bosun stuff

Got a long, 2" wide nylon tow strap someone formed an eye in one end of by doubling the strap and knotting. A subsequent pull has left a mamoo tough knot.....one with a set to it.

I sat down and tried to pick the knot with an ice pick, trying to get any kind of slack, anywhere in it. After all my finagling, I couldn't get anywhere at all without piercing or tearing the strap material.

Can anyone offer me any further tips or tricks so I can salvage the strap intact?

If not, what I guess I'll do is simply cut out the knot part and take the remaining two pieces to a shoe shop and get 'em lapped and sewn across in a number of places. That way I'll have a 25% shorter tow strap, but still good to go.

The guy that put the loop in the strap made a good sized loop, Because the strap is doubled where the loop and knot go, it eats up a lot of the length.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try 'em all.

For the future never use an overhand knot for anything. If this was a figure 8 you could break it down.

Soak in warm, really soapy water?

Dip it in boiling water, let it sit there for a minute, then work it. Don't attatck it with sharp or pointy objects because you will break strands. Knead the thing towards the direction you want it to move. Sometimes these things come down so hard, I have seen them actually melt the synthetic materials. When you get it open, take it to an upholstery shop, and have the new loop sewn in there on a commercial sewing machine.

Steve, an Offshore Petroleum Institute Certified Rigger

Or a bowline....

I lost a foot off the end of a nylon rope one time. Friend of mine tied it onto my ball hitch with a slipknot. Well, the doggone thing pulled so tight there was no loosening it. He left a couple inches of short end hanging, too, so I lost about a foot. Have to show him a bowline some day.