Lighterman's hitch

Lighterman's hitch

Applications : When tied around a towing post or hook, this is a superb hitch for securing one boat, barge or ship to another. It also serves to belay a heavy-duty ship's mooring or a marquee guy-line. Whatever the use, it will hold fast, but it cannot jam and is quickly cast off.

Method : Take a turn (or two or three) to apply whatever friction the job demands (1).Once the strain is taken up and the line length adjusted for the job in hand, take a bight beneath the standing part and hitch it over the post, bollard or stake (2-3). Wrap the end around once and let it hang (4).

Anchor Bend

Anchor Bend

Applications : Used on small boats for securing rope warps to anchor rings, this knot is misleadingly named. It is actually a strong-ish (70-75%) and secure hitch for wet and slimy conditions.

Method : Take a round turn but then pass the first of two identical half-hitches through it (1-3).The 1904 variant (4) is a round turn through a round turn, which, when it has been systematically worked up snug, makes a semi‑ permanent knot.



History : The anchor bend was recommended by David Steel in Elements and Practice of Rigging and Seamanship (1794). It is also known as the fisherman's bend. A neat variant appeared in the anonymous Handbook of Boat Sailing (1904).

Round turn and two half-hitches

Round turn and two half-hitches

Applications : This is a classic old hitch for securing a line to a ring, rail or to a spar.

Method : Use the friction of the round turn (1) to snub and hold the load; then add the two identical half-hitches (2-3).The two half-hitches have a breaking strength of 60-75%, but the round turn may increase that percentage.



History : In 1794 David Steel referred to this hitch (by the same name) in Elements and Practice of Rigging and Seamanship.

Buntline Hitch

Buntline Hitch

Applications : The buntline hitch was traditionally used to secure a lanyard to a cringle, eyelet, ring or swivel. These days it is also used on tools with small holes in their handles. Note the short end trapped on the inside of the knot (3).This is not recommended in cases where the hitch needs to be undone easily, because it is likely to jam and resist the efforts of fingers to free it. However, where something more secure than the normal two half-hitches is needed, the buntline hitch is useful. When tied in a strip of material, it turns out to be the common knot used for men's neckties (one of life's lesser-known trivial facts).

Method : Make two half-hitches, tying the second inside the first (1-3).



History : The buntline was attached to a sail's footrope, then passed up in front of that sail to a block on the yard, from where it could be used to pull the bottom of the sail up and so spill the wind out of it. As the sail was going to flap about a lot, a very secure knot was needed.

Snuggle Hitch

Snuggle Hitch

Applications : Useful for attaching a line to a spar or rope, the snuggle hitch is stronger than either the clove or rolling hitches . It may be used with a right-angled or a lengthwise pull.

Method : For a lengthwise pull, ensure that the two adjacent wrapping turns are on the same side of the standing part as the load (1-3). Once the load is released, the knot may be untied by either pulling or prising loose the part arrowed (4).The working end can then be withdrawn.



History : The snuggle hitch was devised by Owen K. Nuttall of West Yorkshire, England, and was first published in Knotting Matters in January 1987.

Rolling Hitch

Rolling Hitch

Applications: A close relation of the clove hitch, the rolling hitch attaches a cord to a rope for a lengthwise pull. For smooth rails or spars, consider using the icicle hitch .

Method : Begin as for the clove hitch (1) but take two adjacent diagonal turns on the side of the knot from which the pull will come (2-3). Take care to lock the second diagonal turn inside the first one, i.e., alongside the standing part of the line.



History : This knot was known in earlier days as Magner's hitch or the Magnus hitch.

Clove Hitch

Clove Hitch

Applications : This simple but versatile knot will moor a small boat, suspend a fender or attach any line to a post, rail or ring when the pull is a steady one at right-angles to the point of attachment. However, simplicity has its shortcomings. If pulled around, the clove hitch can work loose. Perversely, it can also jam when wet. Its breaking strength is variously quoted as between

Method : This knot can be tied by tracing a letter N (or its mirror image) with the working end (1-2). For a temporary task, such as hanging a fender, leave a draw-loop (3). Stepping ashore from a slow-moving boat, first cast an underhand loop onto a bollard and use the friction to check the momentum; then, once the line is the length you want it, simply drop the second loop onto the first. Add a half-hitch for extra security.To ensure the direction of pull on a mooring painter does not vary, bring it ashore around a stanchion or other convenient fixed point before attaching it to a post or rail.



