Coiling Line

[tjr818]

How do you coil your lines?

This is the method from APS: http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f31 ... 827c78ab32

This method from Brion Toss:
It starts at about 2:15 minutes in
http://www.offcenterharbor.com/videos/c ... ls-curves/

[Dino]

I more or less use the first method, coiling into figure 8s. If I'm going to stow the line, i finish in the manner he shows where a small loop is passed through the coils then opened and dropped over them with the tail pulled to cinch and secure it all.

For sheets I do figure 8s but continue to coil until there is no tail. Then I grasp the bottom of the last coil, pass it around behind the coils and then through the top of the coils from the front. That secures the coils in a bundle with that last coil forming a small loop at the top to hang the bundle from a winch, cleat, tiller, etc.

[Dasein]

I confess to doing the pretty loops method, but I will revisit that habit now. While underway, I quickly coil the headsail sheets (without tying them off) between tacks, so as to keep the cockpit orderly; this has resulted in the line fouled up in the fairleads. Now I know the cause! As for finishing the coil off for stowing, I double up the tail and pass it through the coil to hang (similar to, but more substantial than the below image illustrates).

coil.jpg

[mgphl52]

Here's how to do a stowage coil (middle set of pictures) that I learned from Cruising World a while back. I use it for hanging my mainsheet from KAYLA's radar arch.

[Ben Miller]

Last summer I used Brion Toss' method to coil my garden hose. It was surprisingly hard to learn, but it works.

[John Stone]

During my first viewing of this video I was reminded of the foolish (would I sound like a curmudgeon if I said idiotic?) way our kids learned to tie their shoes in public school kindergarten or 1st grade. They never stayed tied. I thought, someone got a PhD for coming up with a new improved way after the human race tied a bow knot the same way for millennia. So I finally held a class--Marine Corps style, by the the numbers--where we unlearned the new improved way. Victory.

My whole life I have coiled double braided line for symmetrical loops. I don't even think about it--it's automatic. But it makes sense that you are inducing twist. Like an electrical cord. You'll ruin an electrical cord eventually if you coil for perfect loops--the core wires inside will twist.

I learned through experience to flake line out on deck before I allow it to run through blocks, else it will jam just as shown in the video. I do that for halyards and especially for the jib downhaul. So, after the second viewing I began to consider the merits of the argument.

My stern anchorline is 250' of 1/2 three strand nylon. Before I stow it, I run it out and figure eight it on deck backwards and again forward. That's how I stow it so it will run right out the chain pipe. Takes a little time but I know it will run perfectly true.

I have no reluctance to try new ways despite what some may think. In fact, I'm always interested in learning new things though in the end there has to be a proven advantage or its often not worth the time and effort to change. So, I'll probably give the new technique a try and see what I think. But some old habits can be hard to change . . . and visually it might hurt my eyes.

[tjr818]

. . . and visually it might hurt my eyes.

Brion Toss' method still looks like the conventional coil.

[John Stone]

I'll try both methods. I think a lot of Brion Toss. But, that is one strange and counter intuitive technique he is advocating!

[tjr818]

I'll try both methods. I think a lot of Brion Toss. But, that is one strange and counter intuitive technique he is advocating!

It is only difficult the first week or two of each sailing season. This is our third year of using it and I would not go back. The First Mate can do this like a pro too. I have never liked the looks of the figure eight on anything smaller than about 100'. It looked okay on that destroyer in the Bluejackets Manual, but not on Slainte.

[Steve Laume]

I always do really pretty loops with all the twist it takes to make them that way. When it comes time to use the line, I just toss it all out on the deck and never usually have any problems. Every once in a while, my furler line will get a little hock in it, that I have to clear but I usually don't take all of the coils off of their home on the rod holder. I never do flemish coils but do like the look of nice even loops when I coil a line, Steve.

[Keith]

Hmmm once again it comes to look vs function. I also confess that I do the pretty twisted coils and do get an occasional hoockle. I will try the figure 8 method this spring. Time will tell.

Keith

[mgphl52]

The second lesson I always explain to 'new-to-sailing' folks I take out is how to properly clean the working sheet once it's trimmed. And, Yes! it's by allowing the line to figure-eight naturally. I also explain why it's done that way.

Oh, in case you're wondering, the first lesson is very simple: 'Pamper the helmsman, regardless of who is at the helm.'

[fmueller]

Tim,

"Over/under" ... which is really just a "folded" figure eight ...

I was an audio guy for many years and this is the only way to wrap mic lines and video lines and a.c. lines and is critical in that regard or those kinds of cables become unusable quickly. It works well for boat line too just to get the basic open coil; all the regular finishing techniques apply. I dislike the figure eights for most boat lines because they tend to be a long a bundle, and the bottom of the bundle rarely falls as neatly as the video suggests.

When you pay out a line wrapped "over/under" you need to be careful not to pull either end thru the coil or you get a knot for each folded figure eight, that is the general crit. of "over/under". But you quickly learn to spot for that. Figure eight coils of the size line we have on most of our boats get just as messy in other ways.

When you learn to do this quickly it's almost impossible to spot the reverse twist action of the "under" loop. It is more like you are throwing the line over the outside of your arm than overtly twisting; the twisting action is not as overtly necessary actually in either the first or second loop - just the disposition of the loop in relation to the wrist mostly.

You can easily adjust the size of the coil this way too and you learn to feel the disposition of the inherent twist in the line and you can do a few "overs or unders" back to back to accomadate and release twist tension in the line. In fact by feeling this tension you can ignore the handedness of three strand rope, you just do a few more "overs" or "unders" - in this way you can coil a line that has not been fully "untwisted" in the first place.

For really heavy line I find it is better to just do figure eights or a "stacked" over/under on the deck. That is how we always did our very heavy a.c. feeder line bundles for stadium sized audio systems, which weighed many hundreds of pounds, a real upper body workout - we would just over/under or figure eight them them right into their traveling road cases. In the case of the 100' and 200' bundles we had of 2 and 4 ot. stranded copper ( x5 ; three phase, neutral, plus ground) this was often a two or three man, or more, operation - the bundles weighed about 5 - 7 pounds a running foot.

That is the only way to handle ship sized 1 1/2" or 2" hawser as well especially if it is wet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktI0mLAoSTc

cheers

Fred