A Short Story About An Anchor Swivel

[Terry Cox]

Point taken, but I figure that Hunter placed it there for a reason and in doing so followed their technical experience, far more than I. No evidence of distortion or stress other than some pin abrasion and that after almost thirty years of use. Unsure where the lateral forces would come into play from this anchoring system arrangement. Perhaps if the swivel were rigidly mounted, okay, but not the case here.

 

[Terry Cox]

splice my rode to chain connections too.

Boat came wirh a thimble splice for the rope to chain connection. Worked fine for years. Then when I replaced the 30' with 50' of chain I went with a warp splice. In a few short years I noticed that those chain links were far more heavily corroded than the rest of the links, even though I always finished each cruise with a fresh water rinse. So when I replaced the chain in 2015 I returned to a thimble splice and am more satisfied with the corrosion resistance performance over time.

 

[thinwater]

Boat came wirh a thimble splice for the rope to chain connection. Worked fine for years. Then when I replaced the 30' with 50' of chain I went with a warp splice. In a few short years I noticed that those chain links were far more heavily corroded than the rest of the links, even though I always finished each cruise with a fresh water rinse. So when I replaced the chain in 2015 I returned to a thimble splice and am more satisfied with the corrosion resistance performance over time.

This is normal. The warp splice works better with combination gypsy on a windlass, but it will corrode the last link. Rinsing won't help.

The proper practice is to cut the splice off and re-do every 3 years or so, clipping off 2 links at the same time. I would also cut off the last 5 feet of rope, because it generally has some wear by that time. If you have a thimble you should end-for-end the rode... which means another splice!

Just part of the game.If you don't use a windlass, a thimble and shackle are probably better for you. I did a warp splice on my current anchor because it comes over the roller a little smoother and there are fewer fittings. I can do the splice in <10 minutes. Perhaps the real reason is that the day I spliced on the anchor I didn't have a thimble on hand, so I did what I knew (my last boat had a windlass)! In fact, my second anchor rode is shackled.

 

[Terry Cox]

The warp splice works better with combination gypsy on a windlass, but it will corrode the last link. Rinsing won't help.

As a foot note, I used an elongated warp splice, which is a bit different than a regular rope to chain splice. That requires the use of several chain links to accomplish, thus the corrosion damage it created . Our boat does have an electric windlass and seems to handle the thimble, shackle and related gear into the locker nicely. I always pay it in by hand as it spools off the drum (rope) then the gypsy (chain). That helps to avoid any chance of jamming or binding as well as keeping an eye on the gear as it comes through the roller for any signs of deteroration.