Butterfly Hitch - Continuous Jib Sheet 

Solid Video. My mountain climbing buddy was like yeah that's the knot you want to use but it's really hard to tie. Clearly he hasn't watched this video.

Thanks for posting. I'd have never thought of that, of tying the butterfly knot in this way ... as a hitch! Not sure if granny knot is the right term but I understand you clearly. I'll try this in some application someday although I'll probably stick with the Lark's Head for my jib sheet(s) cuz it's just so small and elegant. Anyone who has the patience and calm manner such as you to make a video like this deserves a thumbs up in my book. See you on the water ...

It is 100% true. This is the very first time I see a alpine butterfly knot made around its latching point. Great video. Marvelous approach.

Nice one, I am just changing my two headsail sheets and just whipping ends of a single continuous line and found your video as I was trying to decide how to attach to the sail. Your idea is better than a whipping and a shackle even if a soft shackle. Thanks. Andy UK

Thanks for this video Captain! I was simply securing my sheet by running both ends through a single loop like a luggage tag. This season I’ll be doing it the way you demonstrated in this vid using the butterfly loop. Thanks again. Cheers!

Brilliant. One continuous line with one knot which doesnt tighten under load. Avoids catching when changing tack and no metal bits to hit you when you least expect it.

This still seems to have a protruding base to catch on the stay. Try a rethreaded Figure 8 knot, this has a flat base. A figure eight (not rethreaded) or this alpine butterfly used with a soft shackle through the clew and through the know would make it fast to remove in an emergency.

Thanks! Explains a lot and it's simple.

Thank you! Brilliant thinking! I am using this!

That was really useful. It was exactly what I was needing.

Love it - this video solved not one, but two problems I had! Haha!

Any trick to burning the ends of the lines? So they do not come apart? Without having to do that crazy end wrap?

Excellent stuff Rob. I will use this myself next time, unfortunately I just spliced a loop into the centre of my genoa sheet, I should have watched your video first, nice work Rob and thanks for the video ....

Thanks, I'm going to use this knot on my head sail ⛵️

I found a butterfly made too large a knot and it catches on the rigging as I tack so I went back to a larks head. What do you have to say about that?

That is brilliant.... is it easy to undo.. thinking of doing it on my dinghy so will give it a try. It may be worth re-titling this video to include "continuous jib sheet" as I am sure lots of people would be interested in this. Cheers

It is knot a continuous sheet. However, it does slightly reduces the weight on the clew of the headsail by using just a single knot instead of two... if your loop isn't too big, that is. Also. it is convenient for stowing the sail, as the sheet remains attached to the sail. When hoisting the sail the sheet is already attached to it... so just thread the blocks and you're done.

I understand the simplicity and the strength of passing the rope itself through the grommet... is there some expensive pretentious nautical term for a grommet? But couldn't you just use some type of soft shackle and knot the rope in the most appropriate manner and lose no strength in the connection?

Excellent .Been looking for a knot like this. Needs some practice though. Clever to devise revised method at 6.30

I feed half the sheet through, then tie a figure 8/stopper knot in the whole thing.

IMHO, one of the features to look for in a knot application is the ability to untie the knot fairly readily. When the butterfly is used as a handhold in a bight this is easily pulled out. In the event of one side of your jib sheet being being jammed or fouled how would you go about swapping out the effected sheet? Pulling out the whole sheet under sail seems like a minus in my book . With two sheets you can tack (if necessary) and make the failed sheet lazy and readily swap it out

Amazing, ty

Well, as far as I know, you feed a loop through the attachment point, then feed the whole sheet through the loop. If you can't feed a loop through the attachment point (or feed both ends through), then it's narrow enough to feed one end only and secure it with a hitch or eight on either side. So, what is the advantage of this more complex method?

Yay! What fun!

For any given size of sheet this method doubles the wear at the attachment point as you no longer have the wearing load shared by two sheets

Thanx!

Easier to make normal butterfly knot in 5 sec and use soft shackle.

You call the overhand (actually slipped overhand) a granny knot. Wouldn't it be cleaner, easier, & snugger, to just tie an overhand or grapevine, tightly against each side of the grommet?

a perfect video, in all ways. only way it could be better if you reached out from my tv and tied it for me.

Is it really so challenging just to pass the sheet through the grommet, bring the bights together and clap on a simple seizing? Tidy and secure. You just need to practice your seizing a few times. Surely no more difficult than this, and a real seamanlike solution. Leave the butterfly knot to climbers.

I don't see the point of this. A simple (larks head hitch/cow hitch/luggage tag hitch) is much faster, smaller, and just as easy to undo. Since that hitch doesn't move inside the grommet, it is also less vulnerable to chafe.

First, quit calling it a granny knot (it's an overhand knot), and this is in no way a continuous sheet. It is two sheets using one line, which defeats the whole purpose of getting a longer line in the first place! Thumbs down fail.