Just got a (new to me) 08 38 Haven't had a chance to check out the anchor rode yet. Can someone tell me what length rode is supplied with the 38 from new?
2008 Hunter 38 Anchor rode length
- Thread starter Damspacher
- Start date
Never enough
. Depends entirely on where you expect to anchor. Type of bottom, depth, and protection.For the water we anchor in on the north coast of British Columbia: 400 ft. 5/8" three strand and 50 ft. 3/8" chain.
Ground tackle is often sold as a buyer option.... so a "standard" package would be unusual. I agree with Ralph that you can never have enough... so taking advantage of a good deal on chain and rode can't hurt.... UNLESS.. it doesn't fit your windlass... so I'd call the person you bought the boat from and ask them what they can tell you about your ground tackle and related hardware.
So your plan is to sail in the Chesapeake.
Your going to want an anchor that does well to bury itself. You are not likely to have a big current that caues the anchor to violently reset, so you have a lot of choices. From the Old standbys like Dansforth or Fortres to the modern Rocna, Mantus, Spade. etc. Since the issue would most likely be wind you will want to provide adequate scope. 5-1 or 7-1 is optimum in a moderate blow. Figuring 7 to 1 (7 times depth 21 feet) 147 feet of rode would be adequate. Round that to an even 150 feet and you got a good length for most conditions except hurricanes. Add a boat lengths of chain (38ft) and your good to go. Get a good sized (5/16" = 3000lb tensile strength - 1/2" = 5000 lbs - 5/8" = 11,650 lbs) nylon 3 strand rode, match size to your windlass, and you can anchor pretty much any place you choose.
Wiki says...Average depth is 21 feet (6.4 m), reaching a maximum of 174 feet (53 m).
You are likely going to be using a bay or an inlet to shelter for the night. The Practical Sailor reports indicate that the bays are often mud or sand. Your going to want an anchor that does well to bury itself. You are not likely to have a big current that caues the anchor to violently reset, so you have a lot of choices. From the Old standbys like Dansforth or Fortres to the modern Rocna, Mantus, Spade. etc. Since the issue would most likely be wind you will want to provide adequate scope. 5-1 or 7-1 is optimum in a moderate blow. Figuring 7 to 1 (7 times depth 21 feet) 147 feet of rode would be adequate. Round that to an even 150 feet and you got a good length for most conditions except hurricanes. Add a boat lengths of chain (38ft) and your good to go. Get a good sized (5/16" = 3000lb tensile strength - 1/2" = 5000 lbs - 5/8" = 11,650 lbs) nylon 3 strand rode, match size to your windlass, and you can anchor pretty much any place you choose.
Why NEW GEN Anchors are Better:
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,2705.msg19651.html#msg19651
Anchor System Sizing Tables (Reply #6) & Swivels http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.msg30400.html#msg30400
Steve’s Anchoring 101
The Rocna. All 20kg of it with 100ft of chain. The rest of the world can debate all they like. When I pull into a place like Bodega Bay at midnight and the fog is so thick I can't see the jetty 50 feet away to make an entrance, I drop my hook in the rolling ocean swells with the surf crashing (Foster says it's like staying in a cheap Best Western beside the highway), and I sleep. And in the morning I have a windlass to pull the beast up and I wouldn't trade it for anything. (I also wouldn't add more chain - this works perfectly in 25 to 30 feet of water - you let all the chain out and you tie off nylon at the preferred scope and don't bother with snubbers and chain hooks and all that stuff...)
http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,2705.msg19651.html#msg19651
Anchor System Sizing Tables (Reply #6) & Swivels http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.msg30400.html#msg30400
Steve’s Anchoring 101
The Rocna. All 20kg of it with 100ft of chain. The rest of the world can debate all they like. When I pull into a place like Bodega Bay at midnight and the fog is so thick I can't see the jetty 50 feet away to make an entrance, I drop my hook in the rolling ocean swells with the surf crashing (Foster says it's like staying in a cheap Best Western beside the highway), and I sleep. And in the morning I have a windlass to pull the beast up and I wouldn't trade it for anything. (I also wouldn't add more chain - this works perfectly in 25 to 30 feet of water - you let all the chain out and you tie off nylon at the preferred scope and don't bother with snubbers and chain hooks and all that stuff...)
