Anchor chain gathers, tangles and stops

[Ivan Bekey]

I added 100 ft of hi test 5/16 chain to my primary anchor last fall. It works very well and lowers like a dream, but on retrieving the anchor the chain that exits the winch runs onto the line that is already in the bottom of the chain locker and then onto itsef, and eventually gathers up into a big glob which grows upward and prevents further winching. I have to stop the windlass every 10 ft or so of chain, undo the glob, and then it runs smoothly again until the glob forms again. This is a royal pain.Anybody experienced that? What is the recommended cure?Ivan BekeyS/V VictoriaH356 # 157

 

[abe]

It is called a DESIGN FLAW...not enough down

angle/depth in your locker. What I do is put my knee on the windlass button and with the other hand feed the chain away from stacking up in a continuos motion without having to stop. It is a pain. One possible solution I was told by the dealer was to make a step off from the windlass so you could have a verticle drop. I left mine alone...I know I will appreciate the bigger boat much better years from now and laugh with my wife and say "do you remember how I use to have to get on my 4's to get the anchor up?".."now we just push the little button from the cockpit".good luckabe