Tip: Braiding Your Dock Lines

[Shakespeare]

Do you ever get frustrated by the jumbled up mess your dock lines become after rolling them up and stowing them away?

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid01.jpg

Here's an old electricians trick used to organize and stow away drop cords. It's called "braiding the cord".

First string out the dock lines and grab them by the loop.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid02.jpg

Then, reach through the loop.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid03.jpg

Then grab the lead line.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid04.jpg

Pull it through...

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid05.jpg

Then stick your hand through the newly formed loop.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid06.jpg

Grab the lead line.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid07.jpg

And pull it through... continuing the sequence until you run out of lead line

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid08.jpg

Take the remaining tail.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid09.jpg

And pull it all the way through.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid10.jpg

And your lines are in a nice braided bundle.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid11.jpg

To unbraid the lines, remove and hold the tail and let the remaining braids drop to the floor.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid12.jpg

You'll end up with your dock lines in good order ready to be attached to the boat.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee78/CSO_Shakespeare/DockLines/DockLineBraid13.jpg

[fishlind]

Good idea Shakespeare. That's the same way I tie up my drop cords at work and it works great! BTW, that is a knitting stroke! 003

[koolj]

my wife would not appreciate things if i made them so neat and she had nothing to straighten out

[Shakespeare]

koolj... doesn't she have enough to do just keeping YOU straight??? 005

[Harry]

If you scroll up and down kind of fast it looks like an animated cartoon.... ;D

[o2bfishn]

Darn, now I got to learn how to try another knot 004, I already got a headache :'( What's wrong with a tangled mess 006, matches the tackle box. ;D



o2bfishn

[Shakespeare]

fishlind, I appreciate your comments. Now, as far as these other fellers... let's just say the circus train must have broke down and they all ended up here. 010

[koolj]

right about the wife - but the cicus rejected mr too - already had a fat man and as for the clowns they were looking for funny and not stupid again I was the later and not what they were looking for - but hey my dors feel needed - I don't know about appreciated but definetly needed

[tasman]

shakespeare, thanks for the tip. as for the rest of you guys, you are crazy(complement)

[o2bfishn]

Doc gave me some purple pills, said they should keep me running straight and level, what ever that means 006 But the wife still won't ride with me. 004


o2bfishn

[jcv]

sorry to ressurrect an old thread but I was psyched when I found this - I've always wanted to learn how to do this. So, with these instructions it was totally simple and unbraiding worked as shown - slick! So I tried it again... and again and again... etc... LOL. Each time unbraiding did not work and the braid actually tightened. It then took way too long to unravel the lines. About every 10 tries or so, they unbraid like they're supposed to. I've tried large, loose loops, smaller loops and everything in between.

Any advice? This is a nice neat way to stow my dock lines, I'd like to learn to do it right! *clonk*

Thanks in advance
Jay

BTW - for those of you who are wondering where the heck I came from:

I love this forum but I don't own a skiff. I had planned to buy one when I was boat shopping but I ended up with something else. I still pop in here regularly because I still love skiffs and there's always interesting stuff to check out *thumbsup*