H34 anchor chain length and weight

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May 2, 2010
5
Hunter H34 Rothesay
Hello fellow Hunters

We are in year 2 of our boat and love the H34. Looking to upgrade my anchor chain as I have had comments that it was a bit light or small (apparently size matters after all). Could anyone recommend what length and weight of chain I should use.

Windhunter
 

Ivan

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May 17, 2004
234
Hunter 356 Solomons MD
It really depends on a number of factors you haven't addressed. Do you have a windlass or do you pull the anchor up by hand and back? If a windlass then you need to know the best and maximum chain size that will go through it freely. You also need to know the amperage rating of the breaker feeding the windlass, because too much large chain plus a large anchor could trip the breaker prematurely during retrieval. Do you intend to have all chain or mostly rope and 25 ft of chain? Are you preparing for cruising in high wind locations or seasons, or are you a typical recreational weekend sailor?

In general you have three choices: BBB Grade 30 or Proof Coil grade. These are low carbon steel with low strength for the weight. They are the least expensive, and BBB will go through most windlass gypsys but PC may not because of variability of the link sizes within one length of chain. Next up is so-called High Test, or Grade 40 or G4 or HT. This is high carbon steel with twice the breaking strength of BBB. It is usually good to go through windlass gypsys, and you can reduce the link thickness by one gage compared to BBB. The highest grade is Grade 70 or G7 or "Transport". It has very high strength-to-weight ratio, but in some cases may not go well through windlasses because the links are reportedly in uneven sizes. It is also expensive. There is another type, and that is stainless steel chain, which is extremely expensive and may also have problems with some windlass gypsys, but is essentially rustproof.

For what it's worth I bought high test HT for my H356 when initially outfitting 8 years ago, and have been very happy with it. It still looks great and no rust. It was a good compromise between weight and cost, I bought a thinner gage than I would have had to with BBB or PC, it does not overload and flows through my windlass like butter.
 
May 2, 2010
5
Hunter H34 Rothesay
WOW.. what great detail, thank you. Actually I do not have a windlass and pull using what the good lord gave me..LOL. Is there a formula on how many fee I shoudl use. We anchor in a lidal river system mostly, max current 4 knots at low tide.
 
Sep 21, 2009
385
Hunter 34 Comox
I use a 100ft of 1/4 in G4 and 150ft of 1/2in 3strand rode with a 15kg anchor. I pull it up with a Lewmar V700 windlass. Works well so far....
 
Jun 27, 2004
113
Hunter 34 New Bern, NC
I have an H34. On my boat we use a 10kg (22lb.) bruce anchor with 35 ft of chain and 150 ft. of 1/2 in. anchor line. We normally anchor in shallow water with mud or sand bottoms, and this set up works very well. I was initially skeptical of the 22lb Bruce, but it always sets, and I have yet to see it drag. I think the formula you are looking for is "one boat length of chain".
 
Jun 3, 2004
418
Island Packet Island Packet 29 West River, MD
For the past two seasons I've been using 50' of 1/4" G4 chain attached to 250' of 1/2" nylon rode. The anchor is a 25lb Manson Supreme. For the eight years prior to that I was using 20' of G4 chain attached to the same rode with a 22lb Bruce. Never had a problem with either set up. Makes me wonder why I changed :)

Joe Mullee
1983 Hunter 34 #170
Chesapeake Bay
 
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