Nautical Knots

Nautical knots are an integral part of boating, used for docking vessels, attaching a dinghy to a boat and for all type of sailing apparatus. Knots are also useful for other outdoor applications. Every boater should master some of the basic nautical knots. These basic knots including the bowline, two half hitches, the reef (or square) knot and the sheet bend.

Any Boy Scout should be able to teach you these knots, but if you don’t know a Boy Scout you can find a wealth of knot-tying information online. There are even websites with knot-tying instructional videos.

Once of the best knot books is The Ashley Book of Knots, first published in 1944 by Clifford Ashley. This knot encyclopedia contains more than 7000 illustrations of over 2000 different knots. Entries include knot usage, instructions and histories. It’s one of the most extensive and important knot references.