I've got a trailer sailor with no locker for the anchor rode and rope so I'd like to keep them in bags stowed in the cockpit lazarettes until I need them. The Anchors ride on the pulpit when not deployed and I need a quick and dependably secure means of clipping the chain to the anchor. Thought of using locking caribeners but wonder if anyone has hardware wisdom to share on this issue?
Rode to anchor fastener?
- Thread starter Plonk
- Start date
I'm hoping for something quicker than a shackle as well as a fastener which doesn't require a tool to snug up.
Thoughts?
I used a large stainless carabiner for about 15 years with my last boat (27-foot trailer sailer); ~ 10 feet of 1/4-inch chain was shackled to the anchor, and the carabiner connected the nylon rode to the chain. No, it won't come unclipped unless you clip straight to the anchor. In that case, the anchor shank is relatively fixed when set and unclipping is possible. I can't count how many times I have used a carabiner to clip some portion of my snubber on my current boat without trouble.
Very fast.
Very fast.
I use a stainless quick link....
if you get the right one its as strong as a shackle but it has no pin to shake loose or drop... if your rigging a temporary lunch hook, just hand tight is fine, but if you are going to be rigged for awhile, then snug it up a bit
if you get the right one its as strong as a shackle but it has no pin to shake loose or drop... if your rigging a temporary lunch hook, just hand tight is fine, but if you are going to be rigged for awhile, then snug it up a bit
Quick links are pretty much the very last thing I would use. They'd have to be horrendously oversized to even begin to meet the load requirements.
A shackle is an eight second job, and with a marlinspike on hand can be snugged up enough for an overnight hook.
I wouldn't trust anything else, even a carabiner. What's the hurry?
I once wrapped a plastic bag around my outboard engine prop in a narrow channel with rock rip-rap on all sides and wicked currents, and had, I repeat HAD, to deploy my anchor IMMEDIATELY. It was ready, clamped onto a bow pulpit holder, with chain and rode in our shallow Catalina 25 locker.
You don't have a locker.
So, if it was my boat, I'd carefully analyze where I sailed. If I was going to an area like where I had my experience, I'd get the gear OUT on deck, all hooked up and ready for immediate deployment. If, however, I was going to be out on ONLY on wider waters, as is often the case for us and for many of you, then, and only then, would I even begin to consider having any arrangement that required any additional steps before I could drop the hook.
Your boat, your choice, but: What's your entire boat worth to you?
An anchor is SAFETY gear. Please, don't skimp.
Good luck.
A shackle is an eight second job, and with a marlinspike on hand can be snugged up enough for an overnight hook.
I wouldn't trust anything else, even a carabiner. What's the hurry?
I once wrapped a plastic bag around my outboard engine prop in a narrow channel with rock rip-rap on all sides and wicked currents, and had, I repeat HAD, to deploy my anchor IMMEDIATELY. It was ready, clamped onto a bow pulpit holder, with chain and rode in our shallow Catalina 25 locker.
You don't have a locker.
So, if it was my boat, I'd carefully analyze where I sailed. If I was going to an area like where I had my experience, I'd get the gear OUT on deck, all hooked up and ready for immediate deployment. If, however, I was going to be out on ONLY on wider waters, as is often the case for us and for many of you, then, and only then, would I even begin to consider having any arrangement that required any additional steps before I could drop the hook.
Your boat, your choice, but: What's your entire boat worth to you?
An anchor is SAFETY gear. Please, don't skimp.
Good luck.
The reason we use shackles and not carabineers is that anything that is immersed in salt water is due to foul shortly and quality carabineers are much more expensive. It really takes no time to set up a shackle. You can usually anticipate the need for the anchor and have it set up a short time in advance. In an emergency you can always hand tighten a shackle and secure the screw with a zip-tie. You could keep an anchor with rode in the cockpit lazarette and deploy it from the stern and then just walk the rode to tie it at the bow.
I would agree on with this assessment on a heavier boat, but any extreme conditions that you would be in with a light boat like our macgregors, it will cause severe damage to the boat before a 3/8 quick link with a SWL of 2200 lbs will fail.... and if it does in fact fail, I would rather have it fail than pull the cleats out of the boat in that situation.
almost always, when there is failure of the type we are referring to, its because there is a lot of jerking and snapping of the lines, and for everything the link takes, the boat hardware is taking the same...
the quick link is a modified chain link, and although it may not be certified, there is a guideline that is normally followed to insure the strength rating is close... but not always by some manufactures....
Even at the fail rating of the link, it does not normally break, but is distorted beyond further use. chain, when proof testing is required, it is typically proof tested to 100% of the SWL to insure it will never fail when it gets to its SWL with a dynamic load...
destructive testing is how they determine what the load rating should be, and proof testing proves and insures that the chain meets the requirements for safe working at the recommended load rating without distortion.
and the rode will have some stretch to it, lessening the shock load on the whole ground tackle system.
so, taking everything I think I know
into account, if he actually needs something heavier than a 3/8 quick link for his purpose, It would be my opinion that he would need to beef up his other components accordingly...
Why not keep the anchors and the rodes on the bow. We have a Mac 26 and started with tubes...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/rigging-4.html
...for the anchors and soft sided cooler bags for the rodes.
Now the anchors are on rollers and ...
....we went to hard sided cooler bags since the sides don't collapses and it is quick and easy to just stuff the road into them. We anchor virtually every night and this setup is quick and easy to use and has never fouled a rode coming out of the bag.
More here...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/rigging-index.html
Sum
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Our Endeavour 37
Our MacGregor 26-S Pages
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http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/rigging-4.html
...for the anchors and soft sided cooler bags for the rodes.
Now the anchors are on rollers and ...
