Bowline
Names	Bowline, Boling knot (archaic)
Category	Loop
Efficiency	77%[1]
Origin	Ancient
Related	sheet bend, double bowline, water bowline, Yosemite bowline, Spanish bowline, Portuguese bowline, triple bowline, bowline on a bight, running bowline, poldo tackle, Eskimo bowline, cowboy bowline
Releasing	Non-jamming
Typical use	Making a fixed loop in the end of a line
Caveat	While widely considered a reliable knot, when tied in certain materials or loading conditions it may not hold.
ABoK	#1010, #1716

The bowline ( /ˈboʊlɪn/ or /ˈboʊlaɪn/)^[2] is an ancient and simple knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope. It has the virtues of being both easy to tie and untie. The bowline is sometimes referred as King of the knots because of its importance. It is one of the four basic maritime knots (the other three are figure-eight knot, reef knot and clove hitch).

The structure of the bowline is identical to that of the sheet bend, except the bowline forms a loop in one rope and the sheet bend joins two ropes. Along with the sheet bend and the clove hitch, the bowline is often considered one of the most essential knots.^[3]

Although generally considered a reliable knot, its main deficiencies are a tendency to work loose when not under load and the bight portion of the knot to capsize in certain circumstances.^{[citation needed]} To address these shortcomings, a number of more secure variations of the bowline have been developed for use in safety-critical applications.

History[link]

The bowline's name has an earlier meaning, dating to the age of sail. On a square-rigged ship, a bowline (sometimes spelled as two words, bow line) is a rope that holds the edge of a square sail towards the bow of the ship and into the wind, preventing it from being taken aback.^[4] A ship is said to be on a "taut bowline" when these lines are made as taut as possible in order to sail close-hauled to the wind.^[5]

The bowline knot is thought to have been first mentioned in John Smith's 1627 work A Seaman's Grammar under the name Boling knot. Smith considered the knot to be strong and secure, saying, "The Boling knot is also so firmly made and fastened by the bridles into the cringles of the sails, they will break, or the sail split before it will slip."^[6][7]

Another possible finding was discovered on the rigging of the Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu's solar ship during an excavation, although this has not been proven in fact to be the bowline.^[8]

Usage[link]

The bowline is used to make a loop at one end of a line. It is tied with the rope's working end (aka bitter end). The loop may pass around or through an object during the making of the knot. The knot tightens when loaded at (pulled by) the standing part of the line.

The bowline is commonly used in sailing small craft, for example to fasten a halyard to the head of a sail or to tie a jib sheet to a clew of a jib. The bowline is well known as a rescue knot for such purposes as rescuing people who might have fallen down a hole, or off a cliff onto a ledge. They would put it around themselves and sit on the loop. This makes it easy to heft them up away from danger. The Federal Aviation Administration recommends the bowline knot for tying down light aircraft.^[9]

A rope with a bowline retains approximately 65% of its strength at the location of the knot,^[10] although in practice the exact strength depends on a variety of factors.

Tying[link]

A mnemonic used to teach the tying of the bowline is to imagine the end of the rope as a rabbit, and where the knot will begin on the standing part, a tree trunk. First a loop is made near the end of the rope, which will act as the rabbit's hole. Then the "rabbit" comes up the hole, goes round the tree right to left, then back down the hole. An alternative "lightning method" can also be used; see this animation.

• 

  The rabbit hole.

• 

  Out comes the rabbit,

• 

  runs around the tree,

• 

  and hops back into its hole.

• 

  Lightning method, tied on a ring. Pull per the blue arrows.

There is a potential with beginners to tie what is known as an Eskimo bowline. This faulty knot stems from an incorrect first step while tying the rabbit hole. If the loop is made backwards so that the bitter end is on the bottom, the resulting knot will be sideways. The final loop of a sideways bowline will slip. This makes it particularly dangerous in the case of an inexperienced sailor, who, in addition to having an insecure knot, is also less familiar with what to do should it come untied on the water.

Security[link]

As noted above, the simplicity of the bowline makes it a good knot for a general purpose end-of-line loop. However in situations that require additional security, several variants have been developed:

Double bowline[link]

The double bowline is made simply by the addition of an extra turn in the formation of the "rabbit hole" before the working end is threaded through.

Water bowline[link]

Similar to the double bowline, the water bowline is made by forming a clove hitch before the working end is threaded through. It is said to be stronger and also more resistant to jamming than the other variations, especially when wet.

Yosemite bowline[link]

In this variation the knot's working end is taken round the loop in the direction of the original round turn, then threaded back up through the original round turn before the knot is drawn tight. The Yosemite bowline is often used in climbing.

See also[link]

• List of knots
• Bowline on a bight

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Video of the Lightning Method

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2010)

Bob Neuwirth (born June 20, 1939, Akron, Ohio) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and visual artist. A mainstay of the early 1960s Cambridge, Massachusetts, folk scene, he subsequently became a friend and associate of Bob Dylan alongside whom he appears in D.A. Pennebaker's documentary Dont Look Back and Dylan's own self-referential romantic fantasy/tour film Renaldo and Clara. Neuwirth assembled the backing band for Dylan's 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue.^[1] With Janis Joplin and poet Michael McClure, he co-wrote the song "Mercedes Benz". He also introduced Kris Kristofferson to Janis Joplin.

Discography[link]

Solo[link]

• Bob Neuwirth (1974)
• Back to the Front (1988)
• 99 Monkeys (1990)
• Look Up (1996)
• Havana Midnight (1999)

With John Cale[link]

• Last Day on Earth (1994)

Other contributions[link]

• The Band of Blacky Ranchette – Still Lookin' Good to Me (Thrill Jockey, 2003)
• Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo – "Rosalie" (Independent release, 2004)

Bibliography[link]

• Baby, Let Me Follow You Down: The Illustrated Story of the Cambridge Folk Years, by Eric von Schmidt and Jim Rooney ISBN 0-385-14456-3

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bob Neuwirth's home page
• "for bob neuwirth", a poem by Patti Smith
• Photos of Neuwirth in the 1960s
• Illustrated Bob Neuwirth discography