Except that the tail here doesn't really come out
at other than a right angle, being slack.
Not quite sure what you mean here Dan? To reduce confusion, what
I originally meant was:
- In the EStar Stopper knot the tail leaves the knot at a right angle to the direction it came in.
- In the Blimp knot, the tail leaves in the same direction it came in.
Would you not agree? Certainly in practice, if the standing end is anchored somewhere and you pull on the working end, they will be pretty much in line, but when they are unloaded /'I think they they lie naturally at right angles.
Admittedly, (1) isn't
actually a problem, I just prefer it if the ends are inline like this because...
What's the task?
...I would be using it as a stopper on sailing boats (and occasionally with light-duty indoor rigging) and so when the stopper actually came into play (i.e. was drawn up against something), I would want to pull on the tail (which I always leave at least a few feet long) to control the line. Inline ends just seem aesthetically better for this, but I know in practical terms there is really very little difference.
What's the material?
Modern racing yacht sheets and similar (possibly control lines or halyards, but mostly sheets). This means variations on core-and-cover braided lines in modern materials (polyester and dyneema). Stuff like
Marlow's D2 Racing lines.
(Why is it being untied?)
Because it's being tied in racing yacht sheets. Sheets and other lines which I (mostly as the bowman / pit) might be handling are often stowed in the boat when not in use, and quite often need re-reeving when in use (e.g. during a running a headsail change). The lines do need stoppers on the end, but it's good to have a stopper which will definitely not jam, and can be undone fairly quickly and easily if need be (in the right line, the Blimp knot can be completely unmade in just two steps!)
Blue skies