3 Strand or 8 Plait for Anchor Line

[cfarrar]

GMAC, everything you've said makes sense. Just an observation, however, I went through 2 different rodes using Samson 3-strand (spliced to 100' chain) and it always hockled. I switched to Yale 8-plait and it flakes beautifully. I guess it's just the nature of my windlass gypsy, anchor locker, and so forth. Certainly, if 3-strand works for someone there's no reason to get rid of it.

[sabray]

If your anchored in 50 feet or 15 meters your 250 foot /75 meters chain won't do if its Nasty and you want 8 to 1. That's where rhode comes in. Cause were looking at 400 feet or120 meters in that depth. Begs to ask what is all chain?
I am all chan to 225 feet/68 meters of chain but then there is 200 feet 60 meters of plated line.

[sabray]

Originally Posted by zeehag

barrel ends are better priced and i found 194 ft in the one i bought and the 5/16 was for me 600ish us dollars. 5/16 hi tensile. downwind marine, san diego.

That's good for anchoring in 24 foot or 8 meters depth at 8 to 1. Then what?

[sabray]

Then let me tell about this nice camper nickhloson that was so unbalanced with extravagant gear it's bow near sank. So much weight iin chain and anchor was forward it couldn't sail. But man it could anchor. Of course the cruise was abandoned as the tacked at 130 degree angles. Yeah all chain sounds good

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by sabray

That's good for anchoring in 24 foot or 8 meters depth at 8 to 1. Then what?

i have been anchoring in 15-20 ft, mixed bottom, in areas wherein there are no true surprises for weather, so far. i do not anchor in summer if i can help it unless the bay is very protected from seas and winds and runoff.

[sabray]

Originally Posted by zeehag

i have been anchoring in 15-20 ft, mixed bottom, in areas wherein there are no true surprises for weather, so far. i do not anchor in summer if i can help it unless the bay is very protected from seas and winds and runoff.

Point is that's not prepared unless you have ropey stuff attached to your chain. In which case your nit all chain. Which was my point. Lots of chain and then rhode might make sense. Many of us do anchor in the summer. Confused?

[zeehag]

when i replace, i will be using a full barrel of 5/16 chain, ht. thankyou for your concern. have not needed more than 180 ft out, so far.
my backup is 250 ft 5/16, slightly rusty ht.

[foggysail]

Around here the waters are shallow at least in most of our harbors. I have found 30' + depths where I needed to anchor only a couple of times in over 30 years.

[olaf hart]

I have heard of boats on the Australian Great Barrier Reef using wire instead of rope for rodes.
I have no experience, but it might be worth chasing up.

[Kettlewell]

Gmac, as usual, is worth reading again, but I will disagree about the double-braid. I've got some 3/4" Samson Braid purchased around about 1987 that still serves me very well for dock lines. Occasionally it has served me through a hurricane for extra tie offs to a mooring. I have retired some lengths of this stuff, which was originally an anchor rode on a 22,000-lb 37 footer with no windlass. It has been absolutely amazingly durable, and still flakes right into a locker like it was new. However, up here in the Northeast the typical anchoring bottom is nice soft mud, with very little to chafe a line. I have some three-strand New England anchor rode that is almost as old and still has a good hand and coils easily.

[sabray]

So zee will have 650 lbs of chain and I think 120 lbs of anchor. 800 pounds and no rhode. Half of that weight is in a rusty bulk that once had a breaking load if 3800 lbs.
Easy to pull 300 pounds out of the equation
Go 60 meters if chain and 60 meters if plaited on primary.Back up is 30 meters chain and 90 meters of plait.
Now you don't have spent money that is rusting into a bill of questionable chain. The beginning working load was 3800 lbs. the worst rusted link will be below that. So your okay backing up with hundreds of rusted links.
No way. Best spend your money on a shorter length and add cheap plaited rope. For those rare times you stretch that far.
Sounds nice to say all chain. But even me all chain has a rope tied to it.
Really worry about performance when you stuff all that in any bow. Seen way to many guys get set and convinced its okay its meant to carry that weight and the boat is a slug afterword.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by olaf hart

I have heard of boats on the Australian Great Barrier Reef using wire instead of rope for rodes.
I have no experience, but it might be worth chasing up.

Very uncommon practice on GBR. Not saving it hasn't been done.

[GMac]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Gmac, as usual, is worth reading again, but I will disagree about the double-braid.

Due to the nature of the beast I do tend to talk in general terms. But I note 2 things K, one being no winch and the other being Samson, meaning I was talking ropes on winches and Samson is the ducks knuts when talking good stuff. Hand over hand or on drum winches double braid is fine, even if still being the most fragile of the usual suspects used. We do use a lot of double braid in anchor warps but only for on the drum winches rather than the usual sort.

Which leads nicely in to Olaf's comment about using wire. In fact many do use wire and it's very common to see on commercial vessels. It's a very viable choice but does have it's own set of issues. Some of those being you can't use SS for long as it starts to go bad. You need to have a drum winch which is hard to fit to many recreational boats. Wire is often messy and goes messy quite quick. It can easily rust from the inside out, if it's a cheapie made, so you can't always see what state it's in which is a a little freaky for most.

I'd have to agree with Downunder as anchoring on reefs down this end of the world is getting more an more frowned on. In many cases you just aren't allowed to and I believe parts of the GBR are No anchoring zones.

Zeehag, is the chain you have a G40 HT or a true Hi tensile? There is a huge difference. One is nearly twice as strong as the other. Watch for that.

[c.spots]

If you happen to be in NZ, I have about 260 feet of G40, "high test", (5400 lbs SWL) hot dipped galvanized, 3/8 inch chain available. It is about one year old, not the cheapie made stuff, and in great condition. And another 100 feet of same chain type, which has never been wet.

[GMac]

Originally Posted by c.spots

If you happen to be in NZ, I have about 260 feet of G40, "high test", (5400 lbs SWL) hot dipped galvanized, 3/8 inch chain available. It is about one year old, not the cheapie made stuff, and in great condition. And another 100 feet of same chain type, which has never been wet.

You'd really need to find another US cruiser I think C. The hassle you'll have in NZ is that the US Standard sizing isn't the same as what NZ or even Aussie tend to use.

Try listing it in Trade Me with a good clear description noting it's the US sizing. You just never know who's just brought in a US boat and is hanging for more length, which is commonly the case.

IM me if you like and I maybe able to help you with that.