chain stopper disaster

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med2463

med2463

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Nov 6, 2009
353
Hunter 37 FL
We have a Lewmar chain stopper, the $150 version, on our foredeck that locks sometimes when the chain is running out. Few days ago it did it again and my husband grabbed the chain with his hand to unlock it while hitting the reverse button on the windlass remote. His hand got jammed and the pic shows the damage. One broken finger and detached nail, one finger tendon torn from the bone, plus numerous cuts. He now has 20 stitches in 3 fingers and pins in 2 fingers. We are going to remove the chain stopper from the foredeck and just use the cleat by the windlass. He can't boat for weeks while he recovers from surgery and goes through hand therapy. My husband is calling himself stupid, but it seems to me a bad chain stopper design if it locks when it isn't supposed to.
 

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Bad Obsession

Bad Obsession

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May 23, 2004
3,319
I'm in the market as were . Colonial Beach
That is horrible! I am sorry to hear that happened. It really sucks when pleasure causes pain. I hope that you guys weren't too far from help. That would have really sucked in a remote anchorage.

Good luck and quick healing!
 
kloudie1

kloudie1

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Nov 6, 2006
10,219
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
OUCH ! Wishing him a speedy recovery, Mary.. Thanks for the words on the stopper.
 
justsomeguy

justsomeguy

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Feb 20, 2011
8,062
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
Yowch! This probably falls under the heading of "Things you only do once".
Wishing your husband a quick recovery, and a resolution to the hardware issue.
 
med2463

med2463

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Nov 6, 2009
353
Hunter 37 FL
Bad Obsession said:
That is horrible! I am sorry to hear that happened. It really sucks when pleasure causes pain. I hope that you guys weren't too far from help. That would have really sucked in a remote anchorage.

Good luck and quick healing!
Click to expand
We were 3-5 hours from home, depending on tides. Weren't sure we would make it before dark, but we did. I could dock the boat, but wasn't looking forward to doing it in the dark. Was going to call neighbors to catch lines if had to dock in the dark. I wrapped up his hand, he kept it elevated, and took 2 pain pills. He was a little woozy, so I had decided if he passed out I was calling 911. He is on blood thinners, ,so there was a lot of blood on the foredeck.
 
NotCook

NotCook

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Dec 29, 2008
806
Treworgy 65' LOA Custom Steel Pilothouse Staysail Ketch St. Croix, Virgin Islands
Sorry!

Man, I don't even want to think about how that felt, and what it took to get freed from that. I get real uncomfortable any time I have to get my hands on that chain under load. Our chain sometimes wraps around the windlass if you don't keep a close eye on it, and you have to manually remove it. We just use a chain hook on a 3/4 inch line on a deck cleat as our chain stopper.

Speedy recovery...
 
kjretlaw

kjretlaw

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Aug 3, 2010
150
Hunter 326 Charleston SC
Mary hope your husband has a full recovery, fingers heal quickly but they'll never be straight again. Although horrific the picture may encourages others to be safer when working the windless.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,353
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Hope all turns out well. I'd thought about a chain stopper installation. We don't have a windlass, and do have an extra large cleat on the middle of the foredeck. I'd used that for a few years to wrap the chain when the anchor wouldn't come up right away. That got old pretty quickly, 'cuz the chain would jamb around the horn of the cleat - not good. What I did was buy a chain hook at a hardware store and tied a short line onto it to the port side cleat. Instead of using the big middle cleat, we now use the chain hook. Thanks for the warning about the expensive chainstopper. The chain hook cost $10, and we had the line on board.
 
thinwater

thinwater

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Mar 26, 2011
3,968
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
Unguarded (or poorly guarded) foot switches are another hazard.

While squating to attach a chain stopper I was knocked off balance by a wake. My knee came down on the up switch, and my right hand naturally went down on the chain near the windlass. Because of the angle I had been knocked, I could not immedieatly get my weight off of either. The gaurd was in place, but a bone on my knee fit through the opening. I was saved from a similar accident only by a reflex to point my fingers up and away from the gypsy, so that the chain and gypsy spun harmlessly agaist the heal of my hand.A vVery close call.

The lessons?
* Windlasses are powerful meat grinders.
* Switches should be carefully located, preferably where they cannot be fallen against. Personally, I believe an elevated hand switch is better.
* Only operate from a completely stable position.
* Hands shouldn't be near a live windlass.

The real hazard is not so much any of the units (stopper, switches) as the fact that they are generally installed too close together, and thus our hands are too near the windlass.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
These all-in-one solutions create problems.

I want my anchor chain feeding free from / to the windlass. Use the Windline Anchor Chain Tensioner to hold the the anchor in the roller when not in use, and a chain-hook snubber when deployed. Works great. Even if you have to grab the chain, use a chain-hook tool with line attached.
 
Tom J

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,325
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
We installed a chain-stopper in our anchor locker, and we got into the habit of closing and locking the chain-stopper after releasing the chain, and before deploying the anchor. Otherwise, the hook of the stopper is sticking out where the chain can grab it. I'm not sure if yours is a similar design, though. I hope your husband gets better soon.
 
Dave602

Dave602

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Jan 22, 2008
321
Hunter 29.5 Gloucester, VA
My similar incident was a garage door opener. Left index finger between the chain and sprocket. Luckily the chain had been loosened and all I did was crush the nail out. Could have cut it off very easily.

Good luck with yours
 
Ron-Anne

Ron-Anne

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Sep 25, 2012
57
Hunter 30 Massena, NY
I hope that your husband recovers soon, 9 years ago,I lost a finger tip down to the knuckle and I'm still bothered by it today, unfortunately it doesn't go away, good luck to you.
Wishing you both well
Ron & Anne
 
T

tommays

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Oct 2, 2006
1,517
Jboat J24 commack
Most unfortunate

Did he damage a flexor or extensor tendon as having just been through its gonna take a LONG time as many months





 
thinwater

thinwater

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Mar 26, 2011
3,968
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
I should have mentioned that my stopper is a pin through the chain type; not enough to hold a morring load, but enough to secure the anchor in the roller.

I use a bridle to take the loring loads, every time.

Thus, I have nothing to jam. That is why I opted for the pin style; very easy to release safely.
 
Bill1565

Bill1565

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Jan 22, 2008
1,483
Hunter 37 C sloop Punta Gorda FL
thinwater said:
I should have mentioned that my stopper is a pin through the chain type; not enough to hold a morring load, but enough to secure the anchor in the roller.
Click to expand
I have had chain hooks fall off the chain in rolly anchorages.
Bought and installed this HD chain stopper especiallly to take mooring loading if the chain hook came off again. I use the windlass to hold the chain taut when the anchor is up. Bail keeps anchor from lifting.

Gonna remove the chain stopper today with help from my trust admiral as I am still pretty much one handed. Will add 2nd chain hook as a trial. Don't know yet how two loops of chain will fall. Will use large central deck cleat as tertiary backup. Too much load on the windlass may bend the shaft.
 
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