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KA

Diagram

Water Bowline

Wet bowline

A fixed loop in the end of a rope, with a clove hitch in place of the small loop to grip the tail. Animated Knots says it is less likely than a bowline to shake undone when unloaded.

Loop · Intermediate · Polyester / Nylon rope / Polypropylene / Natural fibre · 4 steps

ApplicationsHow to tie it

Finished structure

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

  1. Step 01

    Make a loop in the standing part, make a second loop the same way round beside it, and lay the second on top of the first so the pair forms a clove hitch.

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

    You should now see

    Two overlapping loops in the standing part that show an X across the front like a clove hitch, with enough rope beyond them for the eye.

    If it goes wrong

    Making the second loop the opposite way round. There is no X across the front, and the pair will not close on the working end when the knot is loaded.

    Fix: Shake out the second loop, twist it again the same way round as the first, and lay it back on top.

    Why: The clove hitch takes the place of the single small loop in an ordinary bowline. Animated Knots says the extra grip on the tail makes the knot less likely to shake undone when unloaded.

  2. Step 02

    Push the working end up through both loops of the clove hitch from underneath.

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

    You should now see

    The working end coming out on top of the clove hitch after passing through both loops, with the eye forming below.

    If it goes wrong

    Passing through only one of the two loops. Look along the end: if one loop lies beside it instead of around it, the clove hitch cannot grip.

    Fix: Back the end out and push it through both loops together, holding them overlapped so they do not slide apart.

    Why: Going through both loops means both parts of the clove hitch close on the end when the eye is loaded.

  3. Step 03

    Take the working end around behind the standing part, then bring it back down through both loops of the clove hitch, beside the strand where it came up.

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

    You should now see

    The working end passed around the standing part and back down through both loops, with its tail finishing inside the eye.

    If it goes wrong

    Leaving the end above the clove hitch after going around the standing part, or bringing it down through one loop only. The tail can pull free once the eye is loaded.

    Fix: Feed the end down through both loops, following its own strand, before you tighten anything.

    Why: The turn around the standing part forms the collar, and the return through both loops locks it. Leave a long tail, as for an ordinary bowline.

  4. Step 04

    Hold the eye and the standing part and pull, then tighten the clove hitch by working each of its loops down onto the strands of the working end.

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

    You should now see

    A clove hitch clamped firmly around the working end, the collar snug on the standing part, and an eye that keeps its size under a hard pull.

    If it goes wrong

    Tightening only the collar and eye and leaving the clove hitch loose. The loops sit open around the end, and the knot behaves like a bulky plain bowline.

    Fix: Work each loop of the clove hitch down by hand until it bites on the strands inside it, then pull the eye and standing part apart again.

    Why: Animated Knots finishes the knot by tightening the clove hitch. The extra security comes from the clove hitch closing on the tail, so a loose clove adds bulk without that grip.

Failure modes

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

Bowline family

Fixed eye whose lock is a collar seated on the standing part.

  • !Open collar — the eye capsizes under cyclic load
  • !Cowboy / wrong-direction loop
  • !Tail too short to backup, or a Yosemite finish on an unfinished bowline
Fails when
  • !The second loop is the wrong way round, so the loops do not close on the working end under load
  • !The end goes through only one loop, up or down, so the tail can pull free once the eye is loaded
  • !The clove hitch is left loose around the tail, so it adds bulk without the extra grip
Geometry

  • Loops not formed as a clove

    No extra security — wet collar walks like a plain bowline

    The two standing-part loops must sit as a clove hitch · step 01

  • Clove left loose

    Fat undressed collar capsizes under cyclic wet load

    Dress the clove, not just the eye · step 04

  • Tail left up or missing a clove loop

    Unfinished water bowline, no lock

    The working end must go through both clove loops and return down · step 03

If you saw this

  • Collar walks when wet

    Check

    • ?Two nested clove turns around the standing part
    • ?Tail long enough

    Then

    • →Retie the clove first
    • →Backup the tail on a serious job

  • Loops not formed as a clove

    Check

    • ?No extra security — wet collar walks like a plain bowline
    • ?Inspect step 01

    Then

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

  • Clove left loose

    Check

    • ?Fat undressed collar capsizes under cyclic wet load
    • ?Inspect step 04

    Then

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

  • Tail left up or missing a clove loop

    Check

    • ?Unfinished water bowline, no lock
    • ?Inspect step 03

    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

  • ×A dry dock eye you will untie in thirty seconds (plain bowline is enough)
  • ×HMPE

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