BOWLINE COMING UNDONE
The guys I was speaking with about the reef knot in Brittany got another bout of head
shaking when I introduced the notion of bowline not being safe for the reason of it being
prone to capsize/collapse/ get spontaneously undone / whatever.
This time I had been quite prudent. The very first thing I said was that it is not my personal
opinion, that it was what some persons were stating with great assurance on some forums,
and that I would like their opinion based on their daily experience with it.
Gist of it is : short round of interrogation among them :
Result of the poll : they have yet to see a bowline coming undone or to hear about one
having done that.
By the way : these days I see bowlines that are visibly 'permanent fixture'.
In my youth I was taught to make it only a "temporary" loop.
One just for the duration of use. Rope has to rest too, and not stay 'deformed' needlessly ;
what is the good sense of leaving an unused knot in a cordage ?
Do you leave hammer, saw, chisel and screwdriver lying around waiting for the next use and
came astonished at seeing them cause of accident or subject to degradation ?
One old guy on the quay in Concarneau commercial fishermen harbour said to me :
" if you really fear it to become undone just make it "double" ".
I asked him to show me what he call "double" : is just passing the tail again .
Example is not 'set' but left well 'relaxed'. Diagram.
This is what the US Coast Guard has to say :
http://216.18.138.197/knots/Bowline_Knot.asp
"The bowline knot is a versatile knot and can be used anytime a temporary eye is needed
in the end of a line.
It also works for tying two lines securely together, though there are better knots for this.
An advantage of bowlines is that they do not slip or jam easily. "
my emphasis on their words.