Anchor rode container

T

Tad and Toby Jackson

New member
Hello to All from Sunny and Warm Florida's East Coast,

Does anyone have suggestions for some kind of container that can be put on the foredeck to hold the anchor rode? We typically anchor in water that is not much more than 30' deep, so we only carry 200 ft. of rode with a Danforth anchor. There is no hatch on the foredeck for an anchor locker. The area that many Dory's have for a sealed anchor locker has a half high bulkhead and we use that area for towels and pillows. After reading about many C.D's having problems with leaking from the anchor locker, I am glad to use that area for other uses.
I currently coil the rode up against the raised roof in the berth with the chain on top. While I have never had a problem with the rode blowing off, I am concerned about a wave washing the rode overboard while in a storm or while offshore.

Thanks in advance...Tad
 
Tad-

The simplest solution I've seen in your situation is to use a plastic milk carton container or similar large well ventilated container.

Strap it down in front of the cabin trunk and behind the center deck cleat, using that cleat and the bow pulpit rails at the base to anchor bungee cords. You might have to add some tie-down eyes, cleats or other places to fully secure the container.

The ventilated cross-rib design of the container will provide for rinsing he rode and drying it out.

Cheap solution, too!

(TyBoo had a photo of such a rig on the old 22-ft TyBoo, but it's not there now.)

Others may have more suggestions.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
In the same vein, where are people putting their spare anchors & rodes? And when they use them do they replace the anchor & rode already in the windlass? If not, how are they deployed?

Warren
 
I'm about to cross that threshold myself...it's just about that time for me to shift from the major install and prep project to figuring out where to store things aboard.

We can store 6' tall people in each forward sponson storage area of the Tomcat (I know this personally) :disgust Ha ha - storing an anchor definitely requires padding so it cannot bang against the inside of the hull.
 
Warren,
When we bought the Comfy Dory last June, the previous owner had a cover made out of Sunbrella to match the Bimini color. The cover when opened up has 4 short lines tied to it. The anchor and coiled rode lay in it and then the lines are tied together and you have a carrying bag with rope handle for the 2nd anchor and rode. This anchor we keep in the floor storage compartment below the dinette table. If the coiled line is laid in the cover first and then the chain and then the anchor, the rode acts as a cushion for the anchor so that it does not rattle against the hull.
I do not have a windlass and have not had occasion to have to deploy a 2nd anchor yet, so I can't answer your other question.

Thanks Joe. I have an old Borden's plastic milk crate in the workshop that I can experiment with this weekend.

Thanks...Tad
 
What I have on the tug ....is a blue bag like thing that is specifically made for that purpose....they are sold by West Marine....the line actually goes through it....and the line coils up in it...and the chain lays on the top....it attaches to one of the stantions so it is neat and tidy... works really well...the line never gets tangled...and it is really well protected from the sun...I have used it for years and it has held up well..

Joel
SEA3PO
Kea (the tug)
 
Tad,

Check out the surplus stores for a large military canvas bag. We used to call them parachute bags. They work for luggage, things like PFDs, anchor and shrimp/crab pot lines, and what ever else you can think of. As far as that goes, there must be a number of duffles in the outdoor shops that would fit the bill.

They have a couple of loop handles, and a large zipper across the top. just tie them on to the bow pulpit.

Steve
 
14157.jpg
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=77228&PRODID=60136
 
We have used the "plastic Milk crates"--some given to us, some purchased. West Marie carries some--like what our generator and its fuel tank are on.

For the extra rode and anchor storage, on the Tom cat, C dories we have always put them under the foot rest under the dinette. We have also put an extra anchor in the bilge aft of the CD 25. We tend to use lighter rodes for stern anchors. Usually carry two or three extra anchors--most commonly at least one Fortress.

At Lake Powell, we anchor stern to the beach, and use two anchors on shore for this.
 
Tad - I have a suggestion for storage of your rode that is is pure function, inexpensive, and versatile. The only drawback I have found is aesthetics - for some people - certainly not all. I have had two CD 22's with anchor pipes, and tried several systems before coming to this rather simple system. Even with rode storage below the deck (and not having a windlass) is it is a nuisance to snake the rope back and forth through the pipe when you want to anchor. And putting a wet rope back into the compartment creates other issues. I tried the plastic milk carton with mixed results. Go to a livestock store and look at the variety of rubber feeders. Most are round with sides, some straight and some sloping.I settled for one about two feet in diameter. Like formal attire, the tubs come in basic black. I keep the anchor in the roller and run the excess chain and rope in the tub. The excess rope coils nicely (and quickly). The tub's rim has a round metal wire completely covered, and you can pierce two sides and tie the tub to SS rails. The tub won't skid around, won't mar, won't mark the gel coat and non-skid, and won't rot. You can dump your chain and anchor on top of the rope and it will stay put. When you decide to anchor. you simply drop the anchor and chair over the roller and let the rope play out. If you have coiled it properly, it will not get tangled up as it comes out of the tub. Tubs are ugly to some folks, but who cares unless you are making a fashon statement. For less than 20 bucks you can have truly functional storage, readily available. Give it a try. Yellowstone
 
Crate_1.sized.jpgCrate_2.sized.jpg 250' of 3/8" 3-strand and 15' 1/4" "proof coil" chain. Top 1/3rd of crate trimmed off. 1/16th" shield protects and "Poly Cords" secure. Crate has rubber feet to protect gelcoat/nonskid.
 

