Knot Strengths
So, how strong is a knot...Knot very!
According to the U.S. Coast Guard in their Boat Crew Seamanship Manual common knots loose much of the line's strength. The following table is from the above manual.
| Knots or Splice | Percent of Line Breaking Strength Lost |
Percent of Line Breaking Strength Remaining |
| Square | 46 | 54 |
| Bowline | 37 | 63 |
| Two Bowlines (Eye in Eye) | 43 | 57 |
| Becket Bend | 41 | 59 |
| Double Becket Bend | 41 | 59 |
| Round Turn | 30-35 | 65-70 |
| Timber Hitch | 30-35 | 65-70 |
| Clove Hitch | 40 | 60 |
| Eye Splice | 5-10 | 90-95 |
| Short Splice | 15 | 85 |