I concur with Jon, having 20 years of yacht racing under my belt; racing the
same circuit as Jon does. A bowline is actually very easy to tie; with
practice one can even do it single handed (helps when you're in the foredeck
position) and one can break (untie) it easily when it is wet. These knots are
under extremely high loads, a lot more than the average ham can induce, and I
too have never seen a bowline knot fail. Its the only knot I use for hoisting
or on loaded lines. I am not a rock climber but will admit those folks need a
strong knot also. Phil KB9CRY
> on 12/19/02 3:22 PM, Rudy Marcelletti, K8SWD at rudym@net-link.net wrote:
>
> > Some one wrote they use bowline knots to attach their hooks with. The
> > better
> > not is a figure 8 with a safety overhand. Then tape the overhand tail. The
> > figure 8 is stronger and easier to untie after it has been loaded.
>
> I am really skeptical of this statement. I have done a great deal amount of
> sailboat racing on yachts up to 50 feet over the last 10 years. I've been
> on three Chicago-Mackinac and one Port Huron-Mackinanc. Lines are ALWAYS
> tied with bowlines when attaching a line to a sail. I have never seen a
> figure 8 used in a high stress situation.
>
> The amount of pressure put on a jib sail for a 40 foot racing sloop in a 20
> to 30 mph wind is absolutely incredible. I don't know the exact number, but
> it's in the tons.
>
> I have seen a number of failures of halyards (line that holds up the sail)
> and sheets (sail controlling lines), but I have yet to see a properly tied
> bowline fail. I know of boats where winches ripped out of the fiberglass
> decking during storms, but the bowlines that they were using didn't fail.
>
> From my experience, I'll trust a bowline any day. A properly tied bowline
> is an incredibly strong knot. The problem is probably that if not properly
> tied, you can run into problems. This is likely where it has gotten its bad
> wrap. A figure 8 is easier to tie, yes. But once you learn how to tie a
> bowline, its very simple. It just takes a while to learn.
>
> 73,
>
> Jon
> NA9D
>
> -------------------------------------
> Jon Ogden
> NA9D (ex: KE9NA)
>
> Citizen of the People's Democratic Republik of Illinois
>
> Life Member: ARRL, NRA
> Member: AMSAT, DXCC
>
> http://www.qsl.net/na9d
>
> "A life lived in fear is a life half lived."
>
>
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