I did some online research and came up several different opinions on the water knot (also called Ring Bend). There seems to be concern about them becoming loose if not properly dressed and loaded in advance, and there is some concern about the tails getting sucked in when loaded. The consistant advice was to check them frequently and to leave long tails. However the length of the tails is usually not stated or varies. My old copy of "Freedom of the Hills" (third edition) says, "Leave 1 or 2 inches of free end on these knots and even after tightening, check them from time to time." (P. 119) Yikes! that doesn't seem nearly long enough. Is there a consensus on how long the tails should be on the water knot, or not?
"Take me home, I don't want to die."----
A quote from John Waterman to the bush pilot after his unsuccesful solo attempt on Denali in the winter of 1979.
woodchuck07 says:
2 inches seems like a minimum. Longer if you are tying it up fresh for use right on the spot. A well tied and weighted water knot is a lock down sure thing. I've got slings of 1 inch web that have been tied at a fixed length for years, used primarily for setting up topropes that of course are constantly weighted. They never have slipped the tails. Although the water knot is known for the simplicity of reversing pressure and undoing it, these knot can't be pried open again, even with a screwdriver.
Remember, lots of hardware and gear first made in 70's, like early Chouinard GPIW hexcentrics, all came as loose metal. They told you what size rope(usually 7,8, or 9mm cord) would fit the holes. Then you tied your own length and knots for the slings. Wired nuts were not common for all sized of gear then. So a nice chunk of web, tied with a waterknot, was often placed on those pieces. Chouinard suggested that you tie the waterknot aside on the bigger hexes, then move the knot inside of the chock so there would be no knot to catch in cracks when making placement. Yep, everything you needed to know about clean and free climbing back then came out of the Chouinard catalog or Royal Robbins Basic/Advanced 'Rockcraft' books. And "Freedom of the Hills" was like your dictionary, your main refence book or bible for the mountains. Nobody had an opposing opinion to the masters back then.
Anykineclimb says:
You'll sometimes read that you should have enough tails in you waterknot to tie half hitch tails. I personally think this is a bit overkill and will generally do about 3-4" tails on 1" webbing water knots. YMMV
BigFatRock says:
I have in the past backed up my water knots with a second water know when linking multiple pieces of webbing to set up an anchor. It was a bit overkill, but not a bad thing to do. I usually leave about 2" tails myself.
Rockratz says:
Water Knots are great and should be taught on a "back to Basics" everyone i teach to climb and set up ancors learn the waterknot first. Then they learn all the short cuts with runners and such. My rule of thumb is that the water not is ACORN hard with means NO give in the knot when squeezed and the tales must hang at least over the palm of you hand with is about 2-3 inches. Hope i helped and
Hello everyone :)
"Need a Belay?"
jimjuliem says:
Thank you all for your comments on the water knot. They have been very helpful and I do see a condenses here. I think we agree that the water know is a trusted knot when tied and dressed and tightened properly. Two inches seems minimum for the tails, and 3 inches allows some "safety factor". I appreciate your input and will feel a little better when I'm connected to my pro by my slings with secure water knots. JIM
Post new comment