Hunter typically would use 150' of rode and about 30' to 35' of chain for a boat that size, but it varied. That would probably be enough for Florida or the Bahamas but inadequate for pretty much anywhere else.
I have the same boat and if I recall the Mariners package was 150 of rode and 30 feet in chain with a 22 pound Delta anchor.
That anchor is very much on the margins for that size boat with the amount of windage it has. I replaced the anchor with 35 pound Delta (and today there are numerous other choices) and 40 feet of chain with 200 feet of rope rode.
For my Lake Michigan sailing and where we anchor it’s very adequate. Have never dragged anchor. Although I have contemplated going to an all chain rode for the anchor sailing. See next comment.
The 38 has a tendency to sail like a banshee on anchor. Sways back and forth and sometimes in complete circles. There are numerous threads on here about the anchor sailing experience and things you can do to reduce it. I personally purchased a FinDelta anchor riding sail that works on boats with no back stay and it helps significantly. Although my dock neighbor who does a lot of anchoring chose an all chain rode and he said that made all the difference for him. Hence my reason for thinking about a change. Easier to deploy than rigging up the riding sail.
That anchor is very much on the margins for that size boat with the amount of windage it has. I replaced the anchor with 35 pound Delta (and today there are numerous other choices) and 40 feet of chain with 200 feet of rope rode.
For my Lake Michigan sailing and where we anchor it’s very adequate. Have never dragged anchor. Although I have contemplated going to an all chain rode for the anchor sailing. See next comment.
The 38 has a tendency to sail like a banshee on anchor. Sways back and forth and sometimes in complete circles. There are numerous threads on here about the anchor sailing experience and things you can do to reduce it. I personally purchased a FinDelta anchor riding sail that works on boats with no back stay and it helps significantly. Although my dock neighbor who does a lot of anchoring chose an all chain rode and he said that made all the difference for him. Hence my reason for thinking about a change. Easier to deploy than rigging up the riding sail.
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Another anchor thread. Good. Things were getting a little quiet around here!
Middle River is in the Chesapeake area? Anchors, rodes and techniques vary alot by area. In the bays of Eastern Long Island there is generally good holding but you're likely to have a lot of company at an anchorage. So the 7:1 rode rule is out the window unless you want to be fending off other boats all night. So you may go all chain to anchor in 7' of water. 30' to 50' feet of chain would allow that. But the Clorox bottles with their light bows and high freeboard do swing a lot. You need a snubber or similar device to dampen the shock as the boat fetches up against the anchor/rode at the end of a swing. I call it "Snapping up" for no particular reason except that's what it feels like to me.
Middle River is in the Chesapeake area? Anchors, rodes and techniques vary alot by area. In the bays of Eastern Long Island there is generally good holding but you're likely to have a lot of company at an anchorage. So the 7:1 rode rule is out the window unless you want to be fending off other boats all night. So you may go all chain to anchor in 7' of water. 30' to 50' feet of chain would allow that. But the Clorox bottles with their light bows and high freeboard do swing a lot. You need a snubber or similar device to dampen the shock as the boat fetches up against the anchor/rode at the end of a swing. I call it "Snapping up" for no particular reason except that's what it feels like to me.
Got a lot of advice here, but combined you got the complete answer to your specific question from posts #6 and #7. I’ll add, redundantly, that from my observation, boats sold new the past several years most often come equipped with a galvanized Delta anchor. Likely attached to 5/16 in galvanized chain and, if all chain rode, maybe a 100 to 150 ft of it. Otherwise, maybe 20 - 30 ft of chain and 100 - 150 ft of 3-strand, 9/16 in nylon rope. Most sailors don’t anchor out much, b/c most hardly even take the boat out much after the first several months of ownership, so have little incentive to switch out, some say upgrade, the ground tackle. But if the previous owner did upgrade, it would make the most sense for most people today to go to an appropriately sized Rochna; or as related in #7, a heavier version of your stock anchor plus additional rode.