History : An old treatise referred to this knot as a builder's knot. William Falconer may have been the first to name it the clove hitch in his Universal Dictionary of the Marine (1769). Aboard ship it was used to secure ratlines to shrouds, creating those rope ladders up which sailormen scrambled to man the yardarms.

Killick Hitch

Killick Hitch

Applications : Use the killick hitch to tow long loads through water or drag them overland. It works well on rough objects, such as tree trunks, but can slip on smooth spars.

Method : Begin by making a timber hitch (fig.1).Three tucks or turns were enough to do this using vegetable-fibre rope but more may be prudent when using today's smoother braids. In hawser-laid rope it is traditional to dog the turns the same way as the lay. Arrange the direction of pull to preserve the twist of the timber hitch. I personally always make the half-hitch so that the end emerges the same way as it does from the initial knot (2). Note that the half-hitch, with its elbows, almost certainly reduces the breaking strength (70%) of the initial timber hitch.



History: The killick is essentially a timber hitch with an additional half‑ hitch to give direction to the line of pull. The timber hitch is an old knot, mentioned in A Treatise on Rigging (c. 1625) and illustrated by Denis Diderot in his Encyclopedie of 1762. It has been used since time immemorial. The killick hitch was illustrated and named by David Steel in Elements and Practice of Rigging and Seamanship (1794), a killick being a naval term for a small anchor (or even a rock used as one). Thus the killick hitch used to be an anchor knot for a boat, buoy or lobster pot.

Mooring

Mooring

Applications : This is a versatile slide-and-grip knot, with the extra facility of a quick-release draw-loop. It will moor a dinghy, tether a docile animal and act as the DIY enthusiast's occasional'third hand'.

Method: Tying the mooring hitch is simplicity itself (1-2), with the draw-loop making an over-under-over locking tuck.



History: The history of the mooring hitch is anybody's guess. Mine is that it could have been a medieval archer's adjustable bowstring knot.

Knute Hitch

Knute Hitch

App;ications : Use the Knute hitch to attach a line to anything with a hole not much larger (for obvious reasons) than twice the diameter of the cordage used. This hitch is often tied to fix lanyards to knives and other tools. Europe's largest sailing school, in Poole Harbour, England, uses it to attach the main halyards to the mainsails on its Wayfarer dinghies, no doubt saving on the cost of shackles lost overboard from wet, cold and inexperienced fingers.

Method : Thread a bight and trap the working end with it (1), finishing off either with a stopper knot or with one of those big plastic beads sold in yacht chandlers (2).



History : US master ringger, writer and broadcaster Brion Toss named this hitch in 1990 but it is probably centuries old

Zeppelin bend

Zeppelin bend

Applications : This is probably the best of a whole trustworthy family of symmetrical bends comprising two interlocked overhand knots. It works even in big stiff hawsers and cables and is suitable for everything from hobbies to heavy industrial use.

Method : Rosendahl's tying method is a trifle awkward and so an easier way (1-3) has been devised by Ettrick W. Thomson of Suffolk, England. The knot does not have to be completely tightened before loading; it is secure even with daylight showing through it (4).To untie the knot, push and pull on the twin encircling bights -tap them with a mallet if necessary - until some slack is obtained. Then, bit by bit, loosen the whole arrangement. It is possible to untie Zeppelin bends that have borne loads of several hundred tonnes.

Carrick bend

Carrick bend

Applications : This is a bend for joining larger ropes and cables. Although often assumed to be strong, it is in fact only about 65% efficient.

Method : Weave the ropes over and under (1-2). Arrange the layout so that the working ends emerge on opposite sides of the knot. Pull the knot tight, capsizing it into its stable working form(3).The version with both short ends on the same side (4) may be less secure and so is not recommended as a bend. (However, it is a crucial knot for students of mathematical knot theory) Bring the working end around to re-enter the knot (5), doubling and trebling the lead, to make a decorative Turk's head mat or bracelet.



History : The symmetrical layout of the carrick bend, with eight crossing points, yields several different knots, depending on what goes over and under where. For this reason , some very unreliable knots have been misleadingly labelled carrick bends. the true carrick bend was named by M. Lescallier in Vocabulaire des Termes de marine (1783) and featured by Felix Reisenberg in Seamanship for the Merchant Service (1922). The name 'carrick' may come from medieval trading ships called carracks.

Seizing Bend

Seizing Bend

Applications : When two lines are too dissimilar for a sheet bend to be relied on, use a seizing bend instead. It is ideal when using a lightweight throwing line as the messenger to haul a heavier working rope into position. It is a strong and secure bend that, having been subjected to all kinds of use, or misuse, can be easily untied.

