Anchor rode marking

I bought a small tin of marine blue paint that matches my blue stripe. I use it for touching up any scuff marks that we accumulate from time to time.
Back to the thread: I only have 35' of chain. I painted a bar on the rode for every 50'. Two bars for 100', three bars for 150' etc. I did this three years ago and those bars are as sharp today as when I first painted them on.

Martin.
 
I recently bought some of that marking tape from Home Depot, the 1" wide vinyl or equivalent, used for marking off areas. Bought several different colors, using red every 100', yellow every 20' and green every 50'. I have 8 plait rode, and ran the tape thru the strands and then around the rode. So far seems to be working out ok. Earlier I had tried zip ties, but grab around one while grabbing the rode, and ouch. Colby
 
And I thought my system was a no-brainer! I paint a bar on rode or chain. One bar 50ft, two bars 100ft, three bars 150ft.................you get the picture.
Martin.
 
And I thought my system was a no-brainer! I paint a bar on rode or chain. One bar 50ft, two bars 100ft, three bars 150ft.................you get the picture.
Martin.
 
I tried the permanent markers. They weren't so permanent. :( (The ink ran and faded.) So far I like my ribbon system. Just wondering how long it will hold up. Colby
 
The webbed barricade tape shoved thru the strands at select intervals works well. I used some strap from an old ratchet tie down device to mark my rode in two places; once on the chain a few feet before the anchor reaches the bow roller on the way up and another on the rope about 50' from the bitter end so I know when to stop on the way down.

I have a line counter on the windlass which is fairly accurate so I do not need to mark of the entire length of the rode. The counter ticks off revolutions of the gypsy. The only problem with that is I won't catch any fish unless the windlass is stopped with the counter showing a number divisible by 5. My luckiest is 125 but 100 or 150 works too. Don't ask me why - my granddaughter says it is some kind of disease.
 
colbysmith":3sj7crva said:
I tried the permanent markers. They weren't so permanent. :( (The ink ran and faded.) So far I like my ribbon system. Just wondering how long it will hold up. Colby
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Yes, the ink runs a little bit (seems to have an affinity for nylon). But my marks are still quite legible.
 
I went to a system where both chain and rode is color code painted every 25’. Each color is about 12” so it’s very easy to see, particularly when free falling the anchor. 25’-Red, 50’-White, 75’-Blue. At 100’ Red signifies hundreds of feet so 100’- Red, Black, Red. 125’- Red, Red, Red. 150’- Red, White, Red. 175’- Red, Blue, Red. And so on... Blue signifies two hundreds with the Red, White, Blue at 25’ intervals. I also have a warning mark so not surprised by the anchor. Besides, it’s patriotic. Ken
 
When I get better service I’ll attach a photo of the chart I use for quick reference. 25’, 50’ and 75’ are always red, white and blue respectively.
At the 100’ series the painted rode is three feet long so 125’ is 12”Red, 12”Red, 12”Red. 150’ is 12”Red, 12”White, 12”Red. 175’ is Red, Blue, Red. A pic is worth a thousand words but we are in the Broken Group Islands with limited service. We are anchored in 50’ of water so for a minimum of 3:1, I tied off at Red, White, Red. Hope this helps. Ken
 
Harvey. Here is the anchor rode scheme I use that you had asked about. So each 25' increment is red, white, blue. Note that each 100' increment has a black center to indicate 100', 200', etc. The hundreds of feet also is red, white, and blue. I only carry 300' total so the orange warns of the end of the rode. I also have a mark on the chain that warns me of the anchor just before it hits the roller. Ken

E33310CE_5190_4711_A24A_348888686976.sized.png
 
We tried the paint route - it didn't last - maybe the wrong paint?

What we found works and is very easy to maintain is zip ties - you can get a bag at Harbor Freight of mixed colors - ours were something like 8 to 12 inch long. Any system you want - we put three in a row in each increment (50 ft for us). They go through the windlass with no problem and are easy to replace on the fly, although ours lasted for months of daily use.
 
JOHN C":17fs4e4f said:
We tried the paint route - it didn't last - maybe the wrong paint?

What we found works and is very easy to maintain is zip ties - you can get a bag at Harbor Freight of mixed colors - ours were something like 8 to 12 inch long. Any system you want - we put three in a row in each increment (50 ft for us). They go through the windlass with no problem and are easy to replace on the fly, although ours lasted for months of daily use.
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John- Did you weave / braid the nylon zip ties through a three strand nylon rope rode, or simply wrap them around the rode?

Thanks!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Ken, Thanks for the chart. I have used paint but it is mostly gone after 2 years heavy use. As to the lenghts, at 50 feet for the first marking I would be almost fully at the end of my line :wink:

My typical depth for anchoring is at 5 feet at low tide, and I would usually run out 70 feet of chain, prefering to not run onto the 200 feet of rode.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
We have 150 ft of chain and 150 ft of rope. We tried to anchor in water shallow enough so the rope never appeared and we were mostly successful doing that so our rope markers have only been used a couple of times (stayed in the locker). Yes the ties were through one part of the rope - if you just wrapped them around the OD I believe nasty things could happen and, even if I am wrong about that, I don't see how they would not move along the rope.

I confess, with the anchor windlass, we have not man-handled the rode at all so I have no experience with Colby's comment.
 
JOHN C":l1jhd6u7 said:
We have 150 ft of chain and 150 ft of rope. We tried to anchor in water shallow enough so the rope never appeared and we were mostly successful doing that so our rope markers have only been used a couple of times (stayed in the locker). Yes the ties were through one part of the rope - if you just wrapped them around the OD I believe nasty things could happen and, even if I am wrong about that, I don't see how they would not move along the rope.

I confess, with the anchor windlass, we have not man-handled the rode at all so I have no experience with Colby's comment.
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Now that's my kind of anchoring!

1.Push button deployment and retrieval (no hands).

2. Big + long chain: 100' of 1/4" Grade 40 High Test =75lbs +the anchor weight.

3. No Contest Anchor: Fortress FX-16, good for up to 38 foot boat.

4. Digital anchor rode counter integrated into windlass on bow. Magnet on windlass gypsy trips coil which electrically registers on counter on helm display.

5. Positive anchor hook up: Depending on East/West or North/South rode play out can result in slowing up/retarding earth's rotation or change in tilt on its axis! :twisted:

You Mileage May Vary.....

Joe. :teeth :thup

IM001284.jpg
 
Been following this thread and another one to decide how I am going to mark my anchor chain. I bought my 22' Cruiser from Cutter Marine. They always supplied 150' (of chain) citing local needs and adding a little weight in the bow. I went to EBay and found a seller who sells round aluminum dog tags and engraves them. I bought 7 ($15) and had them engraved 20, 40, 60 ... and will attach them either with the supplied split rings or some Dynema line that I have. I intend to paint the first 10' red so I know that the anchor is near. Should work. I do not have a windlass.

John
Swee Pea
 
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