Skill drill
How to Tie a Bowline
A fixed loop in the end of a line that will not slip or jam and unties easily, even after a heavy load. Here, dropped over a piling.
5 steps, about 3 minutes
Tie it in 3D one decision at a time. Choose wrong and you will watch the line come free.
When to use it
Any time you need a fixed loop in the end of a line: over a piling, through a ring, or round a person in the water. The Coast Guard's handbook calls it the knot for a temporary eye, and California's course says it will not slip or jam and is easy to untie even after it has held a lot of strain.
The steps
- The small loop
- Up through the loop
- Round the standing part
- Back down the loop
- Pull it tight
A drill is practice. Tie each knot a few times at the dock before you rely on it.
The written guide
Step by step
- 1
The small loop
Make a small loop in the line a couple of feet from the end, with the part toward the working end crossing on top.[1, 2, 3]
America's Boating Club's guide says the working end goes on top when making the first small loop.
- 2
Up through the loop
Lead the end round the post to make the big loop, then pass it up through the small loop from underneath.[1, 3]
The big loop is the fixed eye, and its size is set here. The Coast Guard's handbook passes the end up through the small loop.
- 3
Round the standing part
Take the end round behind the standing part.[1, 3]
America's Boating Club's guide brings the working end behind the standing line, and the Coast Guard's handbook takes it around the standing part.
- 4
Back down the loop
Pass the end back down through the small loop, so it ends up inside the big loop.[1, 3]
The Coast Guard's handbook and America's Boating Club both finish this way: back down through the small loop. Without it there is no knot.
- 5
Pull it tight
Hold the end and the loop in one hand and pull on the standing part with the other. The tail should point into the loop.[1, 3]
That is how the Coast Guard's handbook tightens it, and America's Boating Club's check: if the tail points into the final loop, you have done it right.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
Small loop the wrong way up
The working end crosses on top when you make the small loop.[3]
Tail outside the loop
America's Boating Club's check: the tail should point into the big loop.[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.
The ONE KNOT Every Boater MUST KNOW | Learn To Tie It Easy Then Fast
JetBoatPilot
0Master Boating with These 3 Essential Knots!
Live2Boat
04 Essential Boating Knots
BoatBuy
0
Keep practicing
Other boating knots
Start hereCleat hitchThe knot for tying up at a dock: a turn round the base of the cleat, a figure eight over the horns, and a locking hitch to finish.4 steps
Technique 2Clove hitchTwo turns round a piling or rail with the end tucked under the crossing: the quick way to make a line fast to a post for a short time.5 steps
Technique 3Round turn and two half hitchesTwo turns round a post, piling, rail or ring, then two half hitches round the standing part: a secure tie that can be started while the line is already pulling.4 steps
Learn it hands-on
Nothing beats a day on the water with someone who ties these every trip. Browse charter and lesson operators near you and ask them to show you.
Find charters and lessonsSources
Where the checkable claims above come from. Rules and figures change, so confirm anything you are about to rely on against the source itself.
- Boat Crew Handbook: Seamanship Fundamentals (BCH 16114.4)U.S. Coast Guard (hosted by the Coast Guard Auxiliary) (rdept.cgaux.org)
- 5 Basic Boating Knots for BeginnersDiscover Boating (National Marine Manufacturers Association) (discoverboating.com)
- Knots to Know: BowlineAmerica's Boating Club (boatingcompass.org)
