Knot of the Week: The Sheet Bend

If the bowline is the King of Knots, then the sheet bend is the friendly matchmaker. It’s what you use when you’ve got two ropes that need to become one rope, especially when they’re different thicknesses — like a chunky dock line meeting a weedy bit of dinghy cord and trying not to look awkward.

It’s called a sheet bend because sailors used it for attaching a sheet (control rope) to the corner of a sail. These days it’s still very much alive in dinghy sailing, kayaking, camping, climbing-adjacent activities (with caveats), and “someone forgot the right length of rope” moments. At Upper Thames Sailing Club it’s also a classic: you’ll see it when people are extending painter lines, lashing something temporarily, or fixing a problem with a rope that is definitely too short.

When would I use it?

• Joining two ropes of different diameters (its superpower)

• Making a temporary longer line (e.g., towing, tying to a buoy line, retrieving something)

• Quick fixes where you want a join that’s reliable but still easy to undo

If you want extra security (slippery rope, very different thicknesses, or anything you don’t want to swim after), you use its bigger, slightly more cautious sibling: the Double Sheet Bend.

How to tie a Sheet Bend (simple stages)

1. Make a bight (a U-shape) in the thicker rope. Hold it so it looks like a little looped bridge.

2. Take the thinner rope and pass the end up through the bight from underneath.

3. Wrap the end of the thinner rope around the back of the bight.

4. Bring the end back round and tuck it under itself (so it nips against the standing part of the thinner rope).

5. Dress it (pull it neat) and pull tight on both standing parts.

✅ Memory check: “Up through the bight, round the back, under itself.”

What can go wrong?

• Wrong tuck: If you don’t tuck the end under itself, you’ve invented a new knot called The Future Disappointment.

• Too little tail: Leave a sensible tail (especially with slippery modern ropes).

• Not dressed: A messy knot is a weaker knot. Like a sail hoisted with the batten pocket inside out.

Double Sheet Bend (the ‘belt and braces’ version)

Tie it exactly the same… but instead of making one wrap around the bight, make two wraps before tucking under itself.
It grips better on different rope sizes and is kinder when things get wet, wiggly, and annoying.

Quick safety note

The sheet bend is excellent for joining ropes — but if this is critical load / life safety stuff, follow the proper guidance for your activity and rope type. For dinghy sailing jobs, it’s brilliant. For “hold my bodyweight over a ravine”, pick the right knot and system for that job.