Stopper knots commonly used in NPCC:
- Thumb Knot
- Figure of Eight Knot
- Double Overhand Knot
Four functions of stopper knots:
- Prevent ends of rope from fraying
- For preventing a rope from slipping through a hole / knot.
- For adding weight to a particular point of the rope
- For providing a handhold for gripping, e.g. tied at regular intervals of lifelines to prevent rope from slipping through hands.
1. Thumb Knot/Overhand knot
2. Figure-of-Eight Knot
- A stopper or end knot.
- From
this knot, a double figure of eight knot can be tied, which is primarily used
in securing harnesses in rock climbing and height activities
Another method to tie the figure-of-eight knot is as follows. However, this is a more confusing method compared to the above method as twisting the rope only 180 degrees or inserting the working end wrongly through the loop may result in an overhand knot instead.
Comparison: thumb knot vs figure-of-eight knot
- The figure of eight knot is stronger than the thumb knot, because the figure of eight is more bulky and has a larger surface area. Force applied on it is spread out over a larger area, reducing the pressure or strain on the knot. Thus, the figure of eight can withstand a larger load.
- The figure of eight knot is easier to untie than the thumb knot, because there are more bends and cuts which create gaps that allow for easier untying.
- The figure of eight knot will require more resources (a.k.a. longer length of rope) to tie due to its bulkier form.