Anchor chain tensioner

[littledevil]

Hi. I have a rocna10(22lb) on the bow secured to a universal anchor roller. The roller is not a sophisticated design purpose built for the scoop type which cost towards $400, rather as i said earlier...Universal. It gets the job done and i am happy with it. To make it work, while preventing the anchor bounce around the roller, plenty of tension must be applied so the scoop of the anchor leans firmly against the cheeks of the roller. I am currently using a simple ratchet, the one you buy from home improvement stores. Its cheap and applies lots of tension since the nylon webbing streches a bit as well. But its not very pleasing to the eye of course. I wonder if i can replace it with a chain tensioner, which i ve never used before so not sure if same amount of tension can be applied.
i have been happy with lewmar products before and this one got my attention but it could be anything.Thanksd.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/lewma...IaAj2YEALw_wcB

[Jim Cate]

How about one of the cheap Chinese rigging screws that you see in some chandleries... the ones wirh a hook on one end and a clevis on the other. One of these coupled with a short Dyneema strop to a cleat would be inexpensive and easy to use.

Jim

[littledevil]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

How about one of the cheap Chinese rigging screws that you see in some chandleries... the ones wirh a hook on one end and a clevis on the other. One of these coupled with a short Dyneema strop to a cleat would be inexpensive and easy to use.

Jim

I thought about it but never seen a purpose built anchor tensioner in action so i couldn't compare and guess if such application would be quicker and easier. At the same time, i may be able to dig a rigging screw from the boat and run it between the chain pawl and chain. It may work. Thanks.

[Dockhead]

You need a Highfield lever!


Perfect for this application.


https://theriggingco.com/2014/06/08/...ghfield-lever/

[tkeithlu]

If the chain is fixed at both ends (anchor, winch) with only a little slack, any seizing that pulls the chain to the side will exert more tension than you may realize. The shallow triangle formed by the seizing figures out to whooping tension in the two chain sides of the triangle. I have two chain rodes that run beside each other, so I simply seize them together with a pigtail. Any place that you can belay a short line to the side of your rode would do. I guess my point is that there are simple solutions available here - I looked at chain tensioners, and decided they weren't worth the trouble or expense.

Best of luck to you in finding a solution you like.

[Dockhead]

You need a Highfield lever!


Perfect for this application.


https://theriggingco.com/2014/06/08/...ghfield-lever/

[sck5]

I always use the snubber and one of the forward cleats. Easy and you have it in your hands anyway when you raise the anchor. Use it to tension the chain and it will be readily available next time you drop the hook

[Connemara]

I have a slightly larger Rocna and the windlass itself pulls the anchor in fairly tight to the roller. Then I run some Dyneema line through the holes in the anchor shaft and around bits of the roller structure to keep it from moving. Then I slack the chain just slightly. Works a treat.

Connemara

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

You need a Highfield lever!


Perfect for this application.


https://theriggingco.com/2014/06/08/...ghfield-lever/

Yep, a Highfield would work just fine, DH. However, even here in overpriced Australia the sort of rigging screw I was touting is listed in the Whitworth catalog at less than 10 AUD for a 10 mm version... that's about 7 bucks US. Have you priced a Highfield lever recently? The differential may not matter to you, but would to many less affluent sailors.

Jim

[JPA Cate]

I'm kind of on the tkeithlu side of this one. How about a 3/8" diameter line, long enough to have a bowline through the center hole of the cleat and do three circuits from cleat through anchor shackle and back to cleat, sweat it tight, and finish with a round turn and two half hitches on the cleat, easy to do, easy to undo, and you may have the spare line lying around. Leave it on the cleat, it won't be in the way when you dock.

Buy yourself something nice with the money you save.

Ann

[a64pilot]

Pulling it in right to keep it from bouncing is good, but if you turned it upside down and shook it, will it still stay put?
I took a knock down and not knowing any better my 25 kg Rocna was not real secure and came out of the roller and swung around and the pointy end hit the hull hard enough so that it sounded like a rigging failure.
I don’t know how it didn’t but it didn’t hole the hull.
Learned the hard way.

Since then I have taken to tying the roll bar to the pulpit rails, that holds it secure so that if knocked down again it can’t come out, and of course costs noting and doesn’t require any mounting of another device

[littledevil]

its very very secure with the tension on. Also there is a bail on top so no more than 3 cm gap to begin with. But in a chop, unless there is a tension that 3 cm gap is still too much. The scoop must be pulled against the rollers cheeck to achieve tight fit. I realize the turnbuckle method is not going to work neither. A turnbuckle is firmly sits on top of the chain when its applied, leaving no room to work to use your hand rotating it. While a screwdriver may work to turn it, it is slow and unnecessarily complex. I am going to perfect the ratchet system and stay with it. Picture will be here.