Knots

Knots are one of the most essential and practical skills in sailing.
Some knots serve critical safety purposes, while others are used mainly for operational handling, securing equipment, and mooring.

In the video set below, we've gathered clear explanations of the most common and practical knots that can significantly enhance your sailing experience.

Feel free to use these videos as an engaging training tool for yourself and your crew — they’ll serve as a valuable operational aid throughout your journey.

Basic Knots - By Carpa Diem Sailing

This video teaches six basic knots every sailor should know. Marco, a Sail Canada cruising instructor, demonstrates how to tie each knot, explaining its purpose and common uses on a sailboat. The video includes tips for tying each knot correctly and avoiding common mistakes.

Figure Eight 01:02
Reef Knot 02:32
Clove Hitch 04:23
Round Turn & 2 Half Hitches 05:51
Sheet Bend 07:42
Bowline 09:47

How-to Tie Knots Needed for Boating + Docking

Mark from MISSION covers three essential knots that all boaters should know. These three essential boat knots will help make a day on the water easy and comfortable.

In this video, you will learn how to tie three essential knots needed while boating:

The Cleat Hitch Knot
The Clove Hitch Knot
The Bowline Knot

There are hundreds of knot options for very specific purposes, but the Cleat Hitch Knot, the Clove Hitch Knot and the Bowline Knot are truly the best basic boating knots to get you through your day (and make you look like a pro!) on the water.

Learn 5 KNOTS for Sailing

Emily breaks down the 5 knots we used aboard our antique sailboat, including a couple that most sailors have never heard of. Learn why we chose these ones, and when to use them. Grab some rope or line, and practice along with slow-motion clips!

In this episode

Intro [00:00]
Jobs that require knots [00:45]
Qualities of a good knot [01:10]
How to master a knot [01:30]

The Knots:

Stopper Knot [01:55] -------- Slow-Motion Tie [02:58]
Clove Hitch [03:14] -------- Slow-Motion Tie [04:11]
Alpine Butterfly [4:33] -------- Slow-Motion Tie [05:37]
Zeppelin [06:26] -------- Slow-Motion Tie [08:16]
Bowline [08:45] -------- Slow-Motion Tie [10:08]

7 Essential Knots You Need To Know

Aside from tying shoes, a lot of people don't know, or need a refresher on tying knots. Knowing these knots will get you through most situations you will encounter, and they are the ones I use most often.

The knots covered in this video are:

Square Knot (Reef Knot)
Clove Hitch (Builder's Hitch, Tied in a bight, and at an end)
Sheet Bend (And Double Sheet Bend)
Bowline (Tied two ways)
Figure 8 loop (Tied 3 ways)
Round Turn + Two 1/2 Hitches
Taut-Line Hitch

And finally, if you’d like to make your own soft shackle, here are a few quick methods to do it — in just 10 seconds!

10 second Soft Shackles !!

Soft shackles are fast becoming more popular than traditional metal shackles making tying the a skill that every sailor should know. If you have put off learning how to make them due to the complicated knots and splices which are often required to create them, then this is the video for you.

The team at Bottom Up Boats have created the ultimate soft shackle video, demonstrating three soft shackles and four ways to secure them using the simplest of sailing knots that most sailors already know how to tie.

With in minutes you will be able to create hundreds of soft shackles in seconds like we do in the video. While we still prefer to make the version which do require some simple splicing due to the extra strength they give, you can not go past this video to learn how to make them in seconds. We will tech you how to turn a meter of any rope into a shackle that has 100's of use case in less than 10 second.

This is the new must have skill for anyone who sails, allowing you to create spare parts on the fly.

Once you have mastered the soft shackles in this video we do recommend you learn the upgraded version that require some splicing and advance knot tying skills. While is is more complicated than the simple options you now know it is well worth learn all the varieties, it is easier than you think !!!

The following soft shackle play list has all the video you require to be rigging like a pro :-