Ropework
How to Tie a Figure of Eight Stopper Knot on Sheets
Published · Last checked October 2026
To tie a figure of eight stopper knot, make a loop near the end of the rope, pass the working end behind the standing part, then bring it back down through the loop from the front and pull tight. The finished knot looks like an '8' and is too fat to pull through a block or fairlead. Sailors tie it in the ends of jib sheets and some halyards so the line cannot run out of reach.
Step by step
- Hold the rope with about 30 cm of tail. Make a loop by crossing the working end over the standing part.
- Take the working end round behind the standing part.
- Bring it back across the front and down through the loop you made in step 1.
- Pull both ends to tighten. Check that it forms a neat '8' shape.
- Leave a short tail beyond the knot so it cannot shake loose.
If it looks like a simple overhand knot, you have missed going round behind the standing part. Untie it and start again.
Why sailors use it
The figure of eight is the standard stopper knot because it is easy to tie, easy to check at a glance and easy to untie even after it has been pulled hard against a block. A plain overhand knot does the same job but jams much tighter and is smaller, so it can pull through a larger fairlead.
| Knot | Bulk | Untying after load |
|---|---|---|
| Overhand | Small | Can jam hard |
| Figure of eight | Medium | Easy |
| Stevedore | Larger | Easy |
| Double overhand / Ashley | Large | Harder |
Where to use one and where not to
- Jib and genoa sheets: yes, in normal cruising. A lost sheet means a flogging sail and a dangerous trip forward.
- Halyard tails that run through a clutch: yes, so the end cannot vanish up the mast.
- Mainsheet tail: often, so the boom cannot swing right out if the sheet is released.
- Spinnaker sheets and guys on racing boats: often left without stoppers so they can be let run to depower in a broach.
- Anchor rode: the bitter end should be tied to the boat with a line that can be cut, not left with just a stopper.
The figure of eight loop
The same knot, tied in a doubled rope or threaded back along itself, makes a figure of eight loop. Climbers use it for its security; on a boat it is a solid alternative to a bowline when a loop must not shake loose, though it is harder to undo after a heavy load.
Practising until it is automatic
The figure of eight is usually the first knot taught on RYA dinghy and yacht courses, because it is simple and every sheet needs one. Practise until you can tie it without looking, with gloves on, and in a line that is moving. Then practise checking it: run your eye along every sheet and halyard tail when you rig the boat. A missing stopper tends to be noticed only when the sheet whips out of its block during a tack, leaving a flogging sail and a crew member who has to go forward on a heeling deck to re-reeve it. That is a risk you can remove in five seconds at the pontoon.
Find it with the other core knots in essential sailing knots and practise in the knots and ropework lesson.