Bowline work "A Sea Grammar" under the name Boling knot. Smith considered the knot to be strong and secure, saying, "The "Boling knot" is also so firmly made and fastened by the bridles into the cringles of the sails, they will break, or the sail split before it will slip." Another possible finding was discovered on the rigging of the Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu's solar ship during an excavation in 1954. The bowline is used to make a loop at one end of a line. It is tied with the rope's working end also known as the "tail" or "end". The
Bowline on a bight a climbing harness by tying a regular bowline knot and then re-threading it, such as is done with a figure eight knot. However, it is "critical" to use a strong backup knot with plenty of tail beyond the knot, as the knot may untie during long climbs. The advantage of using this knot instead of the figure eight knot is that it can be easily untied after a severe fall. The bight of rope is initially used to make a bowline in the usual way (picture on right). However, the bowline is "not" completed by going on round the standing