Create a Super Tight Rope Line

Intro: Create a Super Tight Rope Line

I use this combination of knots every time I want a very tight rope line like attaching something to the roof of a car or tying down a tarp. It turns a single piece of rope into a simple machine similar to a pulley, increasing your mechanical advantage when tightening the rope.

STEP 1: Overview of the Setup

The bowline secures one end of the rope. The butterfly acts as the pulley. Tied in the middle of the rope it allows you to double back and increase your mechanical advantage. The tautline finishes the setup by creating an adjustable knot that you can slide to pull tighter.

STEP 2: Secure One End (Bowline)

This may depend on what you are trying to secure, but to secure one of the rope ends I often use a bowline which is a fairly secure knot that won't slip. If your rope is already secure you may not even need a knot for this part.

STEP 3: Creating the 'pulley' Knot (Butterfly Knot)

The Butterfly knot is to the key to the mechanical advantage. It is pretty easy to tie and has two nice properties. The loop won't slip and the knot gets tighter as the the two ends are pulled.

You will want to tie this in the rope somewhere between the two points to be secured. It will depend on how much extra rope you have and how much you want to tighten the rope down.

STEP 4: Tightening the Rope (Tautline Hitch)

To finish you wrap the rope around the security point (or through a hole if attaching to something like a grommet).

You then thread the end of the rope through the Butterfly knot's loop and back toward the second secure point. You can now tighten the rope and use the mechanical advantage provided by the Butterfly knot.

Make the rope almost as tight as you want it and then begin to tie the Tautline hitch. This hitch as its name implies tightens the line. Once tied you should be able to slide it closer to the second secure point without it slipping.

Comments

[epicTCK]

So why not just use the tautline hitch instead? Preforms the same function and is 3 times faster.

[kellyegan]

It gives you great mechanical advantage when tightening the line. So you should be able to tighten it more.

[devmount]

As in the case of a single pulley, the mid-line loop, per se, does not provide any mechanical advantage (force amplification), it simply changes the direction of the pull. That, however, would likely be very "mechanically advantageous" in the identified application as you would be pulling toward the edge rather than pulling toward the middle - in the case of standing on the ground and lashing something to a car roof, pulling toward you rather than pushing away. Additionally, it may make the hitch more secure as it there is more friction when the hitch loop is narrower than it might be if it was looped around a larger object like a roof rail.

[ScottF164]

When tying a Super Tight Rope you can use a slip knot instead of a Butterfly Knot. If a slip knot slips one way, you have to tie it the opposite way.

As they say "You can do it anyway you want to".

[Chanio]

Thank you! Learned it!

To know how to explain knots is a mastery as well!

[kellyegan]

Thanks!

[kewrw28]

Is this the best way to secure a load? It looks very nice.

[gniknomis2]

I have always done something like this though my knots are slightly different. The bowline is the same, but the other knots I use are different. My dad always called it a trucker's hitch too. The knot I made with the loop is a type of slip knot and after I use the loose end of the rope to make the line taut, I use a two half hitch butted right up against the loop. Doesn't come untied until I untie it.

[fmadsbu]

So, it's a truckers hitch then? Bowline and truckers hitch are two of my favourites, butt i prefer the sheepskank version of the truckers hitch! It's easier to untie after havy load. ☺

[GaryH8]

Sailors and Farmers use it daily.

[stifel88]

exzelent top its on my faforites

[tomatoskins]

I've used this very setup many different times. It's super easy and it doesn't require expensive tie-downs.