Triple-Loop Knots
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If you have never visited this website before then I would recommend that you begin at the Home Page. It explains that the type of rope you use, the age of the rope, the wear and tear on the rope, the types of knots you tie, whether you tied the knots properly or not, whether you "dressed" the knots properly or not, whether you "set" the knots properly or not, and so on, all have an impact on the Safe Working Load of your rope and the security of the knots you tie. Whatever risks are associated with the rope or string that you use and the knots that you tie, remember that the risks are entirely your own.
Here is a list of the articles in this series. Every link will open up in a new window to give you more control as you browse around in this website:
Sometimes it can be handy to tie a knot which has three loops in it. In a rescue situation, for example, you can put the injured person's legs through two of the loops and then put the third loop around his back.
If you don't tie knots in rope very often then it might be difficult to remember which knot to use, and how to tie it properly, when you need a triple-loop knot. Therefore, it's a good idea to learn one strong knot which you can remember easily. My preference is the Triple Alpine Butterfly, for reasons which I'll describe throughout this article.
Be sure to practice tying your favorite knots periodically (from different angles) so that you'll know how to tie them when you need them.
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If you are familiar with the basic Bowline then the Birmingham Bowline is easy to remember how to tie, it is fairly easy to tie, it is fairly easy to dress, and it is easy to untie after it has held a load. Also, it is versatile because it can either be tied before the loops are put to use, or else you can pass the end of the rope around an object as you create the knot. One disadvantage of this knot is that it can't be tied in the middle of a rope (when you don't have access to the ends of the rope).
I haven't been able to find any strength ratings for this knot, but if you absolutely need to pass the rope around an object while tying a triple-loop knot then this might be a knot to consider.
However, for the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.
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The French Bowline is slightly easier to tie than the Birmingham Bowline, and it seems to have basically the same advantages and disadvantages as the Birmingham Bowline. One disadvantage with the French Bowline is that it is fairly easy for one of the loops to get bigger and another loop to get smaller. This can potentially pose a hazard when hoisting or lowering people or heavy objects because it might allow the load to shift.
The French Bowline is also called the Portuguese Bowline in some books and websites, but I have seen other websites (such as this one) which describe the Portuguese Bowline slightly differently. Rather than bringing the end of the rope through the small loop in picture 1, you bring the end of the rope on top of the small loop. According to some people, this is the difference between the French and Portuguese Bowlines. I haven't been able to find any strength ratings for the French or Portuguese Bowlines, but they would appear to have a similar strength rating as the basic Bowline because the core knot configuration is the same.
For the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.
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For the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.
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The Triple Bowline can be tied in the middle of a rope even when you don't have access to the ends of the rope, but I have not been able to find any strength ratings for this knot.
According to Budworth, "The triple bowline can be used to make a sit sling, chest sling or full harness." (The Complete Book of Knots, p.92).
For the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.
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This method makes it easy to convert a single-loop Double Dragon into a double-loop Double Dragon, and to convert a double-loop Double Dragon into a triple-loop Double Dragon.
For an alternate method of tying the Triple Double Dragon which allows you to create three or more loops around an object while you tie the knot (rather than after you tie the knot as with the method above), see the alternate method for tying the double-loop Double Dragon.
For the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.
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The Triple Figure-Eight Loop can be tied in the middle of a rope even when you don't have access to the ends of the rope, but I have not been able to find any strength ratings for this knot.
For the average person who only wants to learn one strong triple-loop knot, my choice would be the Triple Alpine Butterfly.
I haven't seen anything written about the strength and security of the Birmingham Bowline or the French (Portuguese) Bowline, but they have an advantage in that the rope can easily be passed around an object while tying the knot. They have another potential advantage in that you can easily create any number of loops with these knots. One disadvantage is that these knots cannot be tied in the middle of a rope (when you don't have access to the ends of the rope). Another potential disadvantage with the French/Portuguese Bowline is that some of the loops might accidentally change size, which can allow the load to shift dangerously.
The Triple Alpine Butterfly, Triple Bowline, and Triple Figure-Eight Loop are all based on strong knots, so any of these would be a good triple-loop knot to know. However, the Triple Bowline is based on the weakest of these three knots. The Double Dragon seems to rival the Alpine Butterfly in many respects, and the same appears to be true with the Triple Double Dragon as well.
Be sure to practice tying your favorite knots periodically (from different angles) so that you'll know how to tie them when you need them.
The purpose of this series of articles is to try to boil the thousands of knots down to just a few of the best rope and string knots that can safely be used for a wide variety of purposes. People such as climbers, sailors, search-and-rescue workers, etc., have their preferred knots, but for the average person it is probably "overkill" to try to learn and remember a variety of triple-loop knots. Just as the Alpine Butterfly is my preferred single-loop knot, and the Double Alpine Butterfly is my preferred double-loop knot, the Triple Alpine Butterfly is my preferred triple-loop knot. Sticking with the same basic knot (such as the Alpine Butterfly) makes it easier to remember how to tie a single-loop knot or a double-loop knot or a triple-loop knot when you need them. If you are an "average person" who doesn't need specialized knots (such as the kind that climbers, sailors, and so on, might need), then the Alpine Butterfly family of knots (single-loop, double-loop, triple-loop, and bends) should serve you well in a variety of situations.
For other people's preferred knots, see the topic called "Best of breed" knots? at the forum of the International Guild of Knot Tyers.
Here is a list of the articles in this series. Every link will open up in a new window to give you more control as you browse around in this website:
Consider visiting some of my other websites!
You'll find a Christian ministry with dozens and dozens of articles and answers to many questions that I have received over the years (please feel free to send me your questions and prayer requests!); plus a collection of some of the best self-working card tricks around (no sleight-of-hand required!); plus a bunch of amazing/funny/fascinating/interesting videos from around the Web which are all clean and family-friendly; plus lots of reviews of numerous fun and educational (and free!) computer games that you can download; plus a huge collection of cool science tricks and other fun stuff to try (using things around the house), and more!
For a complete list, go to http://www.Layhands.com/DavesWebsites.htm.
Hope you like 'em!
Modification History
11/17/2006: | Added a link to my new page called "Dave's Websites." |
10/17/2005: | Added the ABOK # to the list of names for each knot (based on Clifford Ashley's The Ashley Book Of Knots). Added the ability to download this entire website (all 9 articles) in a single .ZIP file. |
01/29/2005: | Added a new method for tying a Triple Alpine Butterfly. Special thanks to my 10-year-old son Michael for lending a hand! |
01/13/2005: | Modified some of the wording throughout the article. Changed my preferred triple-loop knot to the Triple Alpine Butterfly, and added a link to the forum of the International Guild of Knot Tyers in which other people have described their preferred knots. |
05/10/2004: | Added a new method for tying the Triple Double Dragon. |
04/15/2004: | Added a new knot called the Triple Double Dragon. |
12/10/2002: | New article. |
Dave Root
Send e-mail to: dave@Layhands.com