Throwing lines

[DannyB]

I saw an article in this months PBO about a throwing line which was all neatly tied up inside its bag, which obviously made it useless for throwing. As it happened I had just taken delivery of a new throwing line, so out of curiousity I opened the bag and had a look, sure enough, it was all tightly tied up like a washing line, useless for throwing, so I've taken it all out and flaked it down back into the bag. But it's made me think, this is to replace the one which has sat on the guardrail for the last ten years, and is starting to fall apart, but I've never looked inside the bag of my old one, I wonder if it's the same. Going to check this weekend.
Why aren't they properly flaked down in the bag when they are sold ?

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

They always seem to be coiled when they come from the factory and if used in that condition will give you a nasty splash when thrown.
I advise anybody who has one of these to do exactly as DannyB has done.

 

[theoldsalt]

I don't think they are really "throwing lines" as even if flaked in a bag you can hardly lift them out and throw them as they will almost certainly tangle. A throwing line is quite different. I think you are talking about a line that joins the boat to a floatation device so are incorrectly labelled.

 

[Robert Wilson]

I checked mine MOB sling. The lightweight polyprop line in the bag (the bag and line are attached to the pulpit) was quite neatly coiled so I stretched it out then tried to get it back in the bag in an orderly fashion.
It is definitely not a throwing line. At best I would hope that the "sling" would drag it out straight, but I'm not at all confident in it.
I just hope I never have to find out in an emergency MOB.

 

[FishyInverness]

Factory production - Same goes with a lot of lifejackets.When being trained for LJ servicing the technical guy from our lifejacket manufacturer opened one up and showed us the lifting becket neatly looped around the oral inflation tube, where no-one could reach it to lift the casualty out – told us “the first thing you want to do if you service one and see it packed like that is to lift it off the tube and let it out freely, I wish they wouldn’t do that!” and he worked for the factory that makes them!

 

[DanTribe]

Same thing with my Oscar sling.
I got it out for the grand kids to use while they were swimming. By the time I had uncoiled and untangled it they had finished swimming and having dinner.
Good job it wasn't a MOB emergency.

 

[prv]

I don't think they are really "throwing lines" as even if flaked in a bag you can hardly lift them out and throw them as they will almost certainly tangle. A throwing line is quite different. I think you are talking about a line that joins the boat to a floatation device so are incorrectly labelled.

I think you're thinking of something different, maybe one of the sling devices (which can also exhibit the same problem). The throwing lines are not meant to be removed from the bag and thrown, rather you loop the end round your wrist and throw the bag, which has a weight in the bottom and trails the line out behind it as it flies. Assuming you have opened and repacked it since purchase, anyway.

Pete

 

[SAWDOC]

Why not practice throwing and repacking ? You need to have confidence in your ability to use the line successfully when required and a fair idea of how far you can throw the line.

 

[Jean]

+1

 

[Jabs]

Why not practice throwing and repacking ? You need to have confidence in your ability to use the line successfully when required and a fair idea of how far you can throw the line.

I was taught to half fill the bag with water to give it some weight to throw.

Tony

 

[Searush]

I think you're thinking of something different, maybe one of the sling devices (which can also exhibit the same problem). The throwing lines are not meant to be removed from the bag and thrown, rather you loop the end round your wrist and throw the bag, which has a weight in the bottom and trails the line out behind it as it flies. Assuming you have opened and repacked it since purchase, anyway.

Pete

Why not practice throwing and repacking ? You need to have confidence in your ability to use the line successfully when required and a fair idea of how far you can throw the line.

That's the way we made & used our throwing bags for white water rescue when kayaking. Very effective they are too, provided they landed upstream & beyond the casualty.

 

[DannyB]

FYI I came down to the boat today and had a look at my old one. The bag is crumbling, due to UV no doubt, but the rope inside is in a neat coil all ready for use. I didn't do it, it's far too neat for that, so it must have been supplied that way. My new one is from the same manufacturer, looks identical, but the rope inside the new one was tied up like a washing line. No warning on the package to remove the rope and repack it. I would strenuously advise anyone with a throwing line in a bag to take it out and check. If I hadn't seen the PBO article, I would have simply swapped the old for the new, probably never looked inside the bag.