How much chain and rode for Salish Sea?

[pcg]

I'm just now outfitting my stripped to the hull 22' Cruiser and wondering how much chain and rode I should buy. I have a Lewmar H700 windlass and will be following the Lewmar recommendations for rode and chain diameter/size, but I don't know how much of each I should buy.
The boat will be used on the Salish Sea and up the Inside Passage, as well as on the Columbia River.
Thank you for your suggestions.

[colbysmith]

On both my earlier 22, and now my 25, I've gone with 20' of chain and then 300 feet of 8 plait rode. With an 14 lb Delta anchor. I've used on the Inside Passage and everywhere else I've been. I have not anchored on the Columbia River in the current (up to 4 mph). Some folks will say more chain and heavier anchor, but I've been fine with the above. I was thinking of going with more chain, but then realized I many times anchor in less than 5 feet of water, and more chain would require a different method to tie it off so that it's not rattling on the roller all night long. I think 20 or 30' of chain would be plenty. Colby

[clayhubler]

I anchor on the columbia all the time with 15' of chain and 150' of rope. 14 lb lewmar delta. Generally dont anchor deeper than 60'. If overnighting I will anchor and stern tie because of the current and tide swings.
I dont believe I could get much more rode in the locker unless I modified it.

[thataway]

The 8 plait rode allows you to put more line in the 22's anchor locker. Some like to petition off the locker from the bunk. I used Sunbella fastened to the top of the anchor locker petition forward of the bunk. I sewed a tube in the top of the sunbrella almost to the top of the anchor locker, and then had dies to clips bolted on one of the through the deck bolts of the bow pulpit railing on each side. This can be easily opened if there is a tangle.





300 of 8 plait and 25 to 50' of 1/4” ACCO ISO G43 (G4)1/4” chain . is what I have used in the PNW, including AK. (ACCO BBB 1/4" may also work, the HT G 4 is preferred. With my larger boats, I carried 400 feet of rope, and 200 feet of chain. There is no problem with chain "rattling on the roller all night long". if an all chain rode is used. First in 5 feet of water you want 56 feet of anchor rode out for the recommended 7:1 scope. The scope is determined not only by the depth of the water, but also by the addition of the bow height off the water. So 5' depth, plus 3' of the C Dory bow off the water, is 8 feet x 7 (recommenced scope) Since you are in the PNW, you have tides from a minimum of 7 feet to over 25 feet in AK, the more tide range the further you go North. For example the tidal range today in Friday Harbor (San Juans) today is over 8 feet. Your 8 x 7 now becomes twice that, or 112' of line out for a proper anchor scope. Yes, I realize that many anchor with less scope.

If you end up on all chain, there should be one or two snubbers to the chain. There should be absolutely no strain or load on the anchor roller. It is easy to put chafing gear around the chain, if for some reason you are rolling enough to cause the slack chain to make noise. If you are rolling that much in an Anchorage, you don't belong there!. The snubbers I use 5/16 3 strand, attached to chain with a chain plate (shackles from the thimbles of the snubbers to the plate which has a slot for the chain to fit into and holes for the shackles.

Chain plates for chain. (Better than chain hooks, which can be used in a pinch.)



There should be load only on the main anchor load at the roller, if the snubbers are at their elastic limit. In thousands of nights at anchor I only have broken one snubber. That was as I was raising the mizen sail on a 62' ketch, and a sudden gust of over 50 knots hit abeam and knocked the 65,000 lb boat rail down in a second. In that case the 1/2" snubber broke, and the 5/8 snubber on the other side of the bow held. (Main anchor rode was 7/8 " 3 strand and 3/8 G4 chain No damage to the boat or injury. A day later I was anchored next to a friend's ketch which was about half my displacement, with no snubber. A series of waves came into the cove, and his chain broke--no snubber. I got a line to him and held on my anchor/chain until he could dive and recover his chain (with a broken link). and anchor.

I put in two more cleats (backed up) outboard for a better fair lead for both anchor snubbers, so less possible chafe for most docking. These are held on the rope rode with rolling hitch or Prusick knots.


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[Hunkydory]

I’ve had different combinations over the last 21 seasons on our CD22 with much of our cruising & anchoring being done in SE Alaska with high percentage of that in the more remote areas. Presently, the rode consists of 50 feet chain, 250 feet of 1/2 inch 8 brait line & a 25# Manson Boss anchor. For most, the 25# anchor would be considered way overkill & perhaps it is, but we’ve been in some gales, where it sure didn’t seem like it at all & it sets easy & has yet to drag even with short scopes in high winds. In many areas, I’ve anchored in SE Alaska & other areas further south, along the coast, where I prefer to anchor close to shore in small nooks & bays, a 7 to 1 scope is just not realistic for the space available with a 3 to 1 used the most & some times, less scope than that. A over sized anchor & extra chain makes for us, “the anchoring”, a more relaxed & easier experience. With extreme tides, we have at times, let the boat settle on a thoroughly checked out bottom with only the chain out & other times been with a high tide in depths of slightly over a hundred feet with a combination of 285 feet out. Preferred anchorages are chosen in areas for minimum depths on the swing of 5 feet at low tide & with good depth angles, less than 40 feet at high tide at the anchor with most of the time less than 150 feet of line out.

Jay

[pcg]

[pcg]

[Hunkydory]

[C-Wolfe]

[DayBreak]

[pcg]

[thataway]

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[pcg]

Thanks everyone! I just ordered 275' 1/2" 8-plait, 50' 1/4" galv. chain, and a 5/16" SS shackle from Dark Horse Marine.

[Peter & Judy]