Skill drill

How to Tie a Bowline

A fixed loop in the end of a line that will not slip or jam: here, the end of a tie-down tied round the roof-rack crossbar.

5 steps, about 3 minutes

Tie it in 3D one decision at a time. Choose wrong and you will watch the line let go.

When to use it

Making the fixed end of a tie-down. The Kayaking pamphlet ties one end to the rack with a bowline as an anchor point, and ties bowlines to the grab loops at the bow and stern. The Coast Guard's crew handbook calls it the knot for a temporary eye.

The steps

The small loop
Round the bar and up
Round the standing part
Back down the hole
Pull it tight

A drill is practice. Tie each knot a few times in the driveway before you trust it on the highway.

The written guide

Step by step

1
The small loop
Make a small overhand loop in the line, a couple of feet from the end.^{[3, 5, 6]}
Everything else goes through this loop. The Coast Guard starts with an overhand loop, and the Antarctic Program's field manual calls it the rabbit hole.
2
Round the bar and up
Take the end round the crossbar to make the big loop, then up through the small loop from underneath.^{[4, 5, 6]}
The Coast Guard passes the end UP through the loop. The Appalachian Mountain Club warns that going through it in a downward path leads to failure.
3
Round the standing part
Take the end round behind the standing part, the line running back up toward the boat.^{[2, 5, 6]}
The Coast Guard brings the end around the standing part; in the Antarctic Program's version, the rabbit goes round the tree.
4
Back down the hole
Pass the end back down through the small loop, so it ends up inside the big loop.^{[3, 5, 6]}
Back down the hole finishes the knot. Scout Life checks that the end exits toward the inside of the fixed loop.
5
Pull it tight
Hold the end and the loop together and pull on the standing part. Leave a long end: the knot slips a little as it tightens.^{[2, 5, 6]}
That is how the Coast Guard tightens it. Scouting magazine says the knot will slip as it tightens, so allow a long working end, and the Antarctic Program adds a stopper knot.

Avoid these

Common mistakes

Going down through the loop first
The end goes up through the small loop, then round, then back down. Down first fails.^[4]
A short tail
The bowline slips a little as it tightens. Leave a long end, and add a stopper knot if you can.^{[2, 5]}
A loop on a throw line
Never tie a fixed loop in the loose end of a rescue throw rope, or put one round your wrist: that is the Canoeing pamphlet's rule. A bowline goes round the person being rescued, never the rescuer.^{[1, 3]}

Watch & learn

Bowline on video

Picked from our video library. These are other creators' videos, so where one differs from the drill, the drill's sourced steps are the ones to follow.