Enjoy the new boat!
Enjoy the new boat!
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I depends on your sailing area. A 5:1 scope in 20 ft of water requires 100 ft of rode so calculate your usual anchoring depth and give yourself some 20 ft of safety margin. Irrespective I would not carry less than 200 ft. of rode. The rule of thumb for leading chain is 1 ft of chain for every ft of boat length or 38-40 ft.
If you’re planning on overnight anchoring, rather than just day-hooking, then go with a minimum of 100 feet of chain and another 100-150’ of rode and upgrade that anchor to at least 20kg (follow manufacturer’s recommendations + 1 size up for your boat size and displacement). With this setup you should sleep well at night when the wind kicks up. But it all depends on the areas you’ll be sailing/anchoring in most of the time, so do your research. I have a Rocna 25 kg (55lbs) and 150’ of 5/8” chain on a 40’, 19,000lbs Hunter and sleep wonderfully at night. I’m on Lake Ontario and have never needed more than that.
Not a whole lot to add, but... On my Hunter Passage 42 I have around 200 ft of chain backed up by at least another 150 ft of rode. On top of that I use a pair of 30 ft snubbing lines fitted w/ rubber snubbers. They attach to the chain via a metal plate having a very deep cut just large enough for the chain to slide through; the plate's thickness is just small enough to fit between the links. The plate itself is around 4X6 inches and the lines attach by bow shackles.
As this setup is several feet under water it effectively adds many feet of scope by acting like the water is around 15 ft more shallow.
As this setup is several feet under water it effectively adds many feet of scope by acting like the water is around 15 ft more shallow.
And Stu knows about such an experience. One time he was a bit frustrated, so he sailed his boat back into San Fran Bay with his anchor dangling in the water under the boat. Fortunately he came to rest near Sausalito and was able to recover his anchor. Only he can identify the details, but it was quite a story. Bodega Bay can be a bit of a challenge. If there is an anchor that your can drop and sleep at night there, it is worthy of consideration.
My 2005 came with 80ft of chain attached to 175ft of nylon rode - but that was a local dealer decision based on intended usage. However, it only came with a 10kg (22 lb) anchor, horribly undersized. I've recently upgraded to 150ft of chain plus 200ft of nylon rode, and a 20kg Rocna, much more suited to the boat's current usage here in coastal BC. You may have to do some windlass research if you want more chain - my boat has a Simpson Lawrence Sprint Atlantic and SL is long out of business. P2 Marine in Stevensville Md has parts and may be able to help. I used SLS Spares in Scotland - they were much less expensive and John McMaster was extremely helpful. Both have manuals online as well.
Hunter 380. Not sure how to answer your question but i added 100 foot of chain and 100 foot of 5/8 rope. My windless jams with any pressure on the rope so having a long length of chain also keep my anchor on the bottom. Good luck! Bill
200’ of chain. 200’ rode on a 376 for the bow anchor. 30 chain and 120’ rode on stern anchor. Only ever used the forward rode to set the stern anchor. Then pull it back in to balance between the stern and bow anchors. Is useful in very tight anchorages to avoid swinging.
If the 38 has a fin keel like the 376, recommend enough chain to avoid wrapping the rode around the keel when the wind and tide decide to shift counter to each other. Using all chain I’ve never dragged nor wrapped the rode. When we used the original equipment, we did both.
If the 38 has a fin keel like the 376, recommend enough chain to avoid wrapping the rode around the keel when the wind and tide decide to shift counter to each other. Using all chain I’ve never dragged nor wrapped the rode. When we used the original equipment, we did both.