Method : Form a bight in the bigger of the two lines (1).Take a turn with the thin cord and bring the ensuing wrapping turns up towards the bight end (2).The initial turn is now extended and looped over the short end of the larger rope (3) to become a frapping (tensioning) turn holding everything in place. Even in this unfinished form the knot is secure enough for many purposes. A heavy-duty version can be made by fixing the free end to the standing part with a bowline (4).To loosen both versions, just yank up on the short working end. The part holding down the turns may now be further raised and the knot undone.



History : Knotting innovator Harry Asher created the seizing bend and first described it in A New System Knotting (1986 published by the International Guild of Knot Tyers). It was later included in Knotting Matters (october 1989)

Sheet Bend

Sheet Bend

APPLICATIONS :The sheet bend is a general-purpose bend for uniting two lines made of the same material. It may also be used to attach an end to a loop or small eye. It does, however, have a number of limitations. It will jam under a heavy load and, without an extra tuck, can slip in smooth materials. Security tests have shown it to spill after an average 22 tugs out of 100, and it is not a very strong knot, with a breaking strength of 55%.

METHOD: As a general rule, aim to keep both short ends on the same side (1-3). Leave a draw-loop if you prefer (4).For ropes of different size, composition or wetness, use the double sheet bend (5), when the smaller and more flexible cordage makes the double turn around the thicker bight. If the knot is to be subjected to rough treatment, consider reinforcing it with a backward tuck (6), which also makes it more streamline and easier to pull one way through narrow gaps. Swedish marine writer and artist Frank Rosenow spotted a sheet bend in Greek cruising waters used as a bridle for three converging ropes (7).



History : The sheet bend was probably known by Neolithic people; remnants of Stone Age nets have been found with mesh knots resembling sheets bends. David Steel referred to it by this name in Elements and Practice of Ringging and Seamanship (1794), when it was tied in a sheet (i.e., a bit of running ringging to trim a sail). Many knot experts campaign against the use of this bend for lines of different size, pointing out that (if they are too dissimilar) a thick and stiff rope could straighten out and spill the small cord. While this is a fair criticism, the sheet bend -if used sensibly- cannot simply be dismissed.

Fisherman's Knot

Fisherman's Knot

Applications : This is - strictly speaking - a strong and secure bend to join two similar ropes.

Method : Lay the two working parts alongside and parallel to one another (1).Tie an identical overhand knot around each standing part with the other working end (2-3). Pull them together (4-5).



History : In the early nineteenth century, fishermen referred to this knot as the water knot. It has also been known as the angler's knot, the English knot, the Englishman's knot, the true lover's knot and the waterman's knot. The author Captain Marryat wrote of it in his novel Peter Simple (1834); '.... there is a moral in that knot .... that points out the necessity of pulling together .... when we wish to hold on.'

Bowline In The bight

Bowline In The bight

Applications : In these litigious, health-and ­safety conscious times, I do not recommend any ad hoc rope slings and chairs for working aloft or over the side. There are tested and certificated ladders and stages and harnesses for the well prepared. But all sailors sooner or later are faced with some urgent improvisation. This is one such knot, which can be used for lowering an injured person and other emergencies. One leg is put through each loop and the patient (if conscious and capable) holds tight onto the rope at chest level, or is somehow secured to it. It reduces the strength of the line in which it is tied by up to 40%.

Method : As this knot is usually tied in the middle of a rope, it must be made without using either end. The early stages are done with a doubled end (1).The trick is then to pass the bight right over the pre­formed knot (2-3).



History : This knot was illustrated in 1795 by Johann R. in his Allgemeines Worterbuch der Marine. In 1808 it was mentioned as the 'bowline upon the bight' by Darcy Lever, Author of Sheet Anchor.

Bowline

Bowline

Applications : Neither a bend nor a hitch, the bowline (say 'boh-linn') is a knot that makes a fixed loop. It is far from the strongest loop knot, reducing the breaking strength of any stuff in which it is tied by as much as 40%. Nor is it very secure, particularly when the rope is stiff or slippery, when it has been known to capsize (if excessively loaded) or alternatively to spring or shake itself apart (when unloaded).Nevertheless the bowline can be used for a wide range of jobs, from securing the string before tying a parcel, to outdoor pursuits such as climbing. When I was a Metropolitan Police frogman in the 1960s, my colleagues and I tied the line around our waists with a simple bowline. The working end (deliberately made long) was then tucked several times around the adjacent part of the loop to secure it. Climbers' manuals advise their readers to finish off such tucks with one or two half-hitches (made in the opposite direction to the twist) for even greater

