Carrick Bend
( Pretzel Knot | ABOK #1439 )
Get the app!
Usage
The Carrick Bend is a knot used for joining two lines. It is particularly appropriate for very heavy rope or cable that is too large and stiff to easily be formed into other common bends, e.g. the Sheet Bend . It will not jam even after carrying a significant load or being soaked with water. The Carrick bend's aesthetically pleasing interwoven and symmetrical shape has also made it popular for decorative purposes. The Carrick Bend is generally tied in a flat interwoven form. Without additional measures it will collapse into a different shape, a process known as capsizing, when tightened. This capsized form is both secure and stable once tightened, although it is bulkier than the seized form. When the knot is allowed to capsize naturally under tension, considerable slippage of line through the knot can occur before tightening. The knot should be set carefully before loading.
Common Uses
- join two very thick ropes or cables that are hard to bend.
- connect heavy tow lines or mooring cables.
- tie two ropes together when the knot must not jam.
- join ropes that may get soaked with water.
- create a decorative flat knot for crafts or mats.
- join two large or stiff ropes when the knot must be easy to untie later.
- connect two ropes together for general purpose use.
- tie two ropes of the same thickness together.
History
Daniel Lescallier, a French maritime administrator and lexicographer, mentions the Carrick Bend by name in his bilingual naval glossary, 'Vocabulaire des termes de marine anglois et françois' (1783), and is the earliest known printed naming of the knot.
Also known as
- Pretzel Knot
ABOK
- 1439
Structure
When correctly tied, the two tails lie on opposite sides of the knot and is more reliable than if the tails lie on the same side. The decorative Double Coin Knot is structurally identical to the Carrick Bend though it is tied in a different manner and with a single rope.
Strength/Reliability
The fully interwoven diagonal Carrick Bend is the most secure variation. All other forms are inferior and not recommended as bends. Although the Carrick Bend has a reputation for strength, some tests have shown it to be as weak as 65% efficiency.
