Basic Knots for Beginning Boaters

Every boater needs to know at least a few knots. Whether your boat is a folding kayak or a megayacht, it will depend on “lines” (sailor-speak for “ropes”) in some capacity, even if it’s just tying your kayak to your roof rack.

Here’s some info on basic boating knots. If you have any questions, why knot come see us at our two locations of Nobles' Marine in Crystal River and Leesburg, Florida?

Knot Categories

Some of us earned a few knot-tying merit badges back in the day, and some sub-group might even remember them. If you’re new to knots, never fear! There are lots of resources out there to help you learn how to tie a knot. We think it’s a lot easier to learn from a video than from words and illustrations. Check out the website AnimatedKnots.com for simple, fast, seamless illustrations of how to tie knots. The site conveniently sorts their knots into categories by use, including boating, arborist, and even neckties!

Knots, Bends, and Hitches

The basic knots you need to know for boating can be divided into three general categories. Keeping in mind that you often only have access to one end of a rope while boating, the first category is simply “knots.” These are tied on the end of a line. The most famous is the bowline knot.

The second category includes knots used to join two lines together. They often have “bend” in their name because “bend” is sailor-speak for “join.” An example is the sheet bend. 

The third group is called “hitches.” These serve to secure a line to another object such as a piling, cleat, or stanchion. The cleat hitch and clove hitch are two common examples. 

Every boater benefits from some knot-tying knowledge. Study up and master mooring, along with all those other ways in which a reliable knot makes life easier. We look forward to seeing you here at Nobles’ Marine!