Bowline, The King of Knots

August 11, 2014

Bowline, The King of Knots. If you only learn to tie one knot, learn the bowline! This ancient knot has been called “The King of Knots” because of its usefulness. One of the 4 basic sailing knots, a bowline is both easy to tie and easy to untie, which makes it especially helpful for loading and unloading items. You can even tie it with one hand if you have to! The bowline knot is used frequently in the construction trades, but is equally helpful for the average person to know how to tie as well. The nice thing about a bowline knot is that it is very secure while loaded (though it can come undone while unloaded). Use it to:

Hang a hammock or a child’s swing. It will be easy to put up, and easy to take down if you need to do so.
Hang up your food bag while camping to keep it away from critters. Again, it will be easy to put up, and easy to take down when you are ready to eat.
In sailing, it makes it easy to tie off your boat to a dock, and just as easy to undo it when you are ready to leave.
Rescue uses. Nobody likes to think they will need this, but, you never know when you will have to pull someone to safety, such as if someone falls through ice into a body of water, or if someone slips while hiking. Be prepared!

Watch this Video “How to Tie a Bowline Knot”, practice a couple of times, and you will soon know the bowline knot by heart, and will have added another skill to your DIY repertoire!