Am I OK with this setup for anchoring?

[oldgrowth]

I want to replace my 100 feet of ½ inch anchor line with 250 feet of 3/8 inch, 3 strand rope. It has a breaking strength of 4400 lbs. I want to build a rode storage area in front of the v-berth, where there is currently Styrofoam flotation material. The Styrofoam will be removed, a bottom placed in the storage area and a Deck Pipe added, to feed the line through. The deck pipe will have a 1 & ¾ inch inside diameter. With the current situation, I have to keep the anchor line coiled up on deck or stored under the v-berth. It is a pain putting out the anchor and even more of a pain taking it in. I would have to manually feed the line through the pipe, but this would be preferable to my current situation.

I have 12 feet of chain on the anchor. I would like to take the chain off and add 24 inches of ½ inch rope between the chain and anchor, then the 250 feet of 3/8 inch rope. The reason for this is so when the anchor is in, there will be rope coming out of the pipe and laying against the deck. I would think it would cause less wear on the deck pipe and I could make a better seal with the cap.

Does anybody see a problem with what I want to do.

[journey on]

well, your anchor and rode is an important safety device, and don't mess around.

What you suggest as to the size of the line (3/ seems fine, but you may have a problem with putting a line between the chain and the anchor stock. The purpose of the chain is to pull the anchor flat so it can hook up. Seperating the weight of the chain from the anchor lets the end of the anchor move around, unimpeded by the chain, which is something you don't want.

If you're trying to keep the chain off the deck, try fastening a sheet of plastic to the deck. Use some of that thin cutting board stuff. It's tough.

Boris

[El and Bill]

We think Boris is spot on. The weight of the chain helps hold the anchor shank low, particularly in anchoring and when swinging on the hook. We would not suggest a 'no chain' rode if you are going to do more than have a lunch hook -- certainly not for a cruising setup.

[Sea Wolf]

Dave-

I see what you're after with the proposed set up, and think it will work just fine.

The 3/8" rope is fine for the 16, and will hold a 22 just fine as well.

There are two reasons they use 1/2" rope on a boat the size of a C-Dory.

One is to make it bigger just so it will be easier on the hands for manual setting and retrieving.

And the other is because almost all windlasses are designed to accept and operate best with 1/2" three strand rope in their gypsies. Smaller diameter rope will often either jam up up on the gypsy where it passes under the flemming (pressure finger), or just not flow down into the locker because it is either to flexible and/or not heavy enough.

The 24" bit of 1/2" rope between the chain and the anchor to protect the foredeck is a fine idea. I don't think it will have any real effect on the direction of pull at anchor when set, which is why we use chain in the first section of the rode.

Splicing 3-strand rope is easy and fun. Chapman's has a great diagraam and explanation of how to get it done, as do many other sources.

When dealing with this problem before, I bought some1/4" thick clear flexible vinyl plastic and glued it down on the foredeck with clear urethane caulking. This made the resulting pad, for the most part, invisible. This is, of course, the other way to protect the deck.

Good Luck either way!

Joe.

[Adeline]

[B~C]

I'll bet you could sneak by with that short piece of line at the anchor, if the anchor doesn't hold, you can always change back. If you do use the chunk O' line, check it often for chaffing. Another option for you would be to get a short piece of coated chain

[oldgrowth]

First I want to thank everyone for their input.

The short piece of rope between the anchor and chain would serve two purposes. Protecting the deck, which can be taken care of other ways, but the main reason would be,

with rope in the deck pipe, it will be easier to make a watertight seal or close to a watertight seal with the deck pipe cap, than it would be to do the same with chain sticking out. I have only been out on the boat four times for a total of 10 days. On two of those occasions, I have had waves coming over the bow, so I know it will probably happen enough to cause a wet v-berth. If I don’t have a decent seal, water will eventually drain on and under the pad on the v-berth. It would take a lot of work/modifications to direct the water under the v-berth shelf and onto the floor. I would just as soon not have the water come in, in the first place. I know the rode will be wet when I pull anchor but 90% of it can be dealt with, before it goes into the locker.

