Best Stopper Knots for Team Supplied Knots

[Cothron Theiss]

Originally Posted by JPBlacksmiths

I'm going to take a guess here and assume that many of you don't know how to tie these knots so I figured I would share with you all a link to a website that has very easy, step-by-step instructions for tying all kinds of knots. It is called Knots by Grogg, and I hope it helps:
http://www.animatedknots.com/

Also, I might be a bit biased, but being that I sail I do think that the bowline and the figure eight knots are superior. Both are good becuase if you should need to retie them or change the location of the knot, they are very easy to untie, but also hold exceptionally well. Additionally, they are fairly easy to learn as compared to some of the other mentioned knots.

I probably should have linked to Knots by Grogg, so thank you! The website doesn't actually work that well for me using Chrome, so I haven't used it in a while and forgot about it.

I should also mention that my experience with knots comes from Boy Scouts and several years of rock climbing and caving, so I have my own biases. I agree that the Bowline is a reliable and commonly known knot. But I listed the Alpine Butterfly above it for a couple reasons. First off, all these knots are easy to learn, and the Alpine Butterfly is easier to inspect and dress with a glance than the Bowline. I find the Alpine Butterfly to be more consistent and reliable over time, and it takes a smaller profile.
I left the Figure Eight loop out for a reason. It's reliable for end loops and is one of the most commonly known knots, but I think it falls short for these purposes for a couple reasons:

• If teams are using some sort of winch, the loop won't lie flat or conform to the winch as easily as other loops and may cause issues.
• If teams are using webbing or any other rope profile that isn't circular, the loop won't dress as easily and becomes much more difficult to inspect, adjust, or untie after loading.
• I find it an extremely time consuming loop to adjust, especially if you only have a few inches of rope on either end to work with.
• This loop does very strange and sometimes unpredictable things when load is applied to both ends and not the loop or when load is applied on the knot itself and not from the loop. It also can do odd things when load is applied in opposite directions from inside the loop.
• It can jam and become difficult to untie even when loaded solely from the loop.