I've seen in come free, but only in light air with a very short end.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Jeff" wrote in message
...
MMC wrote:
I agree with advocates of the bowline for the following reasons: 1) it
will not come untied until you want it to,

Actually, the bowline is not perfect in this regard, especially if not
well finished. I have heard of it coming free when used on jib sheets.

I must confess, though, that I use them on my jib sheets because the
stuns'l tackbends would get too bulky on the clew.

2) when you want it to- you can untie it, and 3)

true

it devalues the breaking strain of the line less than other knots. In
this I mean that if a line is put under heavy strain, it will break at
the knot before it reaches it's stated breaking point because of the
bends required to form the knot will break first.

Nope - this is a myth. Its not bad, but it isn't dramatically better than
many other knots. And it can have a serious problem if used when a anchor
bend should be used.

I'm a firm believer that a boater only needs 3 knots; bowline, clove
hitch, and square; along with a good idea of when to use each and the
ability to do so quickly.

The bowline is clearly a superior knot for many applications. However, the
square knot and clove hitch I only use rarely and their holding power is
so marginal I'd hesitate to teach them to a novice. Why not use teach
useful knots, like a stuns'l tackbend (buntline hitch) or a tautline hitch
or a sheetbend or a figure eight? These knots are used every day. Can
you rig up a sailboat without knowing a stopper knots?