Skip to content
KA

← Where the theory applies
Hitch — object-dependent

Midshipman's Hitch

Friction on hardware · Physical hitch theory

DiagramsHow to tie it

Does not pick a knot

This page does not pick a knot for you. DNA, molecules, quantum braids and vortices stay off Decide.

Finished structure

No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.

Failure modes

When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.

Grip-hitch family

Directional bite on a standing part — slide-test before you trust it.

  • !Turns on the wrong side of the load
  • !Failed slide-test, still used
  • !A clove where a rolling or icicle third turn was the job
Fails when
  • !The second turn is not tucked in, so the turns slide along the standing part when the loop is loaded
  • !The turns are on the side away from the object, so they slide instead of holding
  • !The half hitch is missing, so the tail works out of the turns once the load eases
  • !The rope is Dyneema, Spectra, polypropylene or three-strand nylon, where it can slide under a steady load
Geometry

  • Inside tuck missing

    This is a taut-line and walks under working load

    Animated Knots: the extra inside tuck is the hold · step 01

  • Turns on the wrong side of the load

    Hitch will not grip

    Both first turns must sit on the load side · step 02

  • Used as a lock-and-leave purchase

    Guy walks slack after you walk away

    A lock you leave is a trucker's hitch · step 04

If you saw this

  • Guy walks slack under working load

    Check

    • ?First turn tucked under itself
    • ?Turns on the load side
    • ?Outside half hitch present

    Then

    • →Retie the inside tuck
    • →Add a turn
    • →Use a trucker's hitch if you must lock and leave

  • Inside tuck missing

    Check

    • ?This is a taut-line and walks under working load
    • ?Inspect step 01

    Then

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

  • Turns on the wrong side of the load

    Check

    • ?Hitch will not grip
    • ?Inspect step 02

    Then

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

  • Used as a lock-and-leave purchase

    Check

    • ?Guy walks slack after you walk away
    • ?Inspect step 04

    Then

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

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

This failed — start Diagnose

What holds it

  • ·A hitch is object-dependent. Remove the spar, cleat, ring or pile and the structure is usually the unknot.
  • ·Bayman / Maddocks–Keller describe a no-slip regime from wrap count and friction. The prediction is approximate, and only for hitches.

What topology does not predict

  • ·Closed-loop knot invariants (Jones, Alexander) do not say whether a clove hitch will walk on a smooth spar.
  • ·No manufacturer working load is implied by wrap count.
  • ·Wet, iced, or HMPE covers change friction — topology is silent.

Not for

  • ·Joining two free rope ends — that is a bend
  • ·A standing loop that must survive after the object is gone
  • ·A lock you will walk away from (trucker's hitch)
  • ·Slick HMPE

Same pattern, different job

No sourced twin among these knots. Related knots stay on the Library card.

Sources