delta anchor, chain rode problems

[Almas Only]

Valkyrie: Your concerns about snubbing a Delta on a pivoting roller are shared on Alma's Only. Here's what we've done to address the problem.

Our bow anchor configuration is a Delta 14#, with swivel anchor connector (WM #289274), 20 feet of 1/4 high-test chain and 200 feet of one-half inch three strand (West Marine #151871), Lewmar Pro-Series H700 windlass (WM #6867600), and Lewmar pivoting bow roller (WM #221440). Secondary anchor is a Guardian 6 # (WM #488866), with 150 feet of 3/8 inch three strand. Four photos, under the general heading AOnly Anchor, are posted under the Anchor Detail Photo forum section.

The bow arrangement works fine, but only after some modifications to allow for proper snubbing. The problem was that if the bow roller is not secured in a straight, full up position, heavy chop and swells would cause the anchor, and the moving portion of the roller, to bang up and down with considerable force. Although the movement might initially be slight, if would always end up with the anchor and roller going up to the full up position as the bow began to come down, and then slamming to the fully extended position when the bow slammed into the water. I had no doubt that if this was not fixed, the unit would either damage the boat, or tear loose and deploy. Although the windlass could provide a temporary fix, the force necessary to bring the anchor and roller into place was considerable, and the windlass clutch would eventually slip under the extreme loading generated when the bow came down hard. Once there was any slippage, further pounding would result in the problem repeating.

My “fix” consisted of drilling holes horizontally through the roller side plates, and inserting a 5/16 inch stainless ball release pin. This locks the roller firmly in place, and is easy to remove when I want to launch the anchor. The pin is connected with a stainless cable to a cross-member in the original deck pipe, and inserted through a hole in the cross-member, and the cap closed, when the anchor is being used. The anchor snub consists of a 5/16 braided line, with stainless steel grab hooks at the end to pull the anchor back, and midway along the anchor shaft, to keep the shaft down and in contact with the roller. A hook was added to the deck of the boat to keep the snubline generally centered.

With this arrangement, there is no tension on the windlass, unless the anchor is actually being raised or lowered. And, so far, there has been no slamming of the anchor or roller.

I considered using a latching anchor chain tensioner (WM #405647) to pull the snubbing line back, but decided that the best fix was to pin the pivoting roller in place.

[Sea Wolf]

terraplane-

Nice job in engineering a bulletproof tie down solution! Neat, clean, and thorough! It's just too bad that you have to go forward to release the tie down arrangement to deploy the anchor or to secure it once it's up.

I had the same problem initially with my set up, but after I tightened the clutch on the Quick 500 to the limit, it's never slipped loose in chop again. In fact, I can hang my 230 lbs off the anchor on the trailer and not budge it.

I have the Fortress FX-16 anchor which, although intended for 33-38 ft boats, only weighs 11 lbs, which helps with the weight management issue. Plus a lot of the weight is in the shaft which is quite long and centered further back away from the bow.

I also have a Sampson Post along side of the windlass to wrap the rode around to take the load off the windlass when anchoring in windy conditions. I first bring it back around the bow cleat (to fairlead it) and then forward to the post (off center). If I think it's going to be really windy, I let more than the 100 feet of chain out and use some of the nylon rope to help absorb the shock.

One other thing that helps manage anchoring tasks is to make a hard wired remote control to pass up through the forward hatch so that you can run the windlass while on the foredeck while attending the details. DaNag Bill put his switch up near the front opening window for this purpose, but having the switch in your hand on the foredeck is even more convenient. You just have to be sure to not trip one of the up or down buttons inadvertently when your hands are around the windlass or lines.

Too bad these are such temperamental devices with so many glitches, but once you've worked out most all the problems, they're worth their cost and all the trouble.

Nice to see your work and success! Joe.