This document provides information about knots required for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts ranks. It lists the knots that Wolf, Bear, and Arrow of Light Cub Scouts need to learn as well as Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class Scouts. It then provides instructions and descriptions for tying overhand, square, two half hitches, taut line hitch, bowline, timber hitch, clove hitch, and how to whip and fuse rope ends. The summaries aim to efficiently convey the key details around knots and ranks.

1. Cub Scouts Pack 140
Scouts BSA Troops 140 and 1140
Conshohocken PA
Intro To Knot Tying

2. Cub Scouts Knots By Rank
Wolf – Call of The Wild
Overhand Knot
Square Knot
Bear – Bear Necessity
Two Half Hitches
Webelos
No new knots are needed
Arrow Of Light
Bowline
Square Knot
Two Half Hitches
Taut Line Hitch

3. BSA Required Knots By Rank
Scout
Square Knot
Tenderfoot Rank
Demonstrate how to whip and fuse the ends of a rope
Two Half Hitches
Taut Line Hitch
Second Class Rank
No new knots are needed
First Class Rank
Timber Hitch
Clove Hitch
Bowline Knot

4. KNOTS

5. Overhand Knot

6. Overhand Knot
Form a loop and pass the end through it.
Tighten it to form the Overhand Knot.
When pulled tight it can function as a
simple stopper knot.
The Overhand Knot is “the simplest of the Single-Strand Stopper Knots.”
It can also be used to prevent the end of a piece of rope unraveling.

7. Square Knot

8. Square Knot
Take two ropes and cross them (red
over blue) to form a half knot.
Cross them a second time (red over blue
again) and pull the ends tight to form the
Square Knot.
The Square knot has many uses but not where safety is critical, e.g., you can tie a sail cover over a sail; you
can tie the string on a gift; and you can tie the laces on your shoes (if they still come with laces).
More importantly, the experience of tying a Square Knot teaches the fundamental process of tying a Half Knot
or Half Hitch.

9. Two Half Hitches Knot

10. Two Half Hitches Knot
Pass the rope around the pole,
around itself, and then between
the ropes to make a Half Hitch.
Go around the rope again to
make the second Half Hitch.
Two Half Hitches are widely used in many circumstances to tie a rope to a post or ring.

11. Taut Line Hitch Knot

12. Taut Line Hitch Knot
The taut-line hitch is an adjustable loop knot for use on lines under tension.
It is useful when the length of a line will need to be periodically adjusted in order to maintain tension.
Make a turn around a post or other
object several feet from the free end.
Coil the free end twice around the
standing line working back toward the
post.
Make one additional coil around the
standing line on the outside of the coils
just made.
Tighten the knot and slide it on the
standing line to adjust tension.

13. Bowline Knot

14. Bowline Knot
Form a small loop leaving enough rope
for the desired loop size.
Pass the end of the rope through the
loop as though making an overhand
knot.
Continue around the standing end and
then back through the small loop.
The Bowline makes a reasonably secure loop in the end of a piece of rope.
It has many uses, e.g., to fasten a mooring line to a ring or a post.
Under load, it does not slip or bind.
With no load it can be untied easily.
Two bowlines can be linked together to join two ropes.

15. Timber Hitch Knot

16. Timber Hitch Knot
Pass the end of the rope around the pole
and then around the standing end.
Wrap the end around itself three times
and tighten the knot so that the three
turns are gripped against the pole.
The Timber Hitch is useful when towing a spar or log either afloat or on land.
When used for this purpose, the Timber Hitch is often placed near the center of the spar and a separate Half
Hitch is dropped over the end of the spar to act as a guide.

17. Clove / Double Hitch Knot

18. Clove / Double Hitch Knot
Pass the end of the rope around the
pole.
Continue over the standing end and
around the pole a second time.
Thread the end under itself and pull tight
to form the clove hitch.
The clove hitch is considered one of the most important knots and is commonly referred to as a Double Hitch.
A clove hitch is two successive half-hitches around an object. It is most effectively used as a crossing knot
and used to securing lines running along a series of posts, belaying, starting lashings and fix weak binding.

19. WHIP & FUSE

20. Whip

21. Lay the twine against the rope and wrap
the long end around the rope about 8
turns.
Make a bight in the short end.
Wrap the long end about 8 more times
around both the rope and the bight.
On the final turn pass the long end
through the bight.
Pull the short end to hide and secure the
long one. Trim the ends off.
Whip
The Common Whipping is the classic simple whipping to create a very neat appearance with no visible ends.

22. Fuse

23. Fuse
Cut away the frayed part of the rope.
Working in a well-ventilated area, hold each end
of the rope a few inches above a lighter, match
or candle to melt and fuse the strands together.
Let it cool off for a few minutes.
Be careful: Melted nylon is hot and sticky, so
don’t touch the end until it’s completely cool.
HOW TO FUSE THE END OF A ROPE
For synthetic materials like nylon, fuse the rope. Rope and cord made from plastic or nylon will melt when
exposed to high heat.