A few years back...

[Alan]

...I posted about guys who like to coil their lines in those nice tidy looking loops. Problem is that each of those loops is a potential hockle(I call them a$$holes) the next time that line is used. I try teaching all the newbies I have onboard how to coil a line in a figure eight and it wont hockle at its next use.Some of my old sailing buddies just can't used to the idea that the way they've been coiling line all their lives is wrong. Do yourself a favor and coil your lines in figure eights and never have to deal with these a$$holes again. CheersPS the reason for the ($) symbol is the blocking software on this site but I'm sure you can figure it out

 

[Stu Jackson]

I had a mountaineering friend do that

all the time until I taught him the figure eight. The concept of always twisting his wrist when he coiled the line was a hard habit to break. Instead of breaking his wrist, I continued to gently remind him that when the line didn't run out cleanly, he'd have to go forward and fix the problem.

 

[BrianH]

I use an over/under method

It's a little hard to explain in writing but when coiling line, hose, electrical cord, etc. you make one regular loop and the next loop is an under or reverse loop. I pulls out straight every time and I think it's cleaner looking then figure 8s. I learned this from an old timer many years ago and he said at the time that I would soon coil everything that way. He was right!! Once you get the hang of it, it is as fast as any other method of coiling.

 

[Ross]

That is interesting in that I have been coiling

a one hundred foot #12 extension cord in neat turns for years and it runs fine every time I use it. Must have something to do with how you hold your mouth when you pay it out. I always wind clockwise on my left arm, catching each turn with my hand after it crosses my wrist. The last dozen feet get wrapped around the hank to secure it. Thinking about it braided line coils better in figure "8"s and my halyards seem to always fall into that pattern. Climbers often coil a line on their shoulder. Passing the line from back to front over their left shoulder and hanging down by their right hip. They can be seen carrying the line in that fashion.

 

[sand sailor]

think about this

many moons ago when sailing ships where the mode of transport they would secure their lines in a figure 8 on the bowlin pins and never left lines loose on the deck. to release them they just pull the pins

 

[Stu Jackson]

Ross, the wind-on-the-arm method

for extension cords works really well for that material. For line, however, I haven't seen anyone coil line like that for years (or unless newbies). We've always coiled line by holding in one hand, extending the other with the line, and then returning to the first. This gives, inherently, the figure 8. I forgot about the arm thingy, because our 50 foot power cord is too danged heavy!!!

 

[Benny]

Long time ago an old salt taught me that

when coiling line never do it under tension, just let the loops fall on the coiling hand (wether figure 8 or whatever, let the line fall as it may) and I have never had any problems. My jib sheets coil in perfect circles but the halyards and roller furling line prefer the figure 8 "No problem Man". The biggest mistake is to try to coil line around hand and elbow as if it was an electric extension cord; thats when you get the jams and kinks. No harm coiling the bitter end of dock lines in circles so that they look pretty as long as they are released form the looped end.

 

[Jadedcrew]

Coiling lines

Years ago (1985) a young salt taught me a method that I have used since. I hang an alternating loop to each side of my hand, then wrap, and tie just like a coiled line, or figure 8 line. then when uncoiling just lay the looped ends out in a straight line, no kinks or whatever. The only problem I have encountered is with 300 feet of 5/8 anchor rode, it gets too heavy for me to hold up!

 

[Ross]

Stu, I think you misunderstood me. Not wrapping

it between elbow and thumb. Lay the line over your left wrist ( with your palm facing down) with the tail on the side towards your body and grasp the standing part of the line (not the tail ) with your left (you are taking a half turn on your wrist) hand and with your right hand measure off a full span and drape that over your wrist and release the first hold and again grasp the standing part. This way your hand only has to hold a single strand and the bulk of the line lays on your wrist in neat loops. I can coil 200 feet of 1/2 inch nylon this way. When you are down to the last dozen feet start rotating the bundle of line on your arm and wrapping the remainder of the line around the bundle and pass a loop through the upper half of the coil and over the top to form a hitch. I learned the method from a power line construction rigger from whom I was hoboing a length of used 3/4 polypropylene rope. It was about 250 feet and he coiled that up just as neat and quick as I had ever seen.

 

[Joe]

laid line vs braided....

you should twist laid line a half turn when coiling it. The strands in laid line (like you anchor rode) all twist the same way so the half turn compensates the extra twist caused by coiling and allows the rope to un coil without kinking.. Braided line's strands twist both ways, they counter act each other, ther is no bias. Therefore, imparting a twist when coiling to make it look straight actually adds a twist that becomes evident when the line is uncoiled.