Three stopper knots for your boat

Here are three different stopper knots for use on your sailboat. The Figure Eight Stopper Knot is probably the most popular Stopper Knot in use, named as it looks like a Figure 8, it’s in every sailing book. The Figure Eight can also be tied slippery as a temporary stopper knot to help keep lines from dragging in the water.

The Double Figure Eight Stopper Knot looks like the Ashley knot #522 – which he calls a Stevedore Knot (use this in slippery lines when a high load is expected). The last Stopper Knot is my favorite Stopper Knot, I learned it from an instructor at the J World San Diego Sailing School when I was first stating to sail.

Figure Eight Stopper Knot

The Figure Eight Stopper Knot is probably the most used stopper knot and seems to be taught in every sailing class and shows up in every book on sailing or sailing knots, so I decided to get on the everyone has this knot bandwagon.  But there are two more for you to also choose from.

To start a Figure Eight stopper knot, loop over then under the standing part of the line forming a loop at the end of the line.

After going under the standing part of the line, go over the start of the loop and through the loop.

Pull the slick out of the Figure Eight Stopper knot

To make a slippery figure eight knot, follow the instructions above for a standard Figure Eight stopper Knot except put a loop or bite of the line through the first loop.

Double Figure Eight Stopper Knot or Stevedore Knot

The Double Figure Eight Stopper Knot is identified as a Stevedore Knot #522 by Ashly in The Ashley Book of Knots.

The Double Figure Eight Stopper Knot or the Stevedore Knot should be used with slippery lines like Dyneema SK-75 (Amsteel, Spectra, etc.) as this knot is more secure requiring a much higher load to slip than more common stopper knots.

The Double Figure Eight is tied like a regular Figure Eight except go twice around the standing part then through the loop.

The Double Figure Eight stopper knot is a bit bulkier than a regular Figure Eight Stopper knot.

Another Stopper Knot

I learned this stopper knot from an instructor at the J World Sailing School in San Diego and is the knot that I use the most. I have not found the name for this stopper knot yet, feel free to leave possible matches in the comments.

Wrap the line twice around your hand, then thread the bitter end up around the standing part of the line and feed the bitter end along the palm of your hand and through the center of the of the two wraps around your hand.

View of the stopper knot with the hand removed.

Finished stopper knot

You now have three different stopper knots to choose from.

Other Useful Boating Knots

Spar Hitch – Fender Knot :  The Spar Hitch is a great knot for tying fenders to a lifeline.  It is very secure and will hold around small and slick objects.

Lee’s Fender Knot : Another secure and easy to tie knot with several uses.

How to tie a line to a cleat : Several tips on how to tie a line to a cleat.

How to Tie Your Boat to a Dock that has a Bull Rail – Part 1 : How to safely tie your boat to a Bull Rail, some common errors are pointed out with solutions to the errors.

Thanks for your interest in and support of boating safety and boating skills.

– c / m –