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Diagram

Heaving Line Knot

Franciscan stopper · Monk's knot

Weight the end of a heaving line so it will carry. Mass is the job.

Stopper · Beginner · Polyester / Nylon rope / Polypropylene / Natural fibre · 4 steps

ApplicationsHow to tie it
Heaving Line Knot, finishedHeaving Line Knot, finished

Finished structure

Drawn from a rope model of this knot: which strand passes over which comes from where the rope actually lies.

  1. Near the end, fold two bights side by side, bent opposite ways, in an SThe standing part runs along the first strand, bends round the top bight, runs back along the second, bends round the bottom bight and runs along the third, which carries on as the long free tail.
    1Top bight
    2Bottom bight
    3Tail, left long for the wraps
    Move 1 of 1Near the end, fold two bights side by side, bent opposite ways, in an SYou should now see: An S of three parallel strands with a bight at each end, and a long tail coming off beside the top bight.

    Step 01

    Near the end of the line, fold two bights side by side, bent in opposite directions and each about as long as the finished knot. Leave plenty of tail for wrapping.

    You should now see

    An S shape of three parallel strands with a bight at each end, and a long free tail coming off the top bight.

    If it goes wrong

    Starting too close to the end. The tail runs out before the wraps reach the bottom bight.

    Fix: Shake it out and fold the bights again further from the end of the line.

    Why: As a guide, Animated Knots used about 0.9 m (3 ft) of 6 mm rope for ten wraps.

  2. Pass the tail through the top bight and wrap it once round that bight's two strandsThe tail comes up off the third strand, crosses the front of the top bight, goes through it to the back and makes one wrap round only the two strands of that bight; the third strand stays outside this wrap.
    1Through the top bight
    2Round these two strands only
    3Third strand stays outside
    Move 1 of 2Pass the tail through the top bight and wrap it once round that bight's two strands
    Keep wrapping, now round all three strands, working down toward the bottom bightSix wraps run down the bundle: the first round the two strands of the top bight, the rest round all three, stopping short of the open bottom bight.
    1Wraps round all three strands
    2Bottom bight, still open
    Move 2 of 2Keep wrapping, now round all three strands, working down toward the bottom bightYou should now see: Close wraps lying side by side down the strands, with the bottom bight still open below them.

    Step 02

    Pass the tail through the top bight and wrap it around the two strands of that bight, then keep wrapping around all three strands, working down toward the bottom bight.

    You should now see

    Close wraps lying side by side down the strands, with the bottom bight still open below them.

    If it goes wrong

    Stopping after only a few wraps. The finished knot is short and light in the hand, and the line falls short when you throw it.

    Fix: Unwrap it and start again with longer bights and more tail, so there is room for more wraps.

    Why: The wraps are the weight that carries the line out. The number is your choice; more wraps add mass and use more rope.

  3. Pass the tail through the bottom bight, the one still open below the wrapsAfter the last wrap the tail runs down behind the bottom bight and comes through it to the front, so the wraps are held between the two bights.
    1Through the bottom bight
    Move 1 of 1Pass the tail through the bottom bight, the one still open below the wrapsYou should now see: The tail lies through the bottom bight, with the wraps held between the two bights.

    Step 03

    Pass the tail through the bottom bight, the one still open below the wraps.

    You should now see

    The tail lying through the bottom bight, with the wraps held between the two bights.

    If it goes wrong

    Leaving the tail outside the bottom bight. When you pull the loops, the wraps slide off the end and the knot falls apart.

    Fix: Loosen the bottom bight enough to open it, pass the tail through, and tighten again.

  4. Pull the top loop to close the bottom bight around the tailPulling the top loop draws the middle strand up through the wraps, so the top loop grows and the bottom bight shrinks until it grips the tail.
    1Pull the top loop
    2Bottom bight closed on the tail
    Move 1 of 2Pull the top loop to close the bottom bight around the tail
    Pull the standing line to draw the top loop down into the wrapsThe finished heaving line knot: a tight bundle of wraps with the top loop drawn down snug against the end of the coil, the bottom bight closed on the short tail, and the standing line leaving the far end.
    1Top loop drawn down to the wraps
    Move 2 of 2Pull the standing line to draw the top loop down into the wrapsYou should now see: A firm bundle of wraps with neither bight left open, heavy in the hand and ready to throw.

    Step 04

    Pull the top loop to close the bottom bight around the tail, then pull the standing line to draw the top loop down into the wraps.

    You should now see

    A firm bundle of wraps with neither bight left open, sitting heavy in the hand and ready to throw.

    If it goes wrong

    Asking the knot to take load, as a stopper in a block or tied straight to a mooring line. A heaving line joined directly to a loaded hawser can be impossible to detach.

    Fix: Use it only for throwing. For a block, tie a stopper knot, and join the heaving line to the hawser through a short length of intermediate rope.

    Why: Ashley recommends the short intermediate rope so the heaving line can be taken off and used again.

Failure modes

When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.

Stopper family

Bulk at the tail, larger than the opening — not a join.

  • !Body smaller than the block or fairlead after dress
  • !Asked to join two ropes
  • !Figure-8 used in HMPE where Estar extra turns were the stopper, or Ashley left as a two-lobe overhand
Fails when
  • !The tail is not through the bottom bight, so the wraps slide off the end when the loops are pulled
  • !Too few wraps make the knot light, and the line falls short when thrown
  • !It is tied straight to a loaded hawser, where it can be impossible to detach
Geometry

  • Too few wraps to carry

    Heaving line dies in the air short of the dock

    Mass is the job — add wraps · step 02

  • Tail not through the remaining bight

    Wraps dump on the throw

    The tail through the bight keeps the wraps packed · step 03

  • Asked to take load as a block stopper

    Throwing weight is not a load-bearing stopper

    Pick figure-8, Ashley, or Estar for a real stopper · step 04

If you saw this

  • Wraps dump in the air, or the knot is asked to take load

    Check

    • ?Tail through the bight
    • ?Wraps packed
    • ?Used only to throw

    Then

    • →Retie and dress
    • →Pick figure-8 / Ashley / Estar for a real stopper

  • Too few wraps to carry

    Check

    • ?Heaving line dies in the air short of the dock
    • ?Inspect step 02

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Tail not through the remaining bight

    Check

    • ?Wraps dump on the throw
    • ?Inspect step 03

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Asked to take load as a block stopper

    Check

    • ?Throwing weight is not a load-bearing stopper
    • ?Inspect step 04

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Same family

Same failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.

This failed — start Diagnose

Why this knot

What it earns its place with, what it costs, and what to reach for instead.

Best for
Stopper knot
Not ideal for
  • A stopper in a block or fairlead (figure-8 or Ashley)
  • Any load-bearing join
  • HMPE that needs an Estar
Common mistakes
  • Folding the bights too close to the end, so the tail runs out before the wraps reach the bottom bight
  • Stopping after a few wraps, which leaves the knot too light to carry the line
  • Leaving the tail outside the bottom bight
  • Using it as a stopper in a block or tying it straight to a mooring line
Alternatives
  • Figure-8 StopperBeginner

    Stopper in the end so the rope cannot pull through a block or fairlead

  • Ashley StopperIntermediate

    A bulky stopper in the end of a line, for an opening such as a block, fairlead or hole that is too large for a figure-eight

  • EStar StopperAdvanced

    A stopper knot for slippery rope such as Dyneema

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