The Anchor Bend

[cory]

This is a superb termination knot imo for your climbing line.

I've used it for many years with zero issues. It is quick to tie and untie.

My question to those of you that also use it, or those of you who may know through research etc- is it necessary to tie a stopper knot on the tail?

Sure, a stopper knot can't hurt but if it is deemed unnecessary , then that would be nice....one less thing.

 

[Tree09]

I've never stopper knotted it, it's bomber as is. Very good knot. I also love the midshipman's knot, equally bomber and is one less wrap on the object (crab) so it takes up less room. Great for the legs of a friction hitch.

 

[Fiddler]

A stopper was required where I learned so I continued to use one out of habit as much as anything.

Not sure about elsewhere.

 

[lxskllr]

I've seen stoppers mentioned... somewhere. Can't remember where, or if it was even climbing related. I don't use one. I've yet to see it slip at all once snugged down. Perhaps in some other application where it isn't particularly weighted, and maybe flapping around in the wind or something, but some other knot would probably be better there.

 

[Bodean]

The only thing I dont like about the anchor knot is the termination point leaves at a side angle to the main part of rope... I use a double fisherman's cause the tail goes parallel w main part of line.

 

[cory]

Good input, 09. Never heard a the Midship knot, it reminded me of the taut line, and this came up

 

[cory]

The only thing I dont like about the anchor knot....

I thought I was picky!!

 

[Tree09]

That looks tied wrong, I'll find it done correctly. It's basically a running clove hitch, and the termination should be buried in the knot not on the outside to come undone, exactly how a tautline is done but with one less loop. I may be confused with a buntline hitch, I'll double check. They are all similar.

 

[BeerGeek]

I use the anchor on my setup, and always put a stopper 8 out of habit (as it is life safety).

 

[Tree09]

I'm sorry @cory, i meant to say buntline hitch. Seems like i need to review my knot books again, but then again i don't live on a square rigged ship and spend my days climbing ratlines to reef topsails all day and night

 

[cory]

LOL ratlines!!!!

 

[Tree09]

Lol that is the actual name for them! I remembered that at least 😅

 

[cory]

I know, but its just a word one rarely hears these days!

 

[Tree09]

They do give a perfectly good picture of what they are, with sailors clamoring up them just like a rat would!

 

[cory]

Fo sho.

Them old time sailors....living the barefoot life!!

 

[Eric H-L]

I don’t climb much MRS and I splice all my lanyards and use factory sewn eye and eye friction cords. That said…I was taught only the scaffold/fisherman’s loop and the follow through figure eight for tying in to biner. It seems like the mountaineering safety police are strict about using only fig 8 and the rope access rules push the scaffold. I am getting a rebellious rush learning buntline and anchor hitch! I like them both better than than the safety approved terminations. I get it … that it’s easy for a newb like me to tie the buntline wrong and get the unsafe two half hitches. I guess if I was responsible for others safety I would want to teach something that can be readily checked by somebody else. (I hear that is an advantage of follow through figure eight)

 

[Naturarbo]

help me here is the anchor a bend or a hitch?
damn terminology...especially me being portuguese.
The buntline even made me learn more portuguese, volta da linha do bojo...does bunt mean the point that boats are in water?

 

[cory]

A bend joins rope to rope, I think. So if I'm correct, I guess the anchor bend isn't a bend, it is a hitch.

Good know though. I've been using it with no termination as discussed above, no issues. Secure and easy to tie and untie

 

[Naturarbo]

A bend joins rope to rope, I think. So if I'm correct, I guess the anchor bend isn't a bend, it is a hitch.

Good know though. I've been using it with no termination as discussed above, no issues. Secure and easy to tie and untie

when using ropes without eye its always my first choice.
About terminology my nightmare is all these different names in a foreign language...then translate these to your speaking

 

[lxskllr]

The anchor is traditionally called a bend. Why? I don't know. Probably for the lulz. It's a hitch though. The internet tells me the "bunt" is the middle part of a square sail, with wikipedia giving this page for clewlines and buntlines...

Clewlines and buntlines - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It would probably be kind of interesting to know why the buntline hitch was used for buntlines instead of the thousand other hitches that could be used. Might just be a case of "This works, so this is the official way now". Nautical terminology will be a rabbit hole for another day.

edit:
Can't leave well enough alone. Wikipedia says this about the anchor bend...

"Its name originates from the time when "bend" was understood to simply mean "tie to"; today, a bend strictly refers to a knot that joins two lines."

Anchor bend - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"oncear bendum," an early evidence of use of anchor bends by Anglo-Saxons from Beowulf

Pretty old...

 

[BeerGeek]

If it looks like a hitch, and smells like a hitch, then a hitch it must be....

Patrick gives a good demo of it here:

 

[Tree09]

I always thought the 8 was loved in mountaineering because it's super simple to tie, so when you aren't thinking clearly it's ok, and it's very easy to check at a glance. The anchor bend is bomber tho, i just don't like the 2 wraps on the biner, so i mainly use the buntline. As a fitter they teach everyone the clove hitch, so most fitters only know that knot, but that shows how easy learning to tie a clove hitch is, which is basically all a buntline is, a clove around the standing part.

 

[pantheraba]

No workee....get

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[lxskllr]

I like the 8 for a stopper, or a blank loop on the end, but I don't like knots that have to be traced to fasten to a ring of some kind.

 

[BeerGeek]

No workee....get

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Error-Code: 403

Gary, fixed it. I copied the link from the email I send out to my brush monkeys for training. My stupid email service via the web incorporates their web page reference into the URL. Thanks for pointing out.