Bought a new windlass recently?

Kushtaka":2s9x2gph said:
honestly, because I anchor in deep water, and have as much rode/chain as I can keep in my locker, I'm not too impressed with my windlass, or even having a windlass. I should have put that money toward the really nice line hauler I just bought. Since I started using that to pull the anchor things have been easier.

The buoy systems are pretty great too.

I do still use my windlass, but it's a lot more hassle for me to get the rode in than just holding down the button.

That said, my lewmar 700 has been rock solid reliable in its motor operation.

Will a line hauler handle 1/4" chain?
 
Ahh, that's because I use my other anchor with the puller! The anchor on the windlass stays on the bow and doesn't leave the windlass.

I don't think I'd try to run chain through there. I can't imagine it would work all that well or be very nice to your hauler.

I've seen capstan haulers (doesn't hang on a davit like a puller, but usually feeds through a block) and similar capstan winches have a chain gypsy mounted concentrically to the capstan. If you were trying to haul line and chain you could probably make it work that way, then you'd just have to switch from the capstan to the gypsy when your chain got to you. I'm not sure how well that woule work in most blocks, but I'm certain there are blocks out there that chain will feed through no problem.
 
I use an anchor release technique.

In a nutshell, I have a ring spliced on the end of my rode, I have a ring on my rode that gets a buoy on it, and a short tag line on the ring on the end.

I run a line from my bow cleat, down through my bow eye (do this at the dock!!!) and then back to my transom cleat. The anchor always has the buoy in case of a whoops, but basically you just put the spliced end ring through the line that is connected from your bow and cleat it down to your stern, and have that tag line clipped to the ring that you keep the other end accessible from the cockpit. The anchor will quickly head up to the bow and hold you normally.

If you want to get off your anchor and come back you just uncleat at the stern, and let the ring off. It's good to make sure this line is not long enough to get into your prop, but even better to get it out of the water after you are off your anchor. Then you are free to fight a fish, rescue a man overboard, or do whatever, and can just come back to your anchor without hauling it up and setting it again. It'll just have the end of the rode floating up with the buoy.

When its time to pull the anchor, just get the buoy, then the rode, and haul it up in your puller or hauler like a crab trap.

When I get to the chain I just haul it by hand.

It should be said that I am in a prime position to use the boat to pull the anchor by cleating that line to my stern instead of putting it through my puller. The rode will come up to the surface, feeding through the ring with the buoy, including the chain, and when the anchor gets to the buoy it will conspicuously pull the buoy under. Then you stop and pull the whole thing in easily by hand with the anchor and chain suspended by the buoy at the surface.

I just don't love the idea, and was never brought up pulling an anchor like this on a boat. I have no problem using my hauler instead.

Youtube has a bunch of videos that describe this type of anchoring. I hope I explained it a little bit.

John
 
John, do I recall correctly that you're anchoring in 500-600 feet of water? That sounds scary. What are you fishing for at those depths?
 
Thats as much rode as I have, but I can't really get it to hold in much more than 400' with any current. I'm not anchoring for anything but late season halibut at those depths, and I'm always on lookout, so if I drag, or don't hold I can deal with it. I wouldn't go to sleep like that.

I really only do that in October and November. I don't really chase halibut again til February, and on the flipside of their migration, you can get at them shallower again. It's just really hard to get any fall halibut above 300'. At least around here. And better below 400'.
 
Back
Top