Editing Bowline (section)

{{short description|Simple knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope}}
{{for|the UK submarine emergency response test program|Exercise Bowline}}
{{Infobox knot
| image = Palstek innen.jpg
| name = Bowline 
| names = Boling knot (archaic)
| type = Loop
| origin = Ancient
| related = [[Sheet bend]], [[Double bowline]], [[Water bowline]], [[Yosemite bowline]], [[Spanish bowline]], [[Portuguese bowline]], [[Triple bowline]], [[Bowline on a bight]], [[Running bowline]], [[Poldo tackle]], [[Eskimo bowline]], [[Cowboy bowline]], [[Cossack knot]], [[Kalmyk loop]]
| releasing = non-jamming<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.animatedknots.com/bowline-knot|title=Bowline Knot}}</ref>
| uses = Making a fixed loop at the end of a line.
| caveat = While widely considered a reliable knot, when tied in certain materials or loading conditions it may not hold. Tends to work itself loose when not under tension.
| abok_number = #1010, #1716
| instructions= [http://www.animatedknots.com/bowline-knot]
}}

The '''bowline''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|oʊ|l|ɪ|n}}) is an ancient and simple [[knot]] used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope. It has the virtues of being both easy to tie and untie; most notably, it is easy to untie after being subjected to a load. The bowline is sometimes referred to as ''king of the knots'' because of its importance. Along with the [[sheet bend]] and the [[clove hitch]], the bowline is often considered one of the most essential knots.<ref>Cassidy 1985, ''The Klutz Book of Knots''</ref> 

The common bowline shares some structural similarity with the sheet bend. Virtually all end-to-end joining knots (i.e., [[Bend knot|bends]]) have a corresponding loop knot. 

Although the bowline is generally considered a reliable knot, its main deficiencies are a tendency to work loose when not under load (or under cyclic loading),<ref name=":02">{{cite web |author1=Jan Simon |author2=Vladimir Dekys |author3=P. Palček |date=2019-11-15 |title=Revision of Commonly Used Loop Knots Efficiencies |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344689340 |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=ResearchGate |pages=413–414 |language=English |quote=stopper knot is mandatory … tends to spontaneously loosen under cyclic loading  … is not recommended to use this knot in life-critical applications |ref=loop_knot_study}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gommers |first=Mark |date=14 Jan 2021 |title=AN ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE OF 'BOWLINES' |url=http://www.paci.com.au/knots.php |page=58 |quote=This form of the Simple Bowline is resistant to ring loading but is still not suitable for mission critical applications. |edition=3.0}}</ref> to slip when pulled sideways,<ref>{{cite web|title=How safe is the bowline knot in different situations?|url=http://outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/3798/how-safe-is-the-bowline-knot-in-different-situations|work=The Great Outdoors|access-date=12 March 2013}}</ref> and the [[bight (knot)|bight]] portion of the knot to [[Knot#Capsizing|capsize]] in certain circumstances.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.helsinki.fi/~galambos/knot/loop.html|title=LOOP KNOTS|website=www.helsinki.fi|access-date=2017-06-01}}</ref> To address these shortcomings, a number of more secure variations of the bowline have been developed for use in [[safety-critical]] applications, or by securing the knot with an [[overhand knot]] backup.