What is the Water Bowline used for?

Forming a fixed loop in wet rope for towing on the water; Boating and fishing work where the rope stays constantly damp; Situations where the plain bowline tends to slip under load; Tying off in rain, river, or sea conditions; A more secure anchor point than the simple bowline.

How do you tie the Water Bowline?

The Water Bowline is a bowline reinforced with an extra turn at the base (two bights around the standing part instead of one), which holds better when the rope is wet or under load that would make the ordinary bowline slip. It's the seamanship pick for wet work, where the traditional bowline can give way. It combines the reliability of the bowline with one extra lock. Follow the illustrated step-by-step, with a photo for every stage, on Desbravai.

Is the Water Bowline hard to tie?

The Water Bowline is rated medium, in the Loops category and is taught with a photo at every stage on Desbravai.

What precautions apply when using the Water Bowline?

It's not failure-proof: for life-critical loads, consider a stopper knot and redundancy; The extra turn makes the knot a bit harder to untie after it's been wet and loaded; Check that it's properly dressed before applying load.

Water Bowline

Q: What other names does the Water Bowline have?

It is also known as Water Bowline, As de guía de agua, Lais de guia d'água, Nó de guia d'água. (ABOK #1012)

A bowline with an extra half turn that holds better when the rope is wet or under load that would make the plain knot slip

Also called: Water Bowline, As de guía de agua, Lais de guia d'água, Nó de guia d'água · ABOK #1012

What it is for

Forming a fixed loop in wet rope for towing on the water
Boating and fishing work where the rope stays constantly damp
Situations where the plain bowline tends to slip under load
Tying off in rain, river, or sea conditions
A more secure anchor point than the simple bowline