Killick Hitch
hitch knot
Life-safety notice
TyingPoint's illustrations are for learning. For any life-safety use — climbing, rope access, rescue, or load-bearing rigging — seek qualified in-person instruction, and always inspect and test every knot before you trust your weight (or anyone else's) to it.
Before purpose-made anchors were universal, sailors and fishermen commonly improvised one from whatever heavy, irregular object was on hand - a large stone, a chunk of iron, a piece of scrap - and called the improvised anchor a killick. Tying a rope securely to something with no proper ring or eye, in a way that keeps it hanging at a stable, predictable angle rather than twisting free, needed its own dedicated technique, and that's exactly what the killick hitch provides.
The method attaches the rope at two separated points along the object rather than one - a timber hitch near one end, then a half hitch dropped over the end further along. The two points do different jobs rather than sharing the load: the timber hitch grips, tightening under a steady pull, and the half hitch keeps the object from twisting or swinging out of line as it moves.
This two-point principle shows up anywhere an object without a proper attachment eye needs to be dragged, hauled, or hung in a controlled, non-rotating orientation - not only improvised stone anchors, but any similarly awkward, ringless object that a single-point hitch would tend to slip free of or swing unpredictably from.
Where a real ring, eye, or shackle exists on the object being tied, there's rarely a reason to reach for the more involved killick hitch instead of a simpler round turn and two half hitches - the killick hitch earns its place specifically on genuinely irregular objects with nothing proper to tie to.
Choosing where along the object to place the second attachment point takes some judgment: too close to the first and the two points behave almost like a single tie-off, defeating the purpose; too far apart, especially on an unevenly weighted object, and one point can end up bearing far more of the load than the other. Fishermen who tied killicks regularly developed a feel for balancing the two points by eye, generally aiming for a spot that kept the stone or weight hanging with its heaviest mass low and stable once the rope came taut.
The knot's continued relevance today is mostly in improvised or survival contexts - rigging a drag anchor from a rock when no purpose-made anchor is available, or securing an irregular salvaged object for hauling - situations where the core problem the killick hitch was built to solve (a heavy, ringless, unevenly shaped object that needs to hang predictably from a rope) still comes up occasionally outside any maritime setting at all.
How to tie the Killick Hitch
- 1Pass the rope around the object and bring the working end back around its own standing part.
- 2Wrap the working end back around itself three or more times inside that loop, so the turns lie against the object - this is a timber hitch.
- 3Pull the standing part to draw the timber hitch snug, then run the standing part along the object toward the end it will be towed or hoisted from.
- 4Drop a half hitch over that end of the object.
- 5Snug both points so the timber hitch takes the pull and the half hitch simply holds the object in line.
Strength & security
The timber hitch does all the actual gripping, tightening under a steady pull; the half hitch further along carries little load and exists to keep an awkward, unbalanced object from swinging or rotating as it is towed or hoisted. Separating those two jobs is what makes the hitch work on objects with nothing proper to tie to.
Cautions: It's built for irregular objects without a proper attachment eye; where a real ring, shackle, or eye exists, reach for something plainer and more secure - a round turn and two half hitches.
Alternatives
- Timber Hitch
Better suited to a single-point drag on a roughly cylindrical object like a log, where the killick hitch's two-point attachment is built specifically for oddly shaped or unbalanced objects.
FAQ
What is a killick?
A traditional improvised anchor made from whatever heavy object was available - often a large stone - used before purpose-made anchors were universal aboard small or working boats.
Why does the killick hitch use two attachment points?
Because the two points do different jobs. The timber hitch grips the object and tightens under a steady pull; the half hitch dropped over the end carries very little load and is there to stop an awkward, unevenly weighted object from twisting or swinging as it is towed or hoisted.
Should I use a killick hitch on an object that has a proper ring?
No - a simpler round turn and two half hitches is the better, faster choice whenever a real attachment eye exists; the killick hitch's extra complexity is specifically for ringless, irregular objects.
How far apart should the two attachment points be on a killick hitch?
The timber hitch goes where it can grip, often near the middle of a spar, and the half hitch goes over the end the object will be pulled from - far enough along that it can actually hold the object in line. It is not about balancing load between the two, since the timber hitch is carrying nearly all of it.