Cat's Paw

A loop that either stands as a dropper or handshake onto another loop.

• !Dropper loop collapsed into an overhand
• !Handshake twisted so one loop saws the other
• !Loop sized after it was already loaded

• !The turns cross or stack on each other, so one turn carries most of the load instead of all of them sharing it
• !There is no double line behind the join, or the Bimini twist wraps have slipped
• !Too few passes were made, so the load sits on fewer turns where the loops bear on each other
• !One loop rides over the other, leaving a lopsided collar that catches on the rod tip guide

• Fewer than five passes — a girth hitch

  Load lands on one crossing and saws the loop apart

  The paw spreads load across five nested turns. Two or three is a girth hitch, which loads a single bearing point. · step 02

• Turns riding over each other instead of nesting

  The advantage of spreading the load is lost

  Nested turns share the load; stacked ones do not. · step 03

• Built on a single strand rather than a double

  The connection is limited by one strand of main line

  The paw transfers load between loops; it does not create strength. · step 01

• Collar lopsided, one loop riding over the other

  Uneven bearing and a connection that snags at the tip guide

  A symmetrical collar is what lets it pass a guide and load evenly. · step 04

• The connection looks like a simple loop-through-loop with one crossing

  Check

  • ?Count the turns in the collar — you should see five

  Then

  • →Rebuild with five passes; a girth hitch concentrates load on one crossing

• The turns sit on top of each other rather than side by side

  Check

  • ?Look along the collar for a turn riding over its neighbour

  Then

  • →Slack it off and re-cinch slowly
  • →Retie if the turns will not nest

• The main line enters the connection as a single strand

  Check

  • ?Trace the main line back — two strands should run into the collar

  Then

  • →Build a Bimini first; the paw is only as good as the double under it

• Fewer than five passes — a girth hitch

  Check

  • ?Load lands on one crossing and saws the loop apart
  • ?Inspect step 02

  Then

  • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

• Turns riding over each other instead of nesting

  Check

  • ?The advantage of spreading the load is lost
  • ?Inspect step 03

  Then

  • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

• Built on a single strand rather than a double

  Check

  • ?The connection is limited by one strand of main line
  • ?Inspect step 01

  Then

  • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

Same failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.

• Dropper Loop
• Loop-to-Loop Connection