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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.

Midshipman's Hitch, finishedMidshipman's Hitch, finished

Finished structure

Drawn from a rope model of this knot: which strand passes over which comes from where the rope actually lies.

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