Methods : Make it by the so-called sailor's method with a fluent, one-handed twist of the wrist (1-5).You should also work out how to tie a bowline viewed from an unfamiliar angle (6-7). Imagine facing someone, passing a rope around behind them, beneath their armpits, then having to make the knot. See what I mean? The trick is to first take a turn around the standing part of the rope with your working end. Next, pull it out straight to transfer the underhand loop in the standing part. Finally, pass and tuck the working end to lock off in the usual way.If the knot will have to withstand rough treatment, tie the double bowline (8-9). This is therefore stronger and far more secure than a basic bowline



History : Stone Age en knew the sheet bend, which has an identical layout to the bowline, the only difference being which end is used where and for what. There is, however , no evidence of the bowline having been used that far back in the time. It was mentioned as a seafarer's knot by Sir Henry Mainwaring in The Sea-man's Dictionary (1644) and first illustrated in David Steel's Elemants and practice of Ringging and Seamanship in 1794. The time is long gone when it really was a 'bow line knot', used to hold the weather leech of a square sail forward closer to the wind, preventing it being pulled back. Other nautical uses include looping a boat's painter or ship's mooring rope around a quayside bollard, and tying a line around a crewman's waist, to lower him over the side. Two interlocked bowlines also form a handy hawser bend. Some useful variants on the common bowline (e.g., a double bowline, a bowline in the bight and a couple of triple bowlines ). All however, rely upon you first mastering the basic knot.

Lapp Knot

Applications : This loop knot can be used as an alternative to a bowline and also as an endless sling, a neat waist-tie or girdle, or even as an improvised safety tether.

Method : Make a bight in one end (1);tuck the other around and down through this (2-3), ensuring that both short ends emerge on the same side of the knot (4). When tied with a draw-loop (5) the lapp knot becomes a quick-release device. unlike many other knots, it comes completely apart with just one tug.



History : Altough the Lapp knot is not well known, it has in fact been described since at least 1892. It has often been called a false sheet bend, which is perhaps why it is undervalued.

Monkey's Fist

Application: This is the classic knot to tie in the leading end of a heaving line, adding weight to improve its flight and distance though the air.

Method : Three turns made north-south are surrounded by three more around their equator (1-3), after which a final three locking turns are inserted as shown (4) at 90 degrees to the original three turns. The knot looks neatest if a round pebble or other hard and heavy core is inserted prior to working the slack through the knot to tighten it (5). Finally, secure the working end to the standing part with a bowline.



History : The Monkey's Fist seems to have been first illustrated by E.N. Little in Log Book Notes (1889_. it was also described by Cyrus L. Day in Sailor's Knots (1935)

Ashley's Stopper Knot

Applications : use this chunky hole blocker when the figure eight knot too small.

Method: Tie a simple noose (1-2). tuck the working end as shown (no other way will do), pulling the noose tight to trap it (3). a characteristic of completed knot is a neat trefoil of three overlapping parts on its underside.



History : Clifford W. Ashley, whose monumental work The Ashley Boo of Knots is every knot enthusiasts bible, devised this knot sometime before 1910. He was trying to imitate a lumpy knot he had seen from a distance on the foresail halyard of a passing boat in an oyster fishing fleet (hence his name for it, an oysterman's stopper). later, when he went aboard for a closer look, the knot in question turned out to be merely a wet and swollen figure eight knot. So good is Ashley's own knot, however, that there have recently been moves to honour him by featuring it on an American postage stamp.

Coiling

Wet ropes should be dried slowly, keep all ropes away from abrasive dirt and grit. Do not tread on ropes. Coil them, kink-free, to carry them or hang them up. the Alpine coil (1-3) is taught to climbers. Dinghy sailors and blue-water yachtsmen alike learn to put surplus sail halyard safely out from underfoot -onto the cleat or pin to which it is already made fast- with a twisted bight (4-5). storekeepers use a figure eight coil (6-8).

