Anchor up right on windlass

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Samaral

Samaral

.
Mar 7, 2011
36
Beneteau Oceanis 40 Geogian Bay
Hi all,
This is probably a dumb question.... But.
How can I have my anchor up right when retrieving with the windlass? Almost every time when I retrieve the anchor and it gets close to the roller it is facing backwards, I have to manually rotate the swivel. Btw, my anchor is a Claw type(15Kg) on a 25/175 ft of chain/rope.
Sergio
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,364
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Well, first, I'd get rid of the swivel, which is usually (PI) a weak link in the chain.

But even if you do that, you've got a 50/50 chance of it coming up right.

Use your windlass to lift the anchor, after you motor up over it and not using the windlass to pull your there (but you know this already, right?), and then you may simply have to go to the bow.

Given all the work that those of us without windlasses have to do, you have it pretty easy! :):):)
 
Tim R.

Tim R.

.
May 27, 2004
3,626
Caliber 40 Long Range Cruiser Portland, Maine
Get a Manson Supreme. It is balanced to come up the correct way every time.;)

Maybe yours is balanced to come up the wrong way every time ;)

BTW, I agree with Stu. Ditch the swivel.
 
Rick I

Rick I

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Jan 6, 2007
414
CS36Merlin and Beneteau 393 - Toronto
Tim R. said:
Get a Manson Supreme. It is balanced to come up the correct way every time.;)

Maybe yours is balanced to come up the wrong way every time ;)

BTW, I agree with Stu. Ditch the swivel.
Click to expand
It might be designed that way but I doubt it. More often than not my Manson Supreme comes up the wrong way. Not a big deal, it's still an excellent anchor but I don't see how the balance affects it.
 
J

John

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Jun 3, 2006
803
Catalina 36mkII Alameda CA
I agree with Rick. About half the time my Manson comes up facing the wrong way. Not a big deal to swivel it (actually, I simply rotate the chain). As for the swivel: After reading the info on it, I switched to a simple shackle. The only reason for a swivel that I know of is that it's supposedly easier to get it to pass over the roller, but the shackle passes over it just fine and is way cheaper and stronger too.
 
Rick I

Rick I

.
Jan 6, 2007
414
CS36Merlin and Beneteau 393 - Toronto
I never use a swivel. Also I hoist the anchor over the roller by hand just in case the shackle might catch and damage the roller. It's not difficult to do. My biggest problem is my chain is fairly twisted now after seven seasons of anchoring in the Bahamas. I really should run it all out, get the twists out and end for end it. The first 100 feet is pretty well shot as far as the galvanizing goes.
 
Samaral

Samaral

.
Mar 7, 2011
36
Beneteau Oceanis 40 Geogian Bay
I guess then there is really nothing to be done about the backward facing, right? It is just a little hard to reach over the furling head sail....
But now I got nervous about the swivel :(
Sergio
 
Rick I

Rick I

.
Jan 6, 2007
414
CS36Merlin and Beneteau 393 - Toronto
Just turn the chain, the anchor will follow, once you get rid of the swivel. :)
 
Samaral

Samaral

.
Mar 7, 2011
36
Beneteau Oceanis 40 Geogian Bay
I know Stu, and I appreciate very much, of course. I don't wanna my new "baby" drifting around in the middle of the night because of a fatly swivel. I just didn't know that this was a well known issue. And believe it or not, this came from the dealer just like that.
Sergio
 
Mike B

Mike B

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Apr 15, 2007
1,013
Beneteau 43 Baltimore, MD
We have the same problem on our B43 but with a Delta. I let the anchor back down a couple of feet and then try it again which usually works with a max of 1 or 2 trys. As the others have stated much of it has to do with the chain being twisted. Letting it hang and untwist sometimes works as well. Just don't be in a hurry as it can jump out of the bow roller. Something you don't want to have happen unless you're good with repairing gel coat. But that's another story.
 
Don12364

Don12364

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Dec 2, 2003
1,637
Hunter 376 Warsash, England --
My Practice

Originally I used a Delta and now a Manson. I have an electric windlass and have installed duplicate up/down buttons at the helm so an upside down anchor would be a pain.
I have marked the chain with paint about a yard from the anchor so I know when to expect it to appear on the roller. I pause the windlass when the anchor is about 6" on board and whilst it is at about 45° projecting forward. If the wrong way up it invariably falls to sit the correct way. Note if I bring it too far on board then the shank is too wide to allow it to rotate between the cheeks of the bow roller.

Like many others I don't use a swivel but I do use a stainless shackle and have countersunk the hole for the shackle pin and replaced it with a stainless countersunk bolt. This way it comes over the roller and between the side cheeks a treat. Left the thread end of the bolt a little long and projecting 1/16" from the shackle and peened it gently to stop it unscrewing - but not so much I can't unscrew it in a hurry if I need to.
 
N

nick8489

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Aug 5, 2006
121
Hunter 33 brisbane
Problem Completely Solved!

Samaral said:
Hi all,
This is probably a dumb question.... But.
How can I have my anchor up right when retrieving with the windlass? Almost every time when I retrieve the anchor and it gets close to the roller it is facing backwards, I have to manually rotate the swivel. Btw, my anchor is a Claw type(15Kg) on a 25/175 ft of chain/rope.
Sergio
Click to expand
The Manson Supreme is the worst offender, mine used to come up 75% of times the wrong way.
Buy an Anchor Straitener. It is a stainless steel swivel with a cleverly angled solid piece of SS beween the the swivel and the chain which when it hits the roller forces the anchor up the correct way. I have had one for over a year and without fail the anchor always comes up the right way. It is a brilliant bit of kit. Several Chandlers sell them, try Boat Gear Direct in the UK. I think mine cost around $50 and was delivered to Australia within days.
 
Joe

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,324
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
nick said:
buy An Anchor Straitener. It Is A Stainless Steel Swivel With A Cleverly Angled Solid Piece Of Ss Beween The The Swivel And The Chain Which When It Hits The Roller Forces The Anchor Up The Correct Way.
Click to expand
brilliant !
 
Don12364

Don12364

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Dec 2, 2003
1,637
Hunter 376 Warsash, England --
For those seriously interested in the strength of ground tackle (and who wouldn't be?) the attached link to actual tensile tests makes interesting reading, if a little hard work.

http://coxengineering.co.uk/chainandconnectors.aspx

Elsewhere swivels tested by UK sailing magazines included a sideways component as might be experienced in real life when the tide turns. Then, without exception, all the swivels broke at well below their straight pull ratings.
Moral "Don't connect your swivel directly to your anchor. Insert a shackle in between"

The conclusions of the above report are as below - but remember these are only for a straight pull.
Conclusions
 Galvanised carbon steel chain was stronger than the stainless steel chain tested.
The stainless steel fracture suggested it to be less ductile than the carbon steel and therefore more prone to fracture on impact.
 C-links for joining lengths of chain were less than half as strong as the chain.
 Five of the 12 connectors tested had strength equivalent to the chain. Four of these were the clamped type in which the connecting screw was not load-bearing. These were all made in stainless steel. The fifth was a fixed type made in carbon steel.
 Galvanised steel shackles that are specified for lifting and hoisting duties had the highest strength but their results were variable.
Stainless steel shackles were consistently stronger than equivalent galvanised steel ones.
 

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