What I am looking at for the deck pipe, is something like this. I thought I would put some kind of foam rubber in the cap so that when it is on, it would make a semi watertight seal around the rope. With chain, it would be much harder to accomplish this. I could probably accomplish this with as little as 8 inches of rope between the anchor and chain, but would rather have the chain lay all the way down in the locker.

[CAVU]

Dave,
I have a 22 Cruiser but my system would work just as well on your 16. There is a different model of deck pipe with a long flattened opening for a link of chain. After the lid is closed it forms a nice close fit around a link of your anchor chain. Would be just as easy to "caulk" with a piece of foam as the round hole for a rope. Additionally I removed the anchor from the chain and slipped a short piece of heavy vinyl hose over the chain and reattached the anchor. This pads the short length of chain between the anchor and pipe and I just leave it permanently attached. Has worked well for me so far.

[rogerbum]

Dave,

The anchor rode lockers on the 22 are in the bow and are generally sealed from the V-berth (with fiberglass), above the waterline and fitted with an above water line drain to the outside. Hence if water gets in, it drains out. Even without the concern of water breaking over the bow, you want a similar set up as a lot of water can get in just from pulling in the wet rode.

Roger on the SeaDNA

[dogon dory]

Sorry, Folks - Post Deleted By Author

[New Hampshire Guy]

Anchoring the 16' C-Dory must be tough with big waves.

Would it be worth considering to simply run the line to an aft cleat? You could launch and recover the anchor standing in the cockpit. There would be no drilling or construction. You could add a carbiner (sp?) or shackle to the forward cleat to double secure the anchor when it was convenient to go forward. The idea of the coated chain also sounds like it will take care of the chafing. The wet line could be stored in a milk carton aft, so no worries about the damp line and water and smell.
There would be the asthetic negative of always having a line running full aft, but the price might be right and there is now no risk of water forward.
Best of Luck!

[lloyds]

Oldgrowth:

I am really interested in how this works out for you. I wanted to do the same thing but couldn't find anyone who had done it and I could never get the dealer or factory to tell me if that bulkhead was structural or not. At the seattle get together they told me it is not structural and is just put in with those four brackets and some sealant. I think you could glass in another bulkhead sealing it from the v-berth, then drill like a 3/16ths hole at the berth level out the stem for the drain. That is the way most sailboats are set up. A little water comes in but goes right back out again. Let me know how all this comes together. I might press on if you are successful and happy with it. I think the rode opening in the deck cover would be easier to seal than the chain.

[Sawdust]

Dave,

Depends on where you boat, but this old sailor doesn't like the idea a bit of not having chain to the anchor. A short piece of chain keeps the shank down, and just one night swinging around the hook on rope rode to the hook can ruin your trip. So easy to loop around a sharp rock and have the boat jerk and tug... I've seen 1/2" hard-weave come up looking like a dog had been chewing on it all night -- with many strands cut through. There are lots of old sailors (canvas types) on the Brat site who know exactly what I mean. If I'm boating in AK, where the huge tides cause the boat to swing a lot, I like ALL chain with a shock snubber.

Dusty

[oldgrowth]

Sawdust, you have just about convinced me to connect the anchor to the chain then the rope. May try the short piece of rope for a while, may not.
New Guy, thanks for the suggestion. I have too much gear on or near the stern to add an anchor and rode. I can use more weight in the bow, so the anchor is logical and don’t really like to anchor from the stern.
rogerbum, there is no rode/anchor locker on the 16’ cruiser. The space is filled with Styrofoam and open below the v-berth shelf, with a plywood panel protecting the Styrofoam from the v-berth. Any water entering will drain on the v-berth and under it.
lloyds, I am going to start working on building a rode locker for my boat within the next couple of weeks. First I have to go play on my friend’s 12,000-acre ranch and give him my 2-cents worth, on how to modify one of his barns for giraffes.

I will post to this site on my progress and photos in my photo album Boat Projects

[C-Hawk]

I agree with D.O.D. You do not want rope at the anchor. Thats what the chain is for. If you are on rocky bottom and swinging around, the rope will chafe and you could be drifting away. Not good.