You don't necessarily need to get rid of knots. Just use the right ones. Figure 8 follow-thru is a good knot. It's what I use to repel and rescue at the Fire Dept. IMHO...the best life safety knot.
It's a hammock thing, you won't understand!
The wife no longer kicks me out of bed after she saw a hammock hanging in the dog house.
Knots in ropes unlike welds in metal do not strengthen the base material, but weaken it - this is due to the separate forces at work on the knot and the different forces of friction (depending on the knot) - It would be for this reason that I would question what type of knot is in use to create the anchor points for the hammock to hang from. In this case, an alpine butterfly (mid-line knot, butterfly knot, etc) may produce the best use as it doesn't slip, won't weaken the rope as much and provide the best directional loading possible.
Edit:
Ah, it seems you've already indicated what type of knot you were using - sorry about that
The alpine butterfly would be preferred over the Wireman's knot because of the internal tension/friction placed on the rope - plus it allows for easier disassembly when you need to alter your hammock sag - with all the same directional loading as the Wireman's
cheers-
Last edited by WetRivrRat; 07-31-2012 at 16:34. Reason: I'm a slow typer...
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As SS mentioned here, and many more on this forum, be careful with knots.
I myself wouldn't suspect Amsteel to fail by being knotted with proper setup (no unnecessary forces due to improper hang angles), But Opie's 'ropecrafting' posts make splicing a much less daunting task than it appears. Well worth the look!
Looks cozy.
The more T.V I watch, the less I feel like my self.
My You Tube Videos below...
http://www.youtube.com/user/FALKORDOG?feature=guide
I tried the splicing thing many years ago [1] and came to the conclusion that I am A) All thumbs when it comes to splicing and B) Short, thick fingers have their uses, fine detail work isn't one of them. That said, I plan to get some MIG wire and make a splicing needle and give it a go again.
As for knots, I'm comfortable with knots having tied many prior to rappelling off cliffs, a building or 12 (roof and window), and out of a helicopter a few dozen times [2].
[1] 3/4" 3-strand twisted nylon. We were making mooring lines. "Ugly" doesn't begin to describe my work
[2] Swiss and Aussie
If it's stupid but works, it isn't stupid.
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