marine knots

I’ve tied thousands of knots on docks, boats, and trailers up and down the Gulf Coast over the past twenty years. However, one knot keeps coming back to me whenever I need to secure something heavy, fast, and without question — the trucker’s hitch knot boat tie down setup. Most recreational boaters have never heard … Read more

I was working a dock repair job down in Pensacola about twelve years ago when a newer boater waved me over in a panic. His 24-foot center console had slipped its cleat because the rope end fed right back through the block. No stopper knot. The boat drifted six feet into a neighboring slip and … Read more

I was about three miles offshore on a flat-bottomed bay boat when my anchor chain pulled free from the rope — clean as a whistle, right at the shackle. The chain dropped. The anchor held. The boat swung hard into a sandbar before I even knew what happened. That day cost me a scratched hull, … Read more

I’ve tied knots on docks from Pensacola to Port Aransas for over twenty years, and the one question I get more than any other is: “What’s the best adjustable knot for docking a boat?” For most of that career, I pointed people toward the taut-line hitch. It’s reliable, it’s taught in every sailing course, and … Read more

I’ve been tying knots on the Gulf Coast for twenty years, and if there’s one I trust above almost every other for securing an anchor line, it’s the anchor bend fisherman’s bend knot. It’s simple, reliable, and time-tested — the kind of knot that holds when a squall rolls in at 2 a.m. and you’re … Read more

There’s a moment every boater dreads. Your dock line is pulled bar-tight under load, the cleat is buried, and you can’t release the tension without something going very wrong. I’ve been in that exact situation more times than I can count working the Gulf Coast docks, and knowing how to use a rolling hitch knot … Read more

I’ve been building and repairing docks along the Gulf Coast for over twenty years, and I’ll tell you straight — the monkey fist is the knot that earns its keep every single season. If you want to know how to tie a monkey fist heaving line that actually works when you’re trying to get a … Read more