Whip that rope!

[mrkstvns]

Working with new scouts is a lot of fun --- they have so much excitement and ambition!  I've noticed though that a lot of scouts struggle a bit with learning (and especially remembering) how to whip a rope.  Bryan on Scouting had a post last week about a method called "West Country Whipping" that is a LOT easier to use than the traditional whipping described in the Scout Handbook.  It's so simple and straightforward that it should also be easier to remember a couple years from now.  (I suspect most scouts forget how to whip a rope about 7 minutes after the Scoutmaster signs off on the requirement.)

The process is:

1. Start by tying a half-knot, the way you would start a square knot, near the rope’s end.
2. Continue by carrying the two ends of the whipping cord around the back of the rope, away from you, and tie another half-knot identical to the first.
3. Keep repeating the half-knots, front and back, pulling each one tight.
4. Form each half-knot the same way, either right over left, or left over right, so they interlock neatly together, and snug against the previous half-knot.
5. Continue the process until the whipping is as wide as the rope’s diameter.
6. Finish off with a tight square knot.
7. Finally, the excess cord is trimmed.

The only downside I see to the West Country Whip is that it doesn't look or feel as durable as the traditional whip, so adding a drop or two of Gorilla Glue to "seal" the whip would help it stand up to the test of time.

The article is here:
https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2019/09/19/try-this-easy-technique-next-time-you-need-to-whip-a-rope/

 

Anybody else tried whipping a rope the "West Country" way?  I'm sold on it and I plan to show new scouts that method from now on...

[Saltface]

I've played with it a few times. If I need (or have time for) a better whipping than a common whipping, I prefer going straight to a sailmaker's whipping (ABoK 3446 for you knot nerds). There's a lot more friction holding the whipping on.

[qwazse]

One knot guide of mine has several different ways to whip rope. It was more coffee table book than manual, so I never took it with me to anywhere that I needed to practice.