Chain
- Thread starter Lost Parent
- Start date
thats a bit small... 5/16 is better.
the 1/4" will be taking more strain in relation to its working load rating, and it will have a higher wear rate on the links.
in addition to the working load being less, its also lighter.... part of the desirability of chain is the "sag" it has in it between the boat and the anchor... this sag allows for a cushion effect when the wind and seas kick up while on the hook.... as the boat gets jerked around by wind and wave, the weight of the chain in the sag acts like a snubber or spring.... too much boat and not enough chain weight, and the boat will jerk against a tight chain...
lots of chain out in a protected anchorage and you should be ok, or you could also use a kellet, but with either option you are defeating the purpose of using all chain.
more chain weight is better.
the 1/4" will be taking more strain in relation to its working load rating, and it will have a higher wear rate on the links.
in addition to the working load being less, its also lighter.... part of the desirability of chain is the "sag" it has in it between the boat and the anchor... this sag allows for a cushion effect when the wind and seas kick up while on the hook.... as the boat gets jerked around by wind and wave, the weight of the chain in the sag acts like a snubber or spring.... too much boat and not enough chain weight, and the boat will jerk against a tight chain...
lots of chain out in a protected anchorage and you should be ok, or you could also use a kellet, but with either option you are defeating the purpose of using all chain.
more chain weight is better.
G4 chain is high test grade and you've got a medium displacement 30-footer so I think 100 ft of 1/4" G4 chain would be about right. The only question I would have is what is your need to go with an all chain rode? Are you expecting chaff on the bottom or what?
1/4" chain is generally rated for boats up to 30', I would tend to size up to 5/16" especially on older model boats which can be heavier than newer model boats. The amount of chain rode really depends on the depth of the water you are anchoring.
Chain simply is not "rated" for boat sizes.
What you need to do, lost parent, is to size your anchoring SYSTEM.
Like this:
Anchor System Sizing Tables (Reply #6) http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.0.htmlhttp://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.msg30400.html#msg30400
YOU decide what the conditions you are sizing your system for, based on windage and the loads given in the tables, and go from there for the components. As you'll see if you read on, I sized my system FOR CERTAIN WIND STRENGTHS 'cuz I know where I sail. If I had the SAME boat and lived elsewhere, I'd have a heavier SYSTEM because of nighttime thunderstorms, which I simply don't get where I sail, and as it says in that thread, if I moved somewhere else, I'd have to change my system
Your boat, your choice.
Good luck, let me know if you have any questions.
What you need to do, lost parent, is to size your anchoring SYSTEM.
Like this:
Anchor System Sizing Tables (Reply #6) http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.0.htmlhttp://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.msg30400.html#msg30400
YOU decide what the conditions you are sizing your system for, based on windage and the loads given in the tables, and go from there for the components. As you'll see if you read on, I sized my system FOR CERTAIN WIND STRENGTHS 'cuz I know where I sail. If I had the SAME boat and lived elsewhere, I'd have a heavier SYSTEM because of nighttime thunderstorms, which I simply don't get where I sail, and as it says in that thread, if I moved somewhere else, I'd have to change my system
Your boat, your choice.
Good luck, let me know if you have any questions.
I am really at a qundry , I will also have 300 ft rope rode as we typically anchor in 30 to 50 ft water
lost, what's the quandary? Not sure what the depth or use of line for rode is for you. Please let us know.
Put the opener away, Parent... You've opened a can of worms. This is where if folks would have the basic boating-source book, the West Catalog, you'd get basic answers to your question. You did not ask what size chain to use, you asked if 1/4 was good enough. You should be going to reference books, and not the obviously varying opinions posted here, which may or may not be correct. No disrepect intended for anyone's beliefs here. These answering posts voice OPINIONS of people that use them.
As a starter, West tells you it is "good enough". Additionally, Chapmans(p 328) Piloting and Seamanship "suggests" that 1/4 would be "good enough" to a 40-foot boat. These are generalities, and your job is to filter through them and the tables in the books and do the math. The resulting answer is equal to how much you would bet your boat on.
Ron's right! 
The link I sent you, plus WM Advisors (available online, but you should have a WM catalog both at home and on the boat), explain exactly what he suggests. I sure trust reference sources more than opinions. Good luck, happy math!
The link I sent you, plus WM Advisors (available online, but you should have a WM catalog both at home and on the boat), explain exactly what he suggests. I sure trust reference sources more than opinions. Good luck, happy math! With the weather we are having now, it may be a few day's before you go cruising.
Is your boat on the hard?
Saw that it was gone when I went to clean off my boat today
Is your boat on the hard?
Saw that it was gone when I went to clean off my boat today
Hi John
Thanks for looking but I moved down to Sidney two weeks ago .
Easier for me to fly in and out of from Calgary
Thanks for looking but I moved down to Sidney two weeks ago .
Easier for me to fly in and out of from Calgary
And the West Advisor is also opinions...
Some of those opinions, such as the unregulated solar panel advice they give, are flat out wrong opinions.....Sorry I missed you. That would have been a great sail.
How is moorage compared to Nanaimo?
My boat has 50' of 5/16 chain.
How is moorage compared to Nanaimo?
My boat has 50' of 5/16 chain.
Moorage cost is about the same but much closer to good sailing and moorages
20 minutes and we are in the islands
20 minutes and we are in the islands
Acco 1/4" G43 chain has a working load limit of 2600 lbs. Acco BBB windlass chain in 5/16" has a working load limit of 1900 lbs. I wouldn't use chain larger than 5/16" on a boat the size of yours. The 1/4" G43 is a good choice.
But it makes no difference really as the gypsy on your new Lewmar V700 is sized for the 1/4" G43 chain. I don't believe you can get a different gypsy for this windlass, but even if you can it will be expensive.
As far as weight of chain for catenary it is not much help when needed as has been proven in multiple tests like the one Practical sailor published. The weight is better in the anchor where it will help setting it.
But it makes no difference really as the gypsy on your new Lewmar V700 is sized for the 1/4" G43 chain. I don't believe you can get a different gypsy for this windlass, but even if you can it will be expensive.
As far as weight of chain for catenary it is not much help when needed as has been proven in multiple tests like the one Practical sailor published. The weight is better in the anchor where it will help setting it.
There is always a "kellet" to add weight to the rode to help. I use a sledge hammer head for the weight when needed.