

 

Tustison, Francis Elwood; Job Sheets for the Practical Electric Shop, Issues 1-35, [Bruce Publishing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin], page 95, https://books.google.com/books?id=qShEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA45-IA1&dq=uses+of+a+bowline+knot&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDpd3fyfKGAxXpFFkFHYwrAFMQ6AF6BAgKEAI#v=onepage&q=uses%20of%20a%20bowline%20knot&f=false, accessed June 29, 2024

 

Weber, J.E.; “Throwing a Bowline”, Motor Boating, July 1966, page 38, https://books.google.com/books?id=0yXNIcE7uxYC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false, accessed June 29, 2024