Knots, Bends, and Hitches

USCG Boatswain Manual Ch. 1 §1.1

Marlinespike Seamanship Marlinespike seamanship encompasses the use, care, and maintenance of all rope, fibre line, wire rope, and synthetic line aboard ship. Modern small-vessel operations use predominantly nylon and polypropylene synthetic lines, with wire rope reserved for standing rigging and heavy-load shipboard applications.

USCG Boatswain Manual Ch. 1 §1.3

Marlinespike Seamanship The eight basic knots every mariner should know are: bowline, clove hitch, cleat hitch, sheet bend, square knot, figure-eight, rolling hitch, and anchor bend. Knots are tied for ease of inspection and untying after load; splices are stronger and permanent.

NAVEDTRA 14067 §3-1

Cordage — fiber and synthetic rope, characteristics and care Line (rope that has a use aboard ship is called line) is made from natural fibers or, far more commonly today, synthetics. Natural-fiber lines include manila (from abaca), the traditional standard, and sisal and hemp; they have moderate strength, hold knots well, and give clear warning before failure, but rot when stowed wet and are weaker than synthetics. Synthetic lines include nylon (very strong and elastic, excellent for mooring and towing because its stretch absorbs shock, but it recoils dangerously if it parts and loses some strength when wet), polyester/Dacron (strong with much less stretch than nylon, good where low stretch is wanted), and polypropylene (light, floats, cheaper, but weaker and degraded by sunlight). Rope …

NAVEDTRA 14067 §3-2

Knots, bends, and hitches A knot is used to form an eye or to secure a line to itself; a bend joins two lines together; a hitch secures a line to a spar, ring, or another line. The essential AB repertoire and its uses: the square (reef) knot ties two lines of equal size together for light duty or secures a furled/lashed object, but it is not trusted for joining two lines under strain and jams under heavy load; the bowline forms a fixed, non-slipping eye in a line's end and is the workhorse knot for putting a loop over a bollard or around an object — it does not slip yet unties easily even after loading; the clove hitch secures a line to a spar or rail and is quick to make but can work loose under a varying pull, so it is often backed with a half hitch; two half hitches makes a line fast t…

NAVEDTRA 14067 §3-3

Splices and whippings A splice joins lines or forms a permanent eye by interweaving (tucking) the strands, and a properly made splice retains most of the line's strength — far more than a knot, which weakens a line at the bend. The three basic splices in laid (three-strand) rope: the eye splice forms a permanent loop at the end of a line, often around a thimble to protect the eye from chafe, by unlaying the strands and tucking each over one strand and under the next, against the lay, for at least three full tucks (more for synthetics, which are slippery); the short splice joins two lines permanently by marrying and tucking their strands, giving a strong join but a thickened section that will not pass through a block; the long splice joins two lines while keeping nearly the original diamet…

NAVEDTRA 14067 §3-4

Wire rope handling and care Wire rope aboard ship is used where high strength and low stretch are needed — standing rigging, boat falls, cargo runners, and towing gear. It is made of steel wires laid into strands around a core, and its behavior depends on how many wires and strands, and the core (fiber core holds lubricant and is flexible; independent-wire-rope core resists crushing and heat). Wire rope must be handled to avoid the damage it does not recover from: never allow a kink to form and then pull it taut, because a kink permanently distorts and weakens the wire; unreel and coil it so turns are not forced in or out (roll the reel or turntable rather than throwing off loops); keep it off sharp edges and small-radius bends; and keep it clean and lubricated so the wires slide over one…