....we went to hard sided cooler bags since the sides don't collapses and it is quick and easy to just stuff the road into them. We anchor virtually every night and this setup is quick and easy to use and has never fouled a rode coming out of the bag.
More here...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/rigging-index.html
Sum
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]
Our Endeavour 37
Our MacGregor 26-S Pages
Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida
Mac-Venture Links
Everytime I see from Sumner I think wow, what an engineer.
(Around the yard I'm told on a RARE occasion that I had a good idea. I tell them I have nothing original. Most of my ideas are stolen or plagiarized. But if I think you don't know where I got the idea; I'm subject to claim the credit)..
(Around the yard I'm told on a RARE occasion that I had a good idea. I tell them I have nothing original. Most of my ideas are stolen or plagiarized. But if I think you don't know where I got the idea; I'm subject to claim the credit)..
I've seen these at boat shows may be useful! It son a reel and attaches to the railing...cleat it off
Plonk, I use a Lewmar Claw anchor with 15' of chain and about 100' of warp. I store this flaked into a plastic bucket warp first, chain next, and anchor on top, down in the cockpit lazarette. I don't want excess weight on the bow, because I have much more of a trailer sailer, being 18.5' long. Also, being solo most of the time, I'm already in the cockpit when I get to an anchorage, so I can deploy and set the anchor, then walk it forward to the bow to cleat off.
All my connections are wire seized shackles. Honestly, for lunch hooking, the chain and wire seizing is overkill, but I do it because I can, and because it's the right way.
This setup wouldn't work for a Danforth style anchor, because they don't fit in buckets. Although I grew up using them, I don't like them anymore, because of storage concerns, weed fouling issues (I anchor in a lot of weedy bottoms,) and resetting issues.
Brian
All my connections are wire seized shackles. Honestly, for lunch hooking, the chain and wire seizing is overkill, but I do it because I can, and because it's the right way.
This setup wouldn't work for a Danforth style anchor, because they don't fit in buckets. Although I grew up using them, I don't like them anymore, because of storage concerns, weed fouling issues (I anchor in a lot of weedy bottoms,) and resetting issues.
Brian
A carabiner will work. I'm not guessing. I used one for 15 years, which I inherited from the PO who had used if for 15 years. I used it on a number of 500-mile cruises all over. I used a 2nd carabiner to attach a bridle (catamaran). This is a trailer boat with light loads and is not long-term cruising. Big boat solutions are often poor solutions.
Fouling. It will only be in the water 1-2 days at a time. Non-issue.
Strength. It's a light boat; if he ever sees a 500-pound anchor load I'd be shocked. A quick link would be plenty... but a carabiner is faster. Heck, Mantus sells big carabiners for use on mooring balls for bigger boats. Yeah, the bigger sizes are expensive, but we're talkingabout a baby with a 1000# working load. That's no stronger than a wire gate climbing biner, about $6. I'm not actually suggesting a climbing biner. I've used these on bridles and the corrosion will get to it withing a few years, but only from storage with a wet bridle, not from time is use.
One hand. Try doing any of the suggested fasteners on a pitching fore deck with one hand. I promise a few shackles and quick links will go over the side.
Chain. I can't begin to imagine using all chain on boats this light.
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When I switched to a bigger boat and anchor loads went up ~ 4 times, I changed my ways: windlass, all chain, new-style anchor. But if you ask me if any of those would be an improvement for my trailer boat, the answer is they would not. Horses for courses.
Fouling. It will only be in the water 1-2 days at a time. Non-issue.
Strength. It's a light boat; if he ever sees a 500-pound anchor load I'd be shocked. A quick link would be plenty... but a carabiner is faster. Heck, Mantus sells big carabiners for use on mooring balls for bigger boats. Yeah, the bigger sizes are expensive, but we're talkingabout a baby with a 1000# working load. That's no stronger than a wire gate climbing biner, about $6. I'm not actually suggesting a climbing biner. I've used these on bridles and the corrosion will get to it withing a few years, but only from storage with a wet bridle, not from time is use.
One hand. Try doing any of the suggested fasteners on a pitching fore deck with one hand. I promise a few shackles and quick links will go over the side.
Chain. I can't begin to imagine using all chain on boats this light.
----
When I switched to a bigger boat and anchor loads went up ~ 4 times, I changed my ways: windlass, all chain, new-style anchor. But if you ask me if any of those would be an improvement for my trailer boat, the answer is they would not. Horses for courses.
I did something like that on a MacGregor 22 I used to own... but for much less $$. See pic. I had 150' of 1/4" line on one of those orange reels used to store electric extension cords. The reel is $15 and you can deploy the rode very fast... and roll it all up nicely as well.
Attachments
with snow on the ground and my boat on the hard, the info that comes out of here is truly amazing. on my trailer sailboat, I carry three anchors. one main, one slightly smaller one that I use on the stern, and a small emergency one. since I don't have a locker, they are usually carried in the cockpit. normally when I knew I was going to anchor, I would just run the rode from the cockpit around the side of the boat, thru the chocks on the bow, and back to the cockpit. that way all I had to do was drop it overboard and tighten it up with with a windlass before dogging it down. since I sail solo it was handy. now I have other thoughts thanks to all of you.
Knots can make a lot of sense on smaller boats. Splices are pretty, but knots so much more versatile.
On my trailer boat I would attach the bridle to the rode by simple flipping a figure-8 in the rode where I needed it and clipping it to a carabiner on the bridle. Climbers can tie those instinctively and the entire operation took less time than typing the sentense. Hard to untie in the morning? No, the anchor loads even from a severe storm were never enough to really set the knot, no harder than a routine climbing fall. I could have used a sling, but the loop was faster and 100% secure. My rode was an old 11mm climbing rope, very easy to knot and to store.