Jury mast knot
Jury mast knot | |
---|---|
Loop | |
Related | Tom fool's knot, Handcuff knot, Bottle sling |
Typical use | Jury rigging a mast, carrying pitchers |
ABoK | #1167, #1168, #1169, #2563 |
The jury mast knot (or masthead knot) is traditionally presented as to be used for
Due to a lack of hard historical evidence there is uncertainty whether this supposed rigging knot was ever commonly used for rigging jury masts.[2]
Variations
There are three closely related variations of this knot. They differ based on the type of crossing, overhand or underhand, of the three initial loops and then whether the edges of each loop is positioned over or under the previous one. Although these knots are tied in the bight, for the purposes of description the left side will be considered the standing part. If all the crossings and overlays are reversed, or the right side is taken as the standing part, a mirror image of the knot will result.
#1167
This variation might grip the mast best (per Ashley) in the absence of other means to prevent the knot from sliding downwards. The pattern of this variation, from the left, is: under-under/over-over.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1167-diagram.png/300px-Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1167-diagram.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1167.jpg/300px-Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1167.jpg)
#1168
This variation is the simplest of the three in structure (though not in tying) and lends itself to being reinforced by tying a reef knot with the two free ends. The pattern of this variation, from the left, is: under-over-under/over-over.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1168-diagram.png/300px-Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1168-diagram.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1168.jpg/300px-Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1168.jpg)
#1169
The pattern of this variation, from the left, is: under-under-under/under-under.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1169-diagram.png/300px-Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1169-diagram.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1169.jpg/300px-Jury-mast-knot-ABOK-1169.jpg)