A simple method for high-yield, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesis of serpentine carbon nanotubes, employing quartz substrates and a molecular cluster catalyst, is described. The growth mechanism is analyzed by controlled addition of nanoscale barriers, and by mechanical analysis of the curved sections. The serpentine structures are used to study the electrical transport properties of parallel arrays of identical nanotubes, which show three-terminal conductance that scales linearly with the number of nanotube segments.