Thanks for everyone's feedback. As ever, whenever I research anchors, anchoring, rodes, and the like, there are tons of opinions and data to be parsed before making a decision.
Given my boat size (32', around 10,000 lbs) I am leaning towards this design:
Rode: 100' 5/16" G4 chain + 200' 5/8" 8 plait nylon rode
Maxwell HRC FF 8 Windlass
I am not considering an all-chain rode given the weight and that I would most likely be using between a 3:1 and 5:1 scope for most common anchoring, with the need for 7:1 only in extreme conditions.
The rode selected is an upgrade to what I have now both in length and size of chain, as well as overall length. Based on feedback in the above thread, I think this is a good balance of chain length/weight to holding power, and should improve things considerably.
The windlass choice was after a lot of research. So far I prefer Maxwell given that their support seems very good, and they have options I might consider adding such as a wireless remote and the like.
I originally started with the
Maxwell RC6/8 models which are vertical windlasses, but the space underneath required for the motor may not work out. Additionally, the angle at which my rode comes in off the bow roller exceeds their 6 degree limit, which would require a ton of additional shim work.
The
HRC FF 8 is a horizontal windlass, and while I understand the 90 degree touch vs the 180 of a vertical, it just fits far better in the space I have available, and I believe would feed better from the bow. The HRC 8 also has almost 200 pounds more pull than the RC series of similar size, so that's nice.
The only thing that is unclear is whether the HRC FF 8 actually supports 5/8" rope. The specs online say it only supports 9/16" (14mm) which is odd, and other places say it supports 5/8" (15mm) as well as some reviews. It is essentially a horizontal version of the RC 8, which originally only supported 9/16" but now supports 5/8" so I would guess the HRC does too, but would rather not base an entire rode decision around that.