Sailmaker's Whipping

Most whipping will pull of if tugged hard enough. So, if the rope's ends is to spends its working life being buffeted by the wind (e.g., on a flag halyard) something tenacious is needed. a sailmaker's whipping (1-5) has riding turns which, on hawser-laid rope, follow the spiral grooves between the helixing strands and seize the whipping to the rope. An initial bight of twine is looped over the end of the strand it straddles, and pulled tight to enclose the completed wrapping turns, this creates two of the riding turns. Then the two ends are reef knotted to form the third . a palm-and-needle whipping like this can be stitched onto braided or sheath-and-core ropes, when it does not matter which way the riding turns are applied. for even heavier duty, on large hawsers and cables, try snaking (6)

Whipped Ends

Whipped Ends

For a traditional finish, use a whipping. This should be made from natural-fibre twine for vegetable-fibre ropes, and from synthetic material for synthetics. the common whipping (1-4) relies upon a preformed bight to pull the working ends beneath and back to the middle of the wrapping turns. Leave the last round turn somewhat slack, or you will find it hard to do this, and might even break the whipping twine where the two elbows saw one another. Is is easier, I find , to bind towards the end of the rope. The time-honoured advice is to wrap against the lay of the strands, because a rope under load tends to open and this will tighten the whipping. This last tip does not apply to braided lines. On these lines, which have no spiralling furrows unsightly bulge will mar the neatness of this whipping

To pass both ends entirely through the binding turns (5-7), which may be preferable, entails a modified method of tying. Either tightly wrap the twine around a needle and finis by withdrawing the needle to bury the end, or simply wrap the loop repeatedly over the end of the rope. the first time you try this you will find that twists are created in the loop, which make it harder to pull the slack through the whipping. With experience, it is possible to pre-empt this problem by putting a counter-twist into the loop before you start to wrap. this will disappear as the whipping takes shape.

Multiple Overhand Knots

Multiple Overhand Knots

A technique that must be learnt by all who tie knots-especially by anglers and climbers- is tying multiple overhand knots, also known as blood knots (from their past use by surgeons) or barrels knots (because of their shape). Tie an overhand knot , then tuck the working end a second time, for a double overhand knot (1). Begin to tighten the knot by pulling gently on both ends-feel how the knot wants to twist and wrap around itself.

Allow to do so, turning the left-hand end up and away from you. (the like that shown in the diagram. They should be reversed for a formed left-handed.) another tuck creates a triple overhand knot (2), which requires even more care in shaping the final form.

Draw-loops

Draw-Loops

When the working end is not pulled completely through the knot, a draw-loop is created. tug on that end and it acts as a quick-release to undo the knot.

Mooring and tethering hitches are obivous examples of draw-loops. the highwayman's hitch, for instance, is just one draw-loop after another. many other knots may be improved in this way.

Some, Such as the common bowline, may actually be strengthened by the extra rope part within the body of the knot. Such knots are also less likely to jam. So, unless you want a semi-permanent knot, draw-loops should be used wherever possible

Note that if you treat both working ends of a reef knot as draw-loops, you will end up with the familiar double reef bow used to tie shocase

Stopper knots

Stopper knots

String and cord are not cheap so, to minimize waste from fraying, you may tie and overhand knot (1) in the end. The overhand knot needs no explanation -we can all do it- except to reiterate that it reduces the breaking strength of rope or cordage to a mere 45% of the unknotted line. If the working ends is not pulled completely through, leaving a draw-loop, a somewhat stronger (45-50%) stopper knot is made (2), which can be used to restring musical instruments. To secure something bulkier, tie an overhand knot in the bight (3)

To prevent jib leads, main halyards, flag halyards, etc., coming unreeved from blocks, fairleads or other slots or holes, use a figure eight knot (4-5). This knot apperas to have been named by Darcy Lever. With or without a draw-loop, it is more easily undone than an overhand knot, and with one it may be slightly stronger (45-50%). do not leave it flat but pull the standing part so that the working end is pulled over and trapped beneath the bight.

Altough bulkier than the overhand knot, it does not have a larger diameter (contrary to ehat many knot enthusiasts will tell you). It will pull out of the same size hole as the overhand knot. If you need to use something bigger, choose Ashley's stopper knot.

Other useful terms

Other useful terms

The end of a line used to tie knots is reffered to as the working end or (by anglers) the tag end or (if it is being pulled out of your hand) the bitter and (1).

The other is the standing end. in between is doubled it is called a bight, until it is crossed over itself and becomes a loop, maybe eith an elbow.



Wrapping a rope around a post or rail, to take the strain of a moving boat or a heavy load, is called 'taking a turn' but bringing the working end around and extra half turn, prior to making fast, creates a round turn (2)

A simple knot with something though it is a half-hitch (3). finish off a round turn with two half-hitches rather than two reversed half-hitches.

