How to Tie the Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method)

Usage

The Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method) gives you two adjustable eyes off a single collar, so a load can be balanced across two separate attachment points instead of resting on one. It's what you want when a single Bowline leaves you a loop short — rigging a tow between two cleats, hoisting a kayak by its bow and stern, or spreading a litter bridle across two attachment points.

It's built on the same nipping-loop mechanism as a standard Bowline, just extended so the working end passes through the loop twice instead of once. That gives you two separate, adjustable eyes sharing one collar, and you can still slide rope from one loop to the other to center the knot between your two anchors, even after it's snugged down. Tied in the bight mid-rope with no working end, the same two-eye structure is known as the Portuguese Bowline in the Bight.

Why Learn the Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method)?

The case for it is simple: it solves a problem a single Bowline can't. The moment you need two independent attachment points off one rope — balancing a dinghy for a lift, or spreading a tow between two cleats — a regular Bowline only gives you one loop. This one gives you two, and you can adjust either loop's size before you snug it down. The "Snap Method" here is the two-anchor-point technique Bear Essentials Outdoors uses to tie it: feed the line through both anchor points first, then build the Bowline structure around them, rather than tying the knot first and clipping it to anchors afterward.

What it isn't is compact or self-adjusting. It eats more rope than a single-loop Bowline, and the two loops aren't fully independent of each other — loading one can affect how the other feeds. Some people call this knot "self-equalizing," but that's not quite right: you have to manually slide rope between the loops to balance a load, it won't do that on its own. Know that going in and you'll get the real value here, which is genuine adjustability, not automatic balancing.

Because the two loops share a single collar, it's easy to lose track of which strand feeds where while you're tying. The Knot IQ app from Bear Essentials Outdoors rotates the finished knot in 3D so you can trace each loop back through the shared collar before you trust it with a real load.

Common Uses

This is a two-loop adjustable knot, prized for balancing a load across two separate anchor points and for coming apart easily once the tension is off.

Boating / Marine

Search and Rescue (SAR)

Household

Other Names French Bowline Bowline on a Coil Caulker's Bowline Lisbon Surprise Category Boating / Marine Search and Rescue (SAR) Hoisting Utility (Everyday Life) Household

Variations Bear's Grip Hitch – Bear Essentials Outdoors' own "Ursa Mod" take on the two-eye structure.

Notable Features

• Two independent-adjustable eyes. One collar, two loops, and you can still slide rope between them to resize either one, even after the knot is snugged down.
• Builds on a knot you already know. It's a standard Bowline nipping loop, just fed through twice — if you can tie a Bowline, you're most of the way there.
• One-handed tieable. Multiple sources note this as a real advantage, useful for freeing your other hand when you need it.
• Comes apart easily once slack. Like any Bowline, the collar breaks open by hand once the tension is off.

Similar Knots

Spanish Bowline vs. Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method)

• Advantage: the Spanish Bowline is tied entirely in the bight (mid-rope, no working end needed at either anchor), which makes it the better pick when you can't reach a rope end. Both knots sit in the same double-loop family, but the Spanish Bowline's loops are forked apart rather than sharing one collar.
• Disadvantage: the Spanish Bowline is a fussier tie to learn from scratch, while the Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method) is a straightforward extension of a knot most people already know.

Bowline vs. Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method)

• Advantage: the standard Bowline is faster to tie, uses less rope, and is the knot every sailor and camper already knows. Use it whenever one loop is all you need.
• Disadvantage: a single Bowline only gives you one attachment point. The moment you need to balance a load across two anchors, you need the second loop the Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method) provides.

Double Bowline vs. Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method)

• Advantage: the Double Bowline reinforces a single loop with an extra wrap for more security in one eye — the pick when you want one strong loop, not two separate ones.
• Disadvantage: it still only gives you one usable loop. It doesn't solve the two-anchor-point problem the Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method) is built for.

Bear's Grip Hitch (Ursa Mod) vs. Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method)

• Advantage: the Bear's Grip Hitch is Bear Essentials Outdoors' own "Ursa Mod" take on this knot — a variation of the Portuguese Bowline worth a look if you like the two-eye structure but want to try the modified version.
• Disadvantage: as a modified variant it changes how the classic Snap Method behaves, so it's worth learning the standard Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method) here first, then exploring the mod.

Security Level

Loaded straight down through both loops, this knot holds the way a Bowline always holds — the nipping loop clamps down on the working end. Where it gets particular is direction and balance: the two loops aren't independent of each other, so loading one hard against the other can let a loop collapse or loosen. Load it off-axis instead of straight down and it can come undone entirely. Once it's seated correctly under load, though, it's snug enough that it won't want to shift on its own.

