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INTRODUCTION One of the things people associate with Boy Scouting is the tying of knots. Why is this? Probably because this is a skill used so often with the other thing associated with Boy Scouting, camping. In Cub Scouting, knot tying is a skill learned at various levels within Cub Scouting: as an elective for a Wolf Cub Scout (Elective 17 - TIE IT RIGHT); as an achievement for a Bear Cub Scout (Achievement 22 - TYING IT ALL UP); and as a Webelos Cub Scout (OUTDOORSMAN Activity). |
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TERMS The following terms are used when explaining the use of each knot and describing method of tying each knot. BEND - a knot joining two ropes HITCH - a knot joining a rope to something else KNOT - any lump in a rope LOOP - a knot joining a rope to itself |
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KNOTS SQUARE KNOT (also called a Reef Knot) This is a good first aid knot. It is good for tying slings, and can even be tied with one hand if you can't use the other. This knot is good for joining two ropes temporarily if they do not need to be secure. The square knot is a linking knot. It ties two strings together (if you wish to tie two strings of different diameters together use the Sheet Bend). This is the most basic knot. It is strong, but not secure because it can become undone when the two strings are pushed together. Jump to an animated graphic of the Square Knot (Reef Knot). Provided by the Boy Scouts of the 42nd Brighton (Saltdean) Scout Group, located in East Sussex, UK. |
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BOWLINE This is a good knot to hang things from a horizontal post. If you have heavy rope like materials (cables) you could tie two interlocking bowlines to join them. This is a very strong knot so you can trust it. Most important, the loop won't close, so it's the right thing to use as a rescue knot if you have to hoist someone up or pull him in the water. The bowline is a loop knot, which is a rope, tied to itself. The bowline is the "king of knots." The bowline will not slip. It is also easy to untie even if it is wet and pulled tight. There is a story to help you remember how to tie this knot. The story is: The rabbit goes out his hole, around the tree, and back in his hole. The rabbit is at the end of the string, the hole is the loop, and the tree is the remainder of the string sticking up. Jump to an animated graphic of the Bowline. Provided by the Boy Scouts of the 42nd Brighton (Saltdean) Scout Group, located in East Sussex, UK. |
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SHEET BEND This is a better knot to join two ropes. You can use it if you do not have enough rope to tie something down or to reach something, especially if you want it to be secure. The sheet bend is a linking knot. It ties a rope to another rope of a different size. It is very strong and secure. This is a good knot if you do not want it to come undone. This knot also has a story to help you remember how to tie it. The story is: The rabbit goes out the hole, underneath two logs, and back under his dust trail. The rabbit is at the end of the knot, the two logs are the loop, and the dust trail is the rest of the rope that the rabbit is on. Jump to an animated graphic of the Sheet Bend. Provided by the Boy Scouts of the 42nd Brighton (Saltdean) Scout Group, located in East Sussex, UK. |
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TWO HALF HITCHES This is a good knot to tie around something that is not round. This is an all purpose hitch. It could be very hard to untie if pulled very tight. The double half-hitch (two half hitches) is a joining knot. This ties the rope to something else. The knot can be slipped up and down. This knot will sag over time (use Tautline Hitch to stop saging). This knot should be used for odd shaped objects. Jump to an animated graphic of the Tow Half Hitches. Provided by the Boy Scouts of the 42nd Brighton (Saltdean) Scout Group, located in East Sussex, UK. |
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SLIP KNOT The slip knot is handy because, as it's name suggests, you can slide it up to adjust the size of the loop. You might use it to sling a horn ("chicken head") of rock for example. Follow these steps to tie a slip knot using a sling. Jump to an of the Slip Knot. Provided by "OSAKA 70", the 70th Scouts Group in Osaka city, JAPAN. |
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