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Survival · Rigging

How to make rope, tackle, and hoists do work without killing you

Fiber and wire rope, knots, tackle, gin poles, and hoists. 151 article titles. Load tables stay in the app.

§ 01

The direct answer

Rope fails at the knot, the chafe, or the person who did not know the working load. A pretty hitch that halves the strength is not a skill — it is a surprise. Whip the end so it does not unlay. Inspect wire rope for broken wires before you hang a load on it.

A block and tackle buys mechanical advantage at the cost of rope length and friction. A gin pole is a stick that wants to kick out if the guys are slack. Bowlines make a loop that does not slip; half hitches are temporary. Match the knot to the job.

151 titles sit behind this hub. Breaking-strength tables and splice diagrams stay in the offline library. The knot trainer on this site covers the joins you will use most.

§ 02

The rigging stack — five things that keep a load from becoming a missile

If you cannot name the working load, you are guessing.

Whip / splice
An unlaid end is a fuse. Whip it or splice it before the first lift.
Knot
Bowline for a loop, hitch for a pole, bend for joining. Know what each one costs in strength.
Tackle
More parts of line = more advantage and more friction. Fairlead it.
Anchor
A gin pole or deadman that can take the kick. Slack guys are how poles fall.
Inspect
Broken wires, crushed fiber, heat glaze. If it looks tired, retire it.
§ 03

In the offline library — titles only

12 titles · 151 articles in this cluster · full text in-app

  1. 01Simple Block and Tackle Rigging for Manila Rope
  2. 02Speir Knot: Fixed Loop with Quick Release
  3. 03Making and Using a Spanish Windlass for Hoisting or Pulling Loads
  4. 04Understanding the Breaking Strength of Knots and Splices
  5. 05Rolling Hitch: Securing Rope to Another Rope or Pole
  6. 06How to Determine the Size, Weight, and Strength of Fiber Rope
  7. 07How to Rig and Use a Gin Pole for Lifting Operations
  8. 08How to Tie and Use the Figure-Eight Knot
  9. 09Basket Socket End Fittings: Permanent Wire Rope Terminations
  10. 10How to Whip the End of a Rope to Prevent Untwisting
  11. 11How to Tie a Bowline for Forming Secure Loops
  12. 12Two Half Hitches: Securing the Running End to the Standing Part

Titles only. Full text, regional variants, and tables are in the offline library — they are not published on this site.

§ 04

Related

Knot guide →Craft →Sea & boats →

All sixteen topics: survival index. Educational reference — disclaimer.

Then get it on the phone

You’re reading this with a signal. The situation it describes is one where you won’t have one.