For hard towing loads — think towing a car or a heavy boat under real strain — this knot isn't the right tool: it can jam solid and need to be cut free rather than untied. It's a different story for lighter sling loads, like lifting or towing a dinghy or kayak, where it holds up well and stays easy to release once the tension is off.

Downsides

• Uses more rope: two adjustable eyes off one collar take up noticeably more length than a single-loop Bowline.
• Loops aren't fully independent: load one loop hard against the other and it can collapse or loosen. Balancing the two loops needs your attention, not automatic equalizing.
• Direction-sensitive: it needs to be loaded straight down through both loops. Load it off-axis and it can come undone.
• Jams under hard towing: for heavy vehicle or boat towing under real strain, this knot can jam tight and need to be cut open rather than untied. Save it for lighter sling loads instead.
• Bulkier than a single loop: the two-loop, shared-collar shape has more profile than a plain Bowline, which matters if you're dragging it through tight spaces.

How to Tie the Portuguese Bowline (Snap Method)

This method builds two loops around two fixed anchor points, using the same nipping-loop mechanism as a standard Bowline. If you already know the Bowline, the underlying lock at the end will feel familiar — here's the refresher on that core move:

1. Form a small loop (the "rabbit hole") in the standing part, with the standing part running underneath the loop.
2. Pass the working end up through the loop from underneath ("the rabbit comes out of the hole").
3. Take the working end around behind the standing part ("around the tree").
4. Pass the working end back down through the original loop, exiting on the same side it came up ("back down the hole").

The Snap Method builds toward that same lock, but starting from two anchor points instead of one:

Step 1

Feed the line through one anchor point, then across and through the second anchor point.

Step 2

You now have a main line (the tow line) running between the two anchors, and a tag end — together they form a large triangle shape.

Step 3

Pull the top horizontal line over and place it across the strands held in your other hand.

Step 4

Reach forward and make an underhand loop that comes out in the shape of a "9." Fold it so the line running to the loop sits over top of the standing main line.

Step 5

Drop the tag end and form a bight (a loop) in the main tow line, then pass that bight through the center of the "9."

Step 6

Grab the dangling tag end and feed it through the newly-created loop — this is the same rabbit-hole lock as the standard Bowline, just arrived at from the two-anchor setup.

Step 7

Hold firm on the tag end and pull in the opposite direction on the main tow line. This locks the Bowline structure and finishes the knot.

Pro Tip: tie an overhand knot on the inside loop for extra security, or leave the tag long. If you're getting an unwanted twist forming as you tie, wrap the working end underneath the main line before continuing to the second loop — that keeps the line from twisting as you build the knot.

History

The knot is attributed to two documented sources: a drawing in a Lisbon shipbuilding text from 1896, and Clifford Ashley's account of seeing it used as an anchor bend among Portuguese-American quahog fishermen in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Ashley gave it two separate entries in his 1944 Book of Knots, one for the general structure and one for its use securing a bosun's chair. Its alternate name, "French Bowline," appears in older references traced to a single sailor-turned-author who learned it from a Frenchman and named it that in 1922 — not a separate naming tradition, just one writer's choice that stuck alongside Ashley's.

FAQ

How do you tie a Portuguese Bowline?

Feed the rope through both anchor points, form an underhand loop, pass a bight from the main line through it, then thread the tag end through that bight and pull tight against the standing line. It locks with the same rabbit-hole mechanism as a standard Bowline — just built around two anchors instead of one.

Is the Portuguese Bowline the same knot as the French Bowline?

Mostly, yes, with one wrinkle. Ashley treated them as the same knot under two names, and that's how most references and this knot's own history line up. But a completely different knot — several loops wound around an object rather than two free adjustable eyes — also goes by "French Bowline" in some circles. If someone shows you a "French Bowline" wrapped around an object with no separate loops, that's the other knot, not this one.

Can you use a Portuguese Bowline to tow a car or a boat?

Not for a hard tow. Under real towing strain it can jam solid and need to be cut free rather than untied. It does much better for lighter jobs, like towing or lifting a dinghy or kayak, where the two adjustable loops are genuinely useful.

Is the Portuguese Bowline self-equalizing?

Not automatically. You can slide rope between the two loops to balance a load, but that's something you do by hand, not something the knot does on its own — loading one loop can actually pull against the other rather than sharing the load evenly by itself.

Important Notes on Safety

Load this knot straight down through both loops. Off-axis loading is the documented way it comes undone. The two loops aren't independent of each other, so watch for one loop being loaded much harder than the other — that's when a loop can collapse or loosen. For heavy, sustained towing loads, don't rely on this knot; it can jam and need to be cut open rather than released. It's much better suited to lighter, balanced lifting and sling loads, like a dinghy or kayak bridle, than to hard towing duty.