This is Ship related, I promise

Big Jake wrote:

OK, Here goes AND I just know I deserve some ribbing over this. Over the 4 day weekend (Marti-Gras in New Orleans)  I started 2 large deck projects in my front yard (I have an acre). I'm building the decks around a few old growth oak trees.  In the pictures, you will see the deck layout.  http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/570241977kdoDls I'm also going to build a tree house for the grandkids in the trees and tie that into both decks.  The lower deck will have a slide going to it from the tree house.  The higher deck will have a "rock" climb and ARE YOU READY FOR THE SHIP RELATED ITEM.  I want to make a ratline going up to the tree house deck.  However, I need some help finding how to tie the knots. What is the name of the knot used in tieing the ratlines. I have a source for learning how to tie.

it's a clove hitch

The absolutely authentic way to do it (if you're replicating the eighteenth, nineteenth, or twentieth century) is to make an eyesplice in each end of the ratline, seize the eyesplice to the foremost and aftermost shroud, and tie the ratline around each intervening shroud with a clove hitch.  I'm not sure I've ever seen a model with eyesliced ratlines.  (Maybe the 1/2-scale whaler at New Bedford?)  My inclination in this case would be to rig them the way I usually do on small-scale models:  tie the ends of the ratlines to the foremost and aftermost shrouds with a reef knot (aka square knot), and to the intervening ones with clove hitches.  If you use clove hitches for the foremost and aftermost ones, there's a good chance that they'll come loose.

Sounds like a fun project, Jake.  Good luck with it.

That's the ticket, I could not remember a Clove Hitch knot.  I plan on making at least  4 shrouds about 5 feet in the air. I post some pictures.

Check this out

 http://www.animatedknots.com/cloveboating/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com