Knots, Bends and Hitches

Knots, Bends and Hitches

A Knot is the generic name for any loop or entanglement of flexible material, created either intentionally or accidentally, by a tucked end or bight. the word also has a very precise meaning : a knot, as distinct from a bend or hitch, secures two ends of the same material, e.g., a bandage, parcel string or shoelace. in addition, a small stuff - thus all angler's knots are by definition merely knots, irrespective of form or function.

A bend is a knot that joins two separated ropes or others bits of cordage together

A hitch attaches a line to a rail, post,ring or perhaps to another rope (or even onto itself)

there is often more than one way to tie complex knots and knot enthusiasts bore and bewilder if they insist on showing them all. this blog illustrates one quick and easy way to learn and use each knot, only showing alternative methods where these are needed to cope with different circumstances.

Strength and Security

Strength and security are different characteristics in a knot. Relative knot strength -or efficiency- is the breaking strength of a knotted rope, compared with the same rope unknotted, the overhand knot, for example, has a strength of about 45% in other words, it more than halves the breaking strength of any line in which it is allowed to remain, so it should not be used for anything vital. A Steady pull is not the same as putting a shock loading on a knotted rope (e.g., when a climber falls and is brought up short). then the momentum equals the mass multiplied by its speed and direction. To withstand such stresses and strains, the rope should be tied with one or other of the slide-and-grip friction knots, safeguarding knot and line.

Knots that unintentionally slip or capsize rather than breaking the rope (or before they can break it) are insecure ones. knots may be strong and secure, or strong but liable to spill if jerked about. Some are secure but weak. a knot cannot be both weak and insecure since, if it comes apart easily, its strength will never be tested.

Ropes and lines

Ropes and lines

A three-strand rope (1) spirals clockwise, as it goes away from you , the strands having a lay that is right-handed. craftworkers prefer the terms Z-laid. sailors call such a rope a hawser and so it is hawser-laid. the individual strands are twisted left-handed (s-laid) and the yarns of each strands, which makes it more flexible (although no stronger), but it then has a hollow core, which must be filled with a heart of yarns. Hearts may be laid, unlaid or braided.

Rope is rarely left handed, except when three hawsers are laid up to make a ship'smooring cable. Cable-laid ropes inevitably have nine strands and consequently must be S-laid. another way to make giant ropes-say for supertankers- is to plait them with four pairs of strands (2)



Braided rope (3-5) consist of a sheath - generallyof 16 strands- containing a hert (core). Cores may be parallel fibres or monofilamens, or twisted , or plainted. in this last instance, the construction is commonly known as braid constructions, both sheath and core may contribute to rope strength. Alternatively, the core could be choosen for one property (e.g., strength or elasticity) and the sheath for another (e.g., resistance or abrasion). A more recent development is to enclose a braided core in its own thin sheath (6)

Rope, cord, string and twines were once all made from the shredded and combed fibres of plant and hemp were the renewable and eco-friendly crops from which vegetable-fibre ropes were made. These natural -fibre ropes had character- conjured up by soft white cotton aboard smart yachts. but they could be hard on the hands and all the cordage was, by today's standard, weak. Strength only came with cumbersome circumferences. natural-fibre rope was somewhat stronger when wet (as are synthetics ) but then it tended to rot.

Natural-fibre ropes have been replaced almost entirely by modern synthetics. Nylon is marketed under trade names such as Polyamid, Brinylon and Enkalon. polyester appears as Terylene, Dacron, Tergal and Fortrel. The expensive organic polymer aramid is sold as Kevlar. then there is cheaper polyproplyne. newer products include Dyneema,Spectra and Admiral 200. A competent suplier will sort out what you need, but basically nylon streches and so is suitable for anchor warps or tow lines where some give is crucial, whereas Terylene does not and is used for standing ringging and in any other case where stretch unwanted.

Kevlar has a remarkable strength-to-weight ratio and can replace wire ringing, but it can be easily damaged by abrasion and must be sheathed in tough polyester. Weaker, lighter cordage (e.g., polypropylene) may float and make a useful heaving line. man-made cordage come in many colours, so it is now usual to colour code yacht halyards and sheets, or merely to follow fashion in ringging a sail board or canoe.

The problem with man-made fibre ropes, spun from monofilaments, is that they smooth and slippery, with less grip, and trusted knots may perform badly in them. the usual advice is to add a half-hitch or two for extra security; the long-term answer may be to come up with more suitable knots. Some manufacturers chop their long monofilaments into shorter staple lengths, which recreates the hairy surface texture of rope originally made from leaves and stalks and roots plants.