When I was about 12, I'd purchased some
line from F.L. Abbott Sailboats in Ocean City, NJ. I was coiling the
line in the palm-elbow fashion when Mr. Abbott stopped me and said, "Son, there is only one way to coil a
line. I'm going to show you how to do it right, and you'll never do it any other way." I haven't changed the procedure in 38 years.
How do YOU coil a
line? Is there a better way? I'm talking about
lines up to about 1/2" in diameter and am deliberately excluding the deck flaking technique used for large
lines. The following link shows a video which I can not view with my Mac, but the written procedure and end-result photo seem like the procedure that I use (sorry). I expect that this thread will result in some passionate replies.......
From
http://www.videos.sailingcourse.com/coiling_lines.htm :
Coiling A
Line : As you coil a rope
[I hold the tail in my left hand and reach out one arm-length to get the next few feet of line and pass it to my left hand], place a slight twist
[I twist Away from me] in the
line to flatten the coils. Near the end of the
line, wrap the
line three times or more around the coils. Form a loop in the end of the
line and pass it between the coils. Now you can either pass the end of the
line through the loop to allow the coiled
line to be hung for storage
[I rarely use do this] or pass the loop over the top of the coil to allow the coiled
line to be stored in a compartment.