While many knots are suitable for tying a ski rope to the ski pylon in your boat, the Surgeon's Loop is secure--it won't come undone--and will withstand the strain placed on a ski rope without sliding on the pylon when it's not under a strain. With a bit of thought and effort, it can be tied with one hand and when the skier is retrieved for the last time, the Surgeons Loop can be removed from the pylon without the use of a fire axe.
Grasp the bitter end (the very end, much as its name implies) of the line in the left hand and slide the right hand down the line about one foot. Form a bight (a u-turn) in the line by bringing your left hand and right hand together as if to form a loop, then wrapping your right hand around both sides of the bight.
2
Take the end of the loop in your left hand and tie an overhand knot by wrapping the turn of the bight (the u-turn itself) around the standing part of the line (the part of the line you're not moving around) to form a loop, then thread the turn of the bight through the loop. Don't pull it tight, yet.
3
Thread the turn of the bight through the loop a second time and adjust the size of the knot, so that the bitter end is well past the knot you're tying.
4
Pull the knot tight by grasping the bitter end in one hand and the turn of the bight in the other, and pulling in opposite directions. As you pull, the bight will become the loop you lay over the ski pylon.
Tips & Warnings
If you tie the Surgeon's Loop and the bight is too small to go over the ski pylon, tie the knot again, moving your hands farther apart before forming the bight in the line.
Always use a line of sufficient size and with the correct safe working load for the job at hand. The safe working load (in pounds) is determined with a calculator by multiplying the decimal diameter of the rope by itself, then multiplying by 2,000: for the safe working load of a 1/4 inch line: 0.25 x 0.25; 0.0625 x 2,000 = 125 pounds. For a 1/2 inch line, 0.5 x 0.5 = 0.25; 0.25 x 2,000 = 500 pounds.
