anchor chain

[ken 120]

Just pulled my boat for the season and hauled out the anchor chain that gets more rusty every year no matter how much I rinse it with fresh water after each use. The boat is five years old and I have owned it for one year so I do know what the previous owner did after each time he anchored.

I understand that the 100 foot of chain provides weight in the bow that keeps the boat properly balanced. Has anyone given up the chain for rope and if so did it change the characteristics of the boat and is anchoring anymore difficult - there are some chain links that I do not like the looks of so I will be making a replacement next Spring - any advise is apprecaited.

Ken

[flapbreaker]

I'm no expert but it seems like 100 feet of chain is a lot. I have 300' of rope with 15' of chain. I think most people use a combination of rope and chain. The chain keeps the angle of the anchor down. You wouldn't probably need 300' of rope though.

[B~C]

hey there, welcome to the pub. You can loose about 80' of that chain. There are some folks that run mostly chain, I suppose if anchoring in deep water where you can't have the desired scope, the lengthy chain would be good. 10-20' of chain would be adequate in most situations. As far as ballance goes, if you have much of a following sea that chain would be the last thing you want in the bow.

[Chris Bulovsky]

100' of chain? Not on my boat!!! I have a 4' chunk of rubberized chain behind the Anchor. The rig holds in mud and sand. 100' of chain seems excessive for 22' boat. Does anyone use 100' of chain and if so why? I plain just don't know. Please enlighten me.

Truth is I have not had a need or desire to anchor deep yet.(Over 50' of water) I usually just beach the boat and carry the anchor into the sand beach. Wonderful boats these 22's are. Very versatile.

[doc]

We use 35 feet of chain on our 25 and 300 feet of rope. Works pretty well thus far. I came up with this combination by talking with others I know on the Inside Passage and Prince William Sound who say they have good results.

[Sea Wolf]

Here we go again on the All Chain Topic!

From piecing together various bits and pieces of information over the years, it would appear that Cutter Marine back on the East Coast has been setting up C-Dorys for some time with this preferred set up :

1. 100-150 feet of chain, 1/4" GS-4 High Test
2. Simpson Lawrence Sprint 600 vertical windlass
3. S/L Delta Fastset 14 lb anchor
4. S/L Pivoting Anchor Roller
5. suitable anchor swivel
6. not sure about the locker drain, but probably installed

(all of this subject to buyers's approval and modified by individual preferences, of course)

We've heard (and surmise) they do this for the following reasons:

The extra weight of chain (75- 112 lbs vs 25 or so for a conventional rope and short chain rode) helps do the following:

A. Balances the extra weight of modern four stroke engines (C-Dory 22 was designed for 2 strokes).

B. Drives the boat better through the short steep chop experienced on East Coast Bays (vs large swells on open oceans) This is done as an alternative to installing trim tabs.

C. Enables boat to use much shorter scope in crowded anchorages.

D. Keeps people guessing about this set up and gives us something to go over every so often.

From our previous discussions, it also becomes evident that:

1. Folks don't much care for the big chain approach who are more concerned with keeping the bow as light as possible so that it rides up easier in steep swells.

2. Neither to those who have to anchor in real deep situations where they need 300 -600 feet of rode. They obviously find the first 100-150 feet of chain to be both more chain than they need and too much extra weight and bulk to carry around.

So the all chain may not be for you.

Several of us do use it, however, finding that:

1. We do indeed have to let out a lot less rode when anchoring.

2. The heavy chain helps quiet the boat's ride at anchor, and also helps minimize "searching" in wind shifts.

3. It definitely does not slip in a windlass, unlike some ropes.

4. Chain wears a lot less than rope, and doesn't have to be replaced, period.

There are undoubtably more pros and cons of this and other set ups, but I think you can see the major ones here. The choice depends on where and how you anchor and your individual preferences.

While I have 100' of chain followed by 150 feet of 1/2" rope as a primary set up, I also have a traditional 15" chain and 200' rope one for use where preferable.

Also- I've never heard of rust being a problem with GS-4 High Test Galvanized chain. Is this what you have? Do you rinse it after use when at the dock or on the trailer? Do you have a drain in your locker? Is it ventilated? What type of windlass do you have (if you have one)? Do you have the typical Cutter set up?

Joe.