Knots
 

What FOUR knots should you know if you can ONLY know FOUR knots?

Bowline and variations
Sheet Bend
Clove Hitch
Various Slip knots

I'm no expert, but I was a boy scout. These are my choices.

shoelace/bow (doubly slipped reef knot) or regular slip
Square
Bowline
clove hitch

I'm pretty solid on the first 3. The last was just a WAG.

Excellent call on the sheetbend, Steve. That is a must have!

Interesting, I wasn't aware that a square knot was also called a reef knot.

Sadly missed. We could use more people like him. Loved Mr. Limpett when I was a kid. Pretty sure I remember all the knots from Boy Scouts. But I don't want to go on a boat again.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1607227325.jpg

I loved the Shakiest Gun in the West.

And when he played with Andy Griffith in "No Time for Sergeants"

Classic. Havent seen that in a long time.

I also remember him from the "Apple Dumpling Gang" movies. And several Scooby-Doo cartoons in the early 1970's.

Yeah.....a unique talent and as NC stated.....sorely missed. I still watch episodes of The Andy Griffith Show and enjoy them quite a bit.

In real life his wife was pretty hawt, as well.

My vote:
Square knot
Bowline (and important to know how to tie a one-handed bowline, too)
Figure-8
Taut-line

Hitches aren't technically knots - they have to be applied around another solid, non-rope object to hold.

Tonight I had to tie some stuff using paracord.
1. tie one eye bolt to another eye bolt, with the two eyes as close together as possible. Eyes were about 1” diameter.
2. tie one end of a cord to a eye.
3. tie one end of a cord to the middle of another cord.

No need for easy untying. Not supporting much weight. What knot(s) would you use?

(For #2 I looped the cord through the eye then used three half hitches. For #3 I used a truckers hitch. For #1 I was stumped, ended up making something that looked like macramae.)

I'm a devoted fisherman, an Eagle Scout and spent years working as an alpine guide... I got knots out the wazoo.

Bowline and Square are top two for sure, for most people these two will cover 99% of their needs.

I would say clove hitch (attach the middle of your rope to something) and taut line hitch (look like a hero attaching your Christmas tree to the car) round out the top 4 for me in terms of practical, everyday knots.

More important than tying imo... untying .... and I don't know whatcha call 'em. When you hit something using a baitcasting reel... a backlash knot from hell :(. I've had some doozies .... got pretty good at untying too ;)

Oh yeah... Bowline, Clove, Reef, or slight variations and my fishin' hook knot ... a whatchacallit

Since I sold my sailboat, my best four knots are

Nail knot
Double surgeons knot
Clinch knot
Dropper loop

Small brag. While trout fishing, a steelhead grabbed my size 20 hook the other day and gave a big run down river. Pulled the hook right out but my clinch knot with 5x Tippet was fine.

It's not Don Knot, or Don Not......it's Don Knotts! :D

99% of the time I'm tying something down, and use one of these:

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I was just about to post that!

99% may be a little light on usage:cool:

I done lurned up a couple of new thinkgs tuday..........thanks pelicans!