Knots & Lashings Activity

This activity will introduce the First Class Knots (Clove Hitch and Timber Hitch). Using those knots, Scout will then learn Square and Diagonal Lashings, and put those skills to use building a camp gadget.

1.5 to 2 Hours

• FC-3A – Discuss when you should and should not use lashings.
• FC-3B – Demonstrate tying the timber hitch and clove hitch.
• FC-3C – Demonstrate tying the square, shear, and diagonal lashings by joining two or more poles or staves together.
• FC-3D – Use lashings to make a useful camp gadget or structure

– Materials:  for each patrol three 6-foot x 1/4-inch manila ropes (or braided nylon cords), one 12-foot x 1/4-inch manila rope (or braided nylon cord), one log 2-foot long and 3 to 6 inches in diameter, two trees or upright poles 12 to 16 feet apart
– Method:  Lay all the materials on the ground between the trees or upright poles. On signal, with one 6-foot rope, each patrol ties an end to a tree or pole with two half hitches / joins the other end to a second 6-foot rope with a square knot / ties one end of the third 6-foot rope to one end of the log with a timber hitch / forms a loop on the other end of the third 6-foot rope with a bowline / uses the bowline’s loop as the bend to tie a sheet bend to the free end of the second 6-foot rope. Each patrol will also tie one end of the 12-foot rope to the other tree or pole with a taut-line hitch / and the other end to the log with a clove hitch. Finally they will raise the log parallel to the ground by shortening tightening the tautline hitch

1. Tree
2. Two-Half Hitches
3. 6ft Rope
4. Square Knot
5. 6ft Rope
6. Bowline
7. Sheetbend
8. 6ft Rope
9. Timber Hitch
10. Log
11. Clove Hitch
12. 12ft Rope
13. Tautline Hitch
    – Scoring:  The first patrol to suspend the log parallel to the ground with all knots correctly tied wins.