Knot tying remains one of the true art forms practiced by sailors. For thousands of years, the skills of knot tying, line handling, and sewing were necessary skills for those who manned the great sailing ships of old. Knot boards are a popular piece of nautical decor and are actually replicas of teaching tools used to advance the craft of knot making and splicing.

Decorative knot boards are not only a beautiful example of nautical decor, but they can be educational as well. Whether you want to accent the theme of a single room or entire house, decorative knot boards and nautical decor has something for everybody.

Maintaining a seagoing sailing ship meant that sailors had to have the skills to plane wood, mend sails, and tie knots. Far out to sea and many miles from land, and often without access to other resources, many of the skills sailors developed were born out of necessity. Marlinspike seamanship refers to this collective set of skills. Resembling a long, tapered awl, a marlinspike is a tool used to pry apart strands of rope. The marlinspike remains a vital piece of gear for any deckhand.

Knot tying is an essential skill for any sailor. Names used for various knots are thought to come from several sources. The name would describe the type of knot. Bends, hitches, bowlines and loops all have specific uses and can be seen in various configurations. Most often, the name is synonymous with the shape of the knot.

The most basic type of knot is the square knot. Also known as a reef knot, the knot takes on a square shape when it is properly tied. Square knots are quite strong and are used to join rope of equal size. A wrongly tied square knot is called a granny knot. When faced with two lengths of rope of different diameters, a sailor would use a sheepshank or sheep bend. The manner in which the ropes wrap around each other creates a very strong bond.

Vital to the keeping a ship seaworthy, ropes, lines, and shrouds need constant care and maintenance. Anyone who has used a length of rope knows all too well that the end of the rope is prone to fray. A back splice would used in order to keep the end of a rope from fraying. This technique involves separating the strands of rope and weaving the strands back into the body of the rope. An alternative to back splicing is called whipping. Heavy thread would be tightly wound around the end of the rope, securing it.

Due to constant wear and tear, it was common for lines to break over time and a technique known as long splicing was used to rejoin the broken sections. Like welding is to metal, splicing creates a bond that is stronger than the rope itself. The process is similar to the back splice where the strands are woven into the body of the rope. Other variations of splicing that serve a particular need such as an eye splice create a strong loop at the end of the line.

Many of us are familiar with the art of macrame. Very popular during the nineteen sixties and seventies, macrame is decorative rope work that has been practiced by sailors for centuries. Sailors are well known for practicing this ancient art and examples of this unique craft can be seen on modern ships.

Knot boards, in addition to being decorative can be educational as well. As a piece of nautical decor, the knot board is a great way display the ancient and important art of knotting, splicing, and decorative weaving.