Page 51 - Outward Bound Ropes, Knots, and Hitches
P. 51

Ropes, Knots, and Hitches






                   Tautline	Hitch


                   tHIS KnOt pROvIdeS LeveRAge tO
                   tAKe up SLACK In A ROpe OR CORd
                   Like the trucker’s hitch (see page 34), the tautline hitch
                   creates a tight (or taut) line but does so with a simple knot
                   instead of a system of knots. Because it is simpler than
                   the trucker’s hitch, it is often taught to beginning knot
                   tyers as a method of creating tension, as in a tent line.
                   The knot slides freely but jams against the rope or cord
                   it is tied around when a load is applied. Far more tension
                   can be created with a trucker’s hitch, and the trucker’s
                   hitch is more secure, so most knot tyers eventually leave





                           Tautline H XXitch: Step 1         Tautline Hitch: Step 2
                                                                    XX

















                      XXXTake the working end around    XXX
                                                        With the working end, make
                      or through a secure or tie-down   two or three turns around the
                      point (such as the ring in the    standing part within the loop,
                      photograph) and back under the    as shown in the photograph.
                      standing part to form a loop.







                   36








            OB_RopesKnots_RevFinal_CS4.indd   36                                       2/9/12   3:10 PM
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