Heaving Line Knot
Wraps that add throwing mass. Not a load-bearing stopper and not a join.
Beginner · Polyester / Nylon rope / Polypropylene / Natural fibre
Connection card
Heaving Line Knot
For stopper in the end.
Wraps that add throwing mass. Not a load-bearing stopper.
This card does not say how strong the knot is. A retention figure comes from a bench, in one material, at one diameter, tied by somebody who ties it all day — and the line in your hand is none of those. What it does tell you is whether the thing you have just tied is the thing the record describes.
What this plate is telling you
Wraps that add throwing mass. Not a load-bearing stopper and not a join.
Save this as a picture and it works with a dead signal and a nearly dead battery, which is when a joint is most often tied badly. The rest of this page — the steps, the seating sequence, the failure modes and the bench — is for the evening before.
Why this knot
What it earns its place with, what it costs, and what to reach for instead.
- A stopper in a block or fairlead (figure-8 or Ashley)
- Any load-bearing join
- HMPE that needs an Estar
- 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
- 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
Before you start
- ·It adds weight for throwing. It is not made to take load as a stopper in a block or as a join to a mooring line.
- ·Start well back from the end. As a guide, Animated Knots used about 0.9 m (3 ft) of 6 mm rope for ten wraps.
- ·The number of wraps is your choice. More wraps add weight and use more rope.
- ·Join the heaving line to a hawser through a short length of intermediate rope, as Ashley recommends, so it can be taken off and used again.
Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 1. Near the end, fold two bights side by side, bent opposite ways, in an S
Space plays or pauses. Keys 1, 2, 3 and 4 set the speed. Arrow keys change the move.
swipe to step
01.1
Near the end, fold two bights side by side, bent opposite ways, in an S
- Hold:
- Left hand pinches the three strands together in the middle
- Move:
- Right hand lays the rope up, back down and up again, leaving a long tail
You 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.
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.
An S shape of three parallel strands with a bight at each end, and a long free tail coming off the top bight.
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.
arrow keys work
Tying procedure — Heaving Line Knot
Step 01 / 4
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.
1Top bight2Bottom bight3Tail, left long for the wrapsStep 1 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Near the end, fold two bights side by side, bent opposite ways, in an S
Hold: Left hand pinches the three strands together in the middle
Move: Right hand lays the rope up, back down and up again, leaving a long tail
You 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 02 / 4
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.
1Through the top bight2Round these two strands only3Third strand stays outsideStep 2 of 4 · move 1 of 2
Pass the tail through the top bight and wrap it once round that bight's two strands
Hold: Left hand holds the S flat, bights open
Move: Right hand feeds the tail through the top bight, front to back, and round its two strands
- 1Wraps round all three strands2Bottom bight, still open
Step 2 of 4 · move 2 of 2
Keep wrapping, now round all three strands, working down toward the bottom bight
Hold: Left hand slides down the bundle, holding each finished wrap
Move: Right hand carries the tail round and round the three strands, each wrap against the last
You should now see: Close wraps lying side by side down the strands, with the bottom bight still open below them.
Step 03 / 4
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.
1Through the bottom bightStep 3 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Pass the tail through the bottom bight, the one still open below the wraps
Hold: Left hand holds the wraps from sliding
Move: Right hand takes the tail down behind the bottom bight and pushes it through to the front
You should now see: The tail lies through the bottom bight, with the wraps held between the two bights.
Step 04 / 4
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.
1Pull the top loop2Bottom bight closed on the tailStep 4 of 4 · move 1 of 2
Pull the top loop to close the bottom bight around the tail
Hold: Left hand holds the tail below the knot
Move: Right hand pulls the top loop away from the wraps
- 1Top loop drawn down to the wraps
Step 4 of 4 · move 2 of 2
Pull the standing line to draw the top loop down into the wraps
Hold: Left hand holds the wrapped bundle
Move: Right hand pulls the standing line until the top loop sits snug on the wraps
You should now see: A firm bundle of wraps with neither bight left open, heavy in the hand and ready to throw.
What this is based onReference review, not yet tied
- Record
- Reviewed 2026-08-14. 2 sources are cited for this record.
- Drawing
- Checked against published references and found to be this knot. Not yet tied from the drawing. Recorded 2026-09-21.
- Known limits
- None that stop a reader following it were confirmed in the plate audit of 2026-09-24; smaller findings were not all re-checked.
- Strength
- Not established. No credible, comparable strength data exists for this knot, so no figure is shown.
Watch the tie
How to Tie the Heaving Line KnotAnimatedKnots · Opens on YouTubeExternal video from a creator we follow — not produced by us. Nothing on this page loads from YouTube until you follow the link.
Seating sequence — where failures are born
The step list compresses the finish. Run these phases in order, one at a time.
01 Form
Build the structure loose enough to see every turn.
None. Shape first.
02 Dress
Nest every turn. Crossed parts will walk or jam.
Light — hold the shape.
03 Set
Load the standing part so the intended turns take the strain.
Working load, not a snatch.
04 Check
Confirm the lock still breaks or inspects as the job requires.
None extra.
05 Commit
Only load it after the structure reads correct. Wrong means remake.
Working load, not a snatch.
Finished structure — what correct looks like
Drawn from a rope model of this knot: which strand passes over which comes from where the rope actually lies.
- Structure
- Long bight, wraps packed toward the bight end, tail through the remaining bight
- Standing line
- Throwing line on the other side of the packed wraps
- Tag end
- Tail through the remaining bight — tail left out dumps the wraps
- Wraps
- Enough wraps to carry — more wraps, more mass
- Seating
- Wraps packed tight so they cannot dump on the throw
Verify before you load it
Every line is pass or fail. One fail means retie — do not load a knot you argued with.
- 01Long bight, wraps packed toward the bight end, tail through the remaining bight
- 02Wraps packed tight so they cannot dump on the throw
- 03Tail through the remaining bight — tail left out dumps the wraps
- 04Enough wraps to carry — more wraps, more mass
- 05Loose or too-few wraps dump in the air
- 06Wraps packed. Used only to throw. A real stopper is figure-8, Ashley, or Estar
Field notes — dark, cold, gloves
- ·Dress is the lock. A pretty knot that is not dressed is not finished.
- ·HMPE usually wants a splice, not a hitch you learned in polyester.
- ·If you cannot break or inspect it under the load you expect, it is the wrong job.
When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.
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
- !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
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
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 failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.
Get it right with everything in your favour0/5 clean
Nothing logged on this knot yet, so it starts on the bottom rung.
Good light, dry hands, a table. Until the sequence is automatic here there is nothing for the harder rungs to test — you would only be learning that difficult conditions are difficult, which you already knew.
How · Tie it, check it against the list, log it. Five clean and the ladder opens.
Nothing marked. Log it clean, or mark what happened first.
Strength, and where the number comes from
Not established
A weight-the-end knot whose published property is throwing mass; no publisher states a retention figure and none would describe its job.
Percentages come from published tests on their own line, their own knot-tyer and their own pull rate. Yours is a different system. Treat a figure as a reason to test, not as a result you already have.
- Animated Knots — Heaving Line Knot
- AnimatedKnots — How to Tie the Heaving Line Knot
Cited tying video already attached to this record.
Record reviewed 2026-08-14
Vetted references
- Animated Knots — Heaving Line Knot
Animated Knots by Grog
- How to Tie the Heaving Line Knot
AnimatedKnots
Check the finished knot against what correct looks like before you load it.