Proper Line Coiling Procedure

[CapnHand]

I coil lines like Mr. Abbott; I get someone else to do it.

[denby]

Originally Posted by ChicagoNewport27

That video pretty much describes how I was taught. These other methods you guys are describing have my head spinning now, though.

Does someone have a link to good step-by-step pictures or video of the balentine technique and the figure-eight coiling variation? Is it detailed in a book I can buy somewhere?

(My cursory Google search turned up zilch)

Chicago, a balentine would only be used on a halyard that is 2 inches thick or so and as long as 200 feet, we are talking ships such as a schooner you would not use one on a sailing boat. If you ever get a chance to crew on a old sailing ship do it, you will love it and learn a lot. I don't remember how thick Ernestina's halyard is for the main but the captain told me we were lifting 4000 pounds.


Dennis

[TejasSailer]

Chicago, The Complete Rigger's Apprentice by Brian Toss has a few pages with diagrams on "Coiling and Stowing." The balentine is not covered. For the figure-eight coil he says "It is always made on the deck rather than in the hand." The Crusing Handbook by Nigel Calder does show a figure-eight coil made in the hand, but not by using a winch or post as a third hand.

Animated Knots by Grog also shows a diagram of completed Figure 8 coil, but with no description of making one.

http://www.animatedknots.com/coiling...matedknots.com

[denby]

Chicago, Raggbagger's post # 13 is a very good description of a balentine.


Dennis

[csasser]

I recently saw an article in Sail Magazine that showed a figure 8 coiling technique that looked really interesting. Unfortunately I can't find the right issue but I did find the article on the Sail Mag site that appeared in the October 2006 issue at http://www.sailmag.com/cruisingtips/...r06/index.html . Unfortunately the link does not show the results which are shown in the actual magazine.

Not sure how practical this method would be but I have tried it a few times just for fun. The figure 8 method is suppose to cause less tangles during uncoiling.

[sailingfool]

The technique shown in post 1 should only be used with a relatively short piece of loose line, like a dock line - when you put the half twist in the coil so the coils will lie flat, you are in fact putting twist into the rope - do this to a line like a halyard, and you end up with kinks when you next use the line. Note the demonstrator in the video uses a short dockline.

The Grog video mentioned above demonstrate how to coil a line without putting kinks into it. Basically you hold the line in your left hand and put clockwise coils into your left hand with your right. There are two techniques. The first results in a figure 8 coil, but is very fast:
http://www.animatedknots.com/coilattached/index.php
This is great for halyards and spinnaker sheets.

An alternative involves reversing every other coil, is slower, but provides loops that lie flat, see:
http://www.animatedknots.com/coiling...matedknots.com
This is the technique to use if you like to hang your garden hose on a bracket, gives you neat coils but no kinks when you next use the hose.

[normofthenorth]

I'm with all the figure-eight folks. The problem with Sabreman's neat-coils techniques (which I was also taught) is that it introduces exactly one twist for every coil.

In a short line, or one that's not going to be used soon (or in fear or panic) that's no big deal, and maybe worth it for the neatness of the coil.

But in a long line that's got to run freely without knots, snags, or spaghetti -- like a masthead spinnaker or genoa halyard, or a sailing dinghy's painter, that's got to be thrown to another boat for towing -- all those twists are the work of the devil.

The figure-eight technique is exactly the same, but you just bring your hands together (like you're clapping), without adding the twist. If the line starts out without twists, it will naturally hang in figure-eights, because a figure-eight is one clockwise twist plus one counter-clockwise twist = no twists.

The finishing technique -- wrap it around ~3x and pass the loop through and over the top -- works exactly the same with the figure-eights as with the pretty coils. And the whole technique seems to work pretty well with old-fashioned twisted ("triple-lay") lines, too.

[pirateofcapeann]

Yup, Right hand, three stranded gets coiled clockwise into the left hand, with a slight twist to keep the coils round, but I’ve seen damn little of that stuff these days, cept in like anchor rodes (sometimes) and dock-lines (again, sometimes). For the most part, we’re using 3/8 Dacron yacht-braid for sheets and halyards. Stuff is strong enough for all but the largest boats, is a good size to get a good grip on, is flexible enough and coils down small enough to be convenient. BUT, you should coil it in a figure-of-eight fashion to avoid twists (I was taught that they were called “assholes”) getting jammed in and transferring through the running gear (Look at the first part of your main sheet and see if the braid isn’t lying fair next time you go out).

[sailingdog]

And left-hand laid three-strand gets coiled counter-clockwise. But left-hand laid line is pretty rare...

Originally Posted by pirateofcapeann

Yup, Right hand, three stranded gets coiled clockwise into the left hand, with a slight twist to keep the coils round, but I’ve seen damn little of that stuff these days, cept in like anchor rodes (sometimes) and dock-lines (again, sometimes). For the most part, we’re using 3/8 Dacron yacht-braid for sheets and halyards. Stuff is strong enough for all but the largest boats, is a good size to get a good grip on, is flexible enough and coils down small enough to be convenient. BUT, you should coil it in a figure-of-eight fashion to avoid twists (I was taught that they were called “assholes”) getting jammed in and transferring through the running gear (Look at the first part of your main halyard and see if the braid isn’t lying fair next time you go out).

[pirateofcapeann]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

And left-hand laid three-strand gets coiled counter-clockwise. But left-hand laid line is pretty rare...

That’s called “Lang Laid” and was used mostly in 4 stranded lines, most commonly in dead-eyes and lanyards, old style standing rigging.