Do you coil, or figure-of-eight?

When I joined a commercial diving company some 50 years ago I was taught to always 'figure-eight' hoses. Having unrestricted air supply is always a plus when diving.
I recoil the marina water hoses using the Granny's tits configuration but invariably find the next user has put the twists back! I found a youtube video where a singlehander organises all his cockpit line tails by figure-eighting between one hand and a cockpit winch. Since I have adopted this method I get very few snafus when letting lines, such as jib furlers, run out on their own. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0faVvb0g1FI&t=670s [minute 6]
 
Although I can (and do, when I can be bothered, sometimes) do a climbers' / proper sailors' coil and hitch, I'm increasingly finding myself "chaining" lines as I have done for decades as a caver.

Take one rope end, hold it while pulling the other end end back to you till you have both ends on one hand, with a puddle of rope at your feet. Repeat so you have both ends and the middle in your hand. Make a knot- with-a-loop of all four strands. Pull a short loop of all 4 strands through the loop; then pull another short loop through that loop; and so on till you get to the end of 4-fold rope, then pull the end (two loops at the 1/4 and 3/4 points of the overall rope length) through the last loop. Voila! A tidy rope bundle that won't come undone or tangled and that can easily be hung on a hook.

To undo, take the last bit you put in (two loops) out of its loop and pull, holding the initially knotted end - result is a 4-strand flaked rope, with no knots, and both free ends in your hand.

Very useful for rope management in constricted wet Yorkshire potholes - good on a boat too.

Steve

(I might get around to doing some photos, if the verbal description above isn't clear.)
 
That really is a neat trick. And in that chain, the line's unlikely to develop any twist or kink. :encouragement:
 
Some guy was looking at stopping headphones leads from get tangled and he stated he used some branch of maths to design a little clip to stop the tangle. Pity everything is blue tooth now.

Anyway if you tie together the two ends of the headphones - or rope - it will very rarely tangle. Not saying you would do it for a 50ft rope, I think there is a diminishing law of returns with length, but good for all those little handy bits that can have their ends knotted together and throw into a tub/box.
 
The next video offered to me was https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTpbh2zJGhA which, though verbose and dealing with electric cable, seemed to improve the method.

Instead of starting the chain at the free end with a knot to form a loop, it starts at the other end of the 4 (2 in the second video) folded bundle. That end automatically has a loop to use without the need for a knot.

Am I right in thinking this is a better way as it doesn't need a loop tying or untying?

Derek
 
I have taken the looping idea a bit further.

I have a Barton stanchion cleat mounted on one of the stanchions of the stern push-pit. I have threaded the end of the jib furling line through this and put a figure of eight stopper knot on the end. When I have furled/unfurled the jib, I make off the rope on the cleat. The excess rope is now in the form of a loop from the cleat. Starting from the cleat, take the two sides of the loop and just loop it as the video, as though it was one rope. When you get near the end, do the wrapping turns and then finish off by pushing the end of the bight through the normal hole. You now have a little loop which you can just hang on the cleat.

Not only is it quick, convenient and neat, it halves the length of the free rope when not looped and so reduces the chance of it going over the side and fouling the prop.
 
Martin&Rene said:
Absolutely correct for braided ropes. Extra thoughts

If it is a mooring line with a loop, then let the end of the line with the loop hang down longer than the rest of the coils, so you can spot it easily.
Click to expand...
I do the opposite. I tie off the bundle with the loop so that I can put my arm through 2 or 3 at a time & let them hang down. I then have 2 hands free as I make my way along the deck to the points where I want to set them prior to entering port. Much easier in the dark & in rough weather.
But I always use the loop to fix the mooring line to the cleat first. Then the free end of the mooring line to go to the pontoon.
 
dancrane said:
That really is a neat trick. And in that chain, the line's unlikely to develop any twist or kink. :encouragement:
Click to expand...

I use smaller, tighter loops than the chap in the video did, so as to get a compact chain without loose bits than can snag on stuff. Also, for a rope that long I might have chained in "in eights" rather than "in fours" - i.e. doubled it up one more time before starting the chain.
TopCat47 - I use this method just for warps and so on that go away in the cockpit locker; not for things like my foresail furling line that gets coiled after use and put over a guardrail. Horses for courses!
Steve
 
sgr143 said:
I use smaller, tighter loops than the chap in the video did, so as to get a compact chain without loose bits than can snag on stuff. Also, for a rope that long I might have chained in "in eights" rather than "in fours" - i.e. doubled it up one more time before starting the chain.
TopCat47 - I use this method just for warps and so on that go away in the cockpit locker; not for things like my foresail furling line that gets coiled after use and put over a guardrail. Horses for courses!
Steve
Click to expand...

I"m unsure what method you refer to. I "flake" all my lines. It works for me. I do have a small boat with small lockers too. I also use to for Halyards and my main sheet. Once I release the "coils" I know the line will run free. I've use the "coil and twist" method in the past and had "fankles" jam up at winches and dead eyes..
 
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