How much chain and rode for Salish Sea?

pcg

Member
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.
 
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
 
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.
 
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.


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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.)

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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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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":1xo1tsvp said:
Hunkydory":1xo1tsvp said:
Presently, the rode consists of 50 feet chain, 250 feet of 1/2 inch 8 brait line...
That all fits in the CD22 anchor locker with no problems?

Yes & I also have like you, the Lewmar H700 windlass.

With the shape of many of the anchor shanks such as the Manson Supreme, The anchor will self deploy on a regular anchor pulpit that fits the anchor. My oversized 25# Manson Boss & 15# spare Manson Supreme both self deploy every time flawlessly.
 
pcg":2gre1ruj said:
Hunkydory":2gre1ruj said:
Presently, the rode consists of 50 feet chain, 250 feet of 1/2 inch 8 brait line...
That all fits in the CD22 anchor locker with no problems?

I have 35ft of chain and 330 ft of 8 plait rode and have room to spare. I do have to go shake the pile of rode once or twice since I have a lewmar V700 but that works for me.
If I get to replace the chain I would probably go with 50 ft or so. Most place I anchor are in the 25-60 ft range with a 20+ ft tide so I don't see needing less then 50 ft at a minimum. I'm not familiar with your cruising ground so your need might be different, but to answer you question, yes it fit.
 
pcg":31fpcuye said:
(rode and chain)....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.

Our anchorage is in the San Juans, Inside Passage and Broughtons. Six seasons so far and we have done well with 35 ft. of chain (1/4 in. G4) and 200 ft. of three strand - 1/2 in. nylon rode using a 25lb. Mantus anchor. We have a snubber with nylon rope available but have never had the need to use it.
 
thataway":253nzmwf said:
... If you end up on all chain, there should be one or two snubbers to the chain...The snubbers I use 5/16 3 strand, attached to chain with a chain plate...

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.
So, to be clear, when at anchor...
If on the chain only, the chain is attached somehow (chainhook on a short line) to a cleat to take the load off the windlass, and additionally, snubbers are attached to the chain with a chain plate and then tied off to cleats on the deck.
If on the rode, the rode is attached to a cleat to take the load off the windlass, and additionally, snubbers are attached to the rode with prussik knots.

Is this correct?
 
pcg":359e7j7q said:
thataway":359e7j7q said:
... If you end up on all chain, there should be one or two snubbers to the chain...The snubbers I use 5/16 3 strand, attached to chain with a chain plate...

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.
So, to be clear, when at anchor...
If on the chain only, the chain is attached somehow (chainhook on a short line) to a cleat to take the load off the windlass, and additionally, snubbers are attached to the chain with a chain plate and then tied off to cleats on the deck.
If on the rode, the rode is attached to a cleat to take the load off the windlass, and additionally, snubbers are attached to the rode with prussik knots.

Is this correct?

Yes. You can also use a variant of the "taut line hitch".
 
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.
 
You can also use a variant of the "taut line hitch".

I snub off my rode with a 'Prussic Knot". This is a knot that I use when mountaineering and repelling. I fasten this around the rode and then tie it off on two cleats that I installed on either side of the bow. Once it is attached I pull up some slack on the rode and let the snubber line hold the rode. This cuts down on wear on the rode at the anchor roller and wear or stress on the roller as well.
 
pcg":nbvfafkw said:
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.

Probably goes without saying but…Make sure your chain match your windlass gypsy.
 
C-Wolfe":2y2elh0w said:
pcg":2y2elh0w said:
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.

Probably goes without saying but…Make sure your chain match your windlass gypsy.


The chain that Bob mentioned earlier “1/4” ACCO ISO G43 (G4)1/4” chain” is what I have on our Lewmar H700 windless, so it will fit yours.
 
C-Wolfe":37p7gkx6 said:
Probably goes without saying but…Make sure your chain match your windlass gypsy.
Thanks for the alert. Yes, I went with chain and rode type/size that Lewmar recommended.
 
For those concerned with vessel weight forward and if the goal is to increase bottom
holding, another option, in stead of adding more chain*, is to increase the size of
your anchor.

* 1/4" chain weighs about 0.75 lb/ft; add 20 ' of chain to yours = 15 lbs more weight

Increase anchor size for about a 23' boat:
Rocna 6 Kg anchor weighs 13.3 lbs; holds about 4K lbs
Rocna 9 Kg anchor weighs 19.8 lbs ; holds about 13K lbs

Therefore, the difference of 6.5 lbs more anchor weight may have 9K lbs of
holding power vs an unknown extra 20' of chain holding power weighing about
15 lbs.

Aye.
Grandpa used to say, "The devil is in the details."
 
50' of chain is nice to have on the Columbia if you're fishing. with that chain you can have that anchor on a short leash when parked in hog line. be sure to rig your anchor to break away. Here's a video on rigging a break away, he's using one zip tie, you need at least two to center the chain on the shank so it doesn't get hung up on the bow roller when retrieving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTe8DJj3w8o

enjoy
 
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