The hollow braid doesn't actually stretch. It compresses (scrunches up) when the bungee retracts. Then when you pull on the chicken line, the hollow braid extends until it the slack is taken out and it gives you something firm to hold onto. So when you snake a bungee cord through it, it provides a solid, self-retracting cord for the crew to hold onto. The other nice thing about it is that it's soft and a fairly large diameter, so it's easy on the hands.
You can order hollow braid by the foot (as well as all the other components) from Murrays Marine.
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