Skip to content
KA

Diagram

Round Turn & Two Half Hitches

Round turn and two half hitches

Makes a rope fast to a post or ring. Pick it when the rope is already pulling, since the round turn takes the initial strain while you tie two half hitches around the standing part.

Hitch · Beginner · Polyester / Nylon rope / Polypropylene / Natural fibre / Dyneema / HMPE · 4 steps

ApplicationsHow to tie it
Round Turn & Two Half Hitches, finishedRound Turn & Two Half Hitches, finished

Finished structure

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

  1. Pass the end round the rail twice, so two turns lie side by sideThe rope goes over the rail and round it twice, the two turns lying side by side, and the end comes down beside the standing part.
    1Round turn
    Move 1 of 1Pass the end round the rail twice, so two turns lie side by sideYou should now see: Two passes of rope side by side on the rail. Held lightly, the round turn takes most of the pull.

    Step 01

    Pass the working end around the post or through the ring, then take it around a second time so two passes of rope lie side by side on the object.

    You should now see

    Two passes of rope sitting next to each other on the post or ring. Held lightly, the round turn takes most of the pull and your hand only stops the end from slipping.

    If it goes wrong

    Making a single pass before starting the hitches. There is one strand on the ring, and the load pulls straight on the hitches while you try to tie them.

    Fix: Take the hitches off and add the second pass before tying anything. For a heavy boat in strong wind, add another turn around the post.

    Why: The round turn carries the strain while you tie, and its friction on the post keeps carrying it once the knot is finished. The half hitches only stop the turn from unwinding.

  2. Take the end across the standing part, round behind it and out through its own loopThe end crosses over the standing part, goes back under it and comes up through its own loop: one half hitch round the standing part.
    1First half hitch
    Move 1 of 1Take the end across the standing part, round behind it and out through its own loopYou should now see: A single half hitch gripping the standing part close to the round turn, which stays in place when you tug the end.

    Step 02

    Carry the working end across the standing part, around behind it, and back out through the loop you just made. Pull it snug.

    You should now see

    A single half hitch gripping the standing part close to the round turn, which stays in place when you tug the end.

    If it goes wrong

    Wrapping the end around the standing part without bringing it back out through its own loop. It unwraps as soon as you let go.

    Fix: Unwrap it and tie it again, checking that the end comes out through the loop it formed before you pull.

    Why: Note which way this hitch goes, for example with the end moving away from you over the top of the standing part. The second hitch has to copy that direction.

  3. Tie a second half hitch the same way, a little farther along the standing partA second half hitch, tied the same way round as the first, sits just below it on the standing part.
    1Second half hitch, same way
    Move 1 of 1Tie a second half hitch the same way, a little farther along the standing partYou should now see: Two matching half hitches side by side that together form a clove hitch round the standing part.

    Step 03

    Tie a second half hitch the same way as the first, a little farther along the standing part, and pull it snug against the first.

    You should now see

    Two matching half hitches lying side by side that together form a clove hitch around the standing part.

    If it goes wrong

    Tying the second hitch in the opposite direction. The two hitches look like mirror images instead of matching, and they do not form a clove hitch.

    Fix: Undo the second hitch and tie it again so the end travels around the standing part the same way it did in the first.

    Why: Matching hitches lock against each other as a clove hitch. Mirror-image hitches do not bind together, so the pair can creep apart as the load comes and goes.

  4. Slide both hitches up against the round turn, then pull the end to set themThe finished round turn and two half hitches: two turns on the rail, with the two half hitches snug against them on the standing part.
    Move 1 of 1Slide both hitches up against the round turn, then pull the end to set themYou should now see: No gap between the hitches or between the hitches and the round turn, nothing crossed, and a tail several inches long.

    Step 04

    Slide both hitches along the standing part until they sit hard against each other and against the round turn, then pull the end to set them.

    You should now see

    No gap between the two hitches or between the hitches and the round turn, nothing crossed or twisted, and a tail several inches long past the last hitch.

    If it goes wrong

    Leaving the hitches with a gap below them. As the boat surges, the turn and the hitches shift against each other and the tail slowly works shorter.

    Fix: Push the hitches back down against the round turn and set them again. If the tail has worked short, retie with more rope past the knot.

    Why: Snug hitches keep the round turn from rolling on the post. A short tail can pull back through a hitch as the load cycles, and Hook the Horizon notes that short tails work themselves loose.

Failure modes

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

Round-turn hitch family

A round turn or stacked turns take the load; the lock only keeps them there — and still breaks by hand.

  • !No round turn — the lock is asked to carry surge
  • !Turns not stacked, so the hitch walks on a tide
  • !Expected to jam when the job was a release-able dock line
Fails when
  • !The second half hitch runs the opposite way, so the pair are not a clove hitch and can creep apart as the load comes and goes
  • !A gap is left below the hitches, so the turn and hitches shift as the boat surges and the tail works shorter
  • !The tail is short and pulls back through a hitch as the load cycles
Geometry

  • No round turn

    Half hitches walk as soon as the load cycles

    The turn is the hitch; the half hitches only lock it · step 01

  • Opposite-direction hitches

    The pair walks instead of nesting

    Both hitches must face the same way · step 03

  • Hitches left floating

    Surge walks the lock down the standing part

    Dress the pair up to the turn before you walk away · step 04

If you saw this

  • Hitches walk or the rope slips on the spar

    Check

    • ?Full round turn visible
    • ?Two nested half hitches

    Then

    • →Add the round turn
    • →Extra turn on HMPE or splice instead

  • No round turn

    Check

    • ?Half hitches walk as soon as the load cycles
    • ?Inspect step 01

    Then

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

  • Opposite-direction hitches

    Check

    • ?The pair walks instead of nesting
    • ?Inspect step 03

    Then

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

  • Hitches left floating

    Check

    • ?Surge walks the lock down the standing part
    • ?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

Not ideal for

  • ×Slick HMPE without extra turns
  • ×A job that should be a splice

Related knots