How to tie a reef knot

[Betrisher]

How to tie a reef knot:

Take the left rope and place it across the right one like this:

Then, take the right rope and place over and through the other one like this:

Tug the knot so that it's even and the ends point vaguely downward and then place the right rope over the left, like so:

Place the end of the lower (left) rope over and through the other one thus:

Pull the knot snugly and arrange it so that it sits squarely and as flat as you can make it. Again, the sisal is a bit recalcitrant, but if you remain calm and assertive it will submit. Eventually...

It does matter in what order you pick the ropes up! If you keep starting each knot with the rope from the same side, you'll find it quickly gets shorter than the other and your knot will be a spiral and want to twist to one side. Untie it and do the second step from the opposite side and it should sit nicely.

Hope this helps?

 

[Mike17]

Good stuff Trish. A reef knot is like a granny knot, except you reverse the second overhand hitch. I know what you mean about sisal, not nice stuff to work with.

 

[Betrisher]

Mike17, you should have a go at the 1"thick stuff! It's dreadful to try and knot! Mind you, once the eyesplices are done, it's pretty nice and relaxed compared to the skinner gauges. Makes me want to skip again.

 

[Blancaej]

Great! Thank you Trish!

 

[Mike17]

Mike17, you should have a go at the 1"thick stuff! It's dreadful to try and knot! Mind you, once the eyesplices are done, it's pretty nice and relaxed compared to the skinner gauges. Makes me want to skip again.

I don't imagine 25mm stuff would be any fun at all, Trish. Was that sisal rope too? Did all sorts of knots and whipping and splicing in Navy and Scouts and have forgotten 99% of it! A copper showed me the truckie's hitch years ago and that's been very useful since.

 

[Betrisher]

Yeah the thick rope was sisal as well. I learned my knots from the Scout Manual as I taught them to my daughter. She finished Venturers last year and has forgotten all the knots too. But I can remember some of them. LOL! My husband (our local Scoutmaster until recently) swears by the truckie's hitch. Did you notice my well-executed hangman's nooses on some of the toys I made? I was appalled when I found Scouts were teaching that! They call it a Bosun's Knot, but still... :06:

 

[Mike17]

Yeah the thick rope was sisal as well. I learned my knots from the Scout Manual as I taught them to my daughter. She finished Venturers last year and has forgotten all the knots too. But I can remember some of them. LOL! My husband (our local Scoutmaster until recently) swears by the truckie's hitch. Did you notice my well-executed hangman's nooses on some of the toys I made? I was appalled when I found Scouts were teaching that! They call it a Bosun's Knot, but still... :06:

I missed the hangman's nooses, saw some nice eye-splicing though. I looked up the hitch you have on the rod, it's called a cow hitch, but we (in my work) call it a muslin hitch.