I want to carry chain on my second anchor, for anchoring in tight places. Interested in thoughts reguarding chain size, 5/8 vs 3/8, for a 14,000lb boat.
Anchor Chain
- Thread starter Bill4867
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What boat do you have?
The displacement alone dont tell too much about weight and balance if you add chain to the bow of the boat.
The West Marine Adviser will tell you what size chain and filling your anchor locker with weights and sailing it that way will tell you how long your chain could be. Weigh the chain and make the conversion of weight to length.
The model of boat will help if someone here has a sister ship to it. Adding just a few hundred pounds in the chain locker can alter the sailing and handling characteristics drastically.
No cruising ground listed, that could help in determining amount of chain/rode.
Why not fill out a complete or partially complete profile?
you will probably have to answer most of those questions anyway, if you want good advice.
Tony B
The displacement alone dont tell too much about weight and balance if you add chain to the bow of the boat.
The West Marine Adviser will tell you what size chain and filling your anchor locker with weights and sailing it that way will tell you how long your chain could be. Weigh the chain and make the conversion of weight to length.
The model of boat will help if someone here has a sister ship to it. Adding just a few hundred pounds in the chain locker can alter the sailing and handling characteristics drastically.
No cruising ground listed, that could help in determining amount of chain/rode.
Why not fill out a complete or partially complete profile?
you will probably have to answer most of those questions anyway, if you want good advice.
Tony B
Design a "System"
Use an anchoring book or Calder's "Cruising Handbook" to size a system based on your expected wind range. You need to size the anchor, chain, connector and shackles each to handle your anticipated load.
We just bought a larger (for us) anchor, but sized it for 42 knots of wind on our 34 foot, 15,000 lb boat. 22# Rocna, 1/4 chain, connectors and over-sized 3/8 shackles at the rode chain.
The tables give you strength loads to select th components.
Use an anchoring book or Calder's "Cruising Handbook" to size a system based on your expected wind range. You need to size the anchor, chain, connector and shackles each to handle your anticipated load.
We just bought a larger (for us) anchor, but sized it for 42 knots of wind on our 34 foot, 15,000 lb boat. 22# Rocna, 1/4 chain, connectors and over-sized 3/8 shackles at the rode chain.
The tables give you strength loads to select th components.
Bill, 5/8 chain will be 3X as heavy as 3/8 chain.
If you are choosing a crowded anchorage, is it crowded because it is well sheltered? Has exceptional holding on the bottom? I often anchor in a very sheltered cove and lay to a slack rode for the entire night. When I anchor in an exposed area my closest neighbor is a half mile away. Mooing fields are very crowded but they use 1000 pound anchors and 1 inch chain with a very large pennant. Ig you go to 5/8 inch chain and a 90 pound Rocna anchor you cound probably lay to a 3:1 scope. Of course you will need a pro football fullback to ship the anchor.
If you are choosing a crowded anchorage, is it crowded because it is well sheltered? Has exceptional holding on the bottom? I often anchor in a very sheltered cove and lay to a slack rode for the entire night. When I anchor in an exposed area my closest neighbor is a half mile away. Mooing fields are very crowded but they use 1000 pound anchors and 1 inch chain with a very large pennant. Ig you go to 5/8 inch chain and a 90 pound Rocna anchor you cound probably lay to a 3:1 scope. Of course you will need a pro football fullback to ship the anchor.
Bill, It makes a little difference. ;D I use 30 feet of 3/8 and a 35
pound CQR on 5/8 inch three strand nylon. For my 30 foot Islander. I don't know about short scope holding with that because I never have call to try it.
pound CQR on 5/8 inch three strand nylon. For my 30 foot Islander. I don't know about short scope holding with that because I never have call to try it.
Chain
should generally be matched to the boat on SWL strengths. Size is of little other concern, other than smaller is better from a weight saving perspective. You do not say Bill whether you are deciding between BBB (G30), hi-test (G40), or high tensile (G70).
This article may provide some perspective:
www.petersmith.net.nz/boat-anchors/catenary.php
should generally be matched to the boat on SWL strengths. Size is of little other concern, other than smaller is better from a weight saving perspective. You do not say Bill whether you are deciding between BBB (G30), hi-test (G40), or high tensile (G70).
This article may provide some perspective:
www.petersmith.net.nz/boat-anchors/catenary.php
Craig, Your statement is ambigous at best.
other than bottom chafe protection weight of chain is its only purpose. If the chain is very strong and also very light then it can be pulled bar taut and there is no beneficial catenary. The more nearly to horizontal the pull on the anchor the less likely it is to break out. As a farmer I know that you can pull a plow into the ground until the bottom is horizontal. The angle of pull is adjusted to determine the depth to which you will be plowing. It is purely mechanical. So to say that the weight of the chain is of little consequence is rather misleading.
other than bottom chafe protection weight of chain is its only purpose. If the chain is very strong and also very light then it can be pulled bar taut and there is no beneficial catenary. The more nearly to horizontal the pull on the anchor the less likely it is to break out. As a farmer I know that you can pull a plow into the ground until the bottom is horizontal. The angle of pull is adjusted to determine the depth to which you will be plowing. It is purely mechanical. So to say that the weight of the chain is of little consequence is rather misleading.
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