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I have the blue West Marine bag like Joel mentioned and it works well. I see now that the milk crate would be somewhat tidier for my stern anchor, I think. I intend to try one for a while.

I like my windlass setup and I haven't noticed any smell from the anchor locker on my CD22, but if I were going to keep the line on deck, I like the setup Adeline shows.

Have you seen the flat anchor line that reels up neatly on a specially made reel? Google "Ankarolina" and have a look. It would be a pretty tidy way to store a stern anchor line.

Let's see if I get this picture link right:

ankarolina56_2.jpg


Jeff
 
Jeff,
I had a 200 foot piece of tubular nylon webbing back in the late 50's--fun and interesting rope--but I didn't really like it as an anchor rode. Less stretch than double braid, not all that easy to "hand" (grip). and it has to be oversewn, since it cannot be spliced. Knots tend to jam, even bowlines. But it does look nice. We always made up coils of anchor rode and just hung them on the radar arch or aft railings on the larger boats.
 
Tapping once again into this valuable vault of experience, is there a preferred method used to stow 3/8" diameter/3-strand nylon line & 1/4" chain into a container (pail, crate, canvas bag, etc.) that reduces the chance of line fouling when deploying the anchor? Coil into a round container, figure-8 into a rectangular container or ??? Thanks!
Paul K
 
Bob,

I hadn't thought about the feel of it by hand when pulling it in. I bet you're right; it wouldn't be as good as round rope, in terms of comfort and traction for pulling hard. I figured it would be a matter of sewing and using fasteners instead of knots. I guess I'll pass on this idea for now and try the milk crate idea for stowing the stern anchor line.

On the other hand, I recently got a Sailrite Ultrafeed sewing machine and I'm really into sewing things at the moment. I've done a bunch of canvas for my sailboat and I've tried some webbing stitching. The webbing's real easy.

The sewing machine's awesome, by the way, if anyone's interested. I think it will sew ANYTHING. Well, it seems like it, anyway.

Jeff
 
Paul,

You want to loosely pile the rode in a heap in the reverse order from the way it will pay out. (Bottom of pile is tied to boat.) If you coil it, part of the coil always finds a way to get under some other part while it's paying out and you get a tangle.

If you use a bucket or bag, there should be a small hole near the bottom so you can have the end of the line fed through and tied to the boat while paying out the rode. Actually, there should be lots of holes for good drainage and ventillation so the rode will dry while stored.

On sailboats, we're forever piling up lines (main sheet, jib sheets, spinnaker lines, etc.) and then letting them pay out, then piling them up again and over and over. If someone tries coiling them it almost always results in a tangle when they pay out.

Jeff
 
Christopher-Robyn":16v8o64q said:
Tapping once again into this valuable vault of experience, is there a preferred method used to stow 3/8" diameter/3-strand nylon line & 1/4" chain into a container (pail, crate, canvas bag, etc.) that reduces the chance of line fouling when deploying the anchor? Coil into a round container, figure-8 into a rectangular container or ??? Thanks!
Paul K
Click to expand...

Paul-

I think most folks just coil the rode into the box by hand, but here's a few off the top of my head ideas for you:

1. Get one of those orange soft plastic traffic cones and put it into the box and coil the rope and chain loosely around it. Cut it down to the top of the box so it will look better and feed out easier. The cone should help keep the coils from overlapping and tangling each other up (SNAFU!!!).

2. Try coiling the rode alternating ways to deal with the helix/twist build up problem:

A rectangular box could give you an opportunity to do a figure "8" pattern, which would reverse the twist and neutralize it. Or use a figure 8 to reverse the twist/coiling every so many turns, like every 10 or so.

In a square box, the coiling might be reversed every 10 coils or so to do the same, crossing diagonally through the middle to reverse the coiling.


Using a glove to avoid burning your hands, provide a manual feed out "fairlead" above the box to pull the rope out of the box vertically to help it out of the box without snarling.

Mount the box on the deck in a "tiltable" frame so that it can be tilted forward to let line spin off to the bow roller like a spinning reel.

Go to West Marine or an electrical supply outfit and get a reel for rope or wire that can be waterproofed and make a reel with a frame and crank to wind the rode up on. Fabricate your own manual windlass.

No guarantees here, just ideas to test out! As we say YMMV!*

Joe. :teeth :thup

*= Your Mileage May Vary, hope something works for you!
 
Jeff:
As you suggest, I'm going to try letting the line fall into the container however it chooses and then lay the chain section on top of the pile. I saw a mesh anchor & rode bag at West Marine that I might try. Thanks!

Joe:
I also like the idea of using the pylon. I'll try putting in the hiddle of the mesh bag & coil the line around it. Thanks!

Paul K
 
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