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Old 12-09-2022, 06:42   #31
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

I have mounted an orange colored traffic cone just under the access point of the chain. In operation now for 4 years works perfect!
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Old 12-09-2022, 07:16   #32
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

I gave up on swivels as they didn't seem to make a difference, the longer I stayed at any anchorage the more twist in the chain.

When twist gets out of control I dump the chain (can be done at anchor during settled weather, doesn't need to be at a dock) and retrieve it slowly, making sure the chain doesn't skip in the windlass gypsy and when the anchor clears the bottom it will unravel the accumulated twists. This is where our deep anchorages in the PNW come in handy!

I have 500' of chain and am pretty sure even 300' would crush a traffic cone.

I really like the idea of installing a bulkhead across the chain locker under the hawse pipe. This is pretty easy to do as it doesn't have to look pretty. My anchor locker was a big, undivided cavern when I bought our boat and one of my first projects was to divide the anchor locker to accommodate the primary and secondary rodes. Just need marine plywood, cut it to roughly fit, tab it to the FRP sides, paint, and done!
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Old 12-09-2022, 07:59   #33
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

Quote:
Originally Posted by Locquatious View Post
When we converted to SS chain the castling stopped. SS is just more slippery.
I noticed the same excellent results with new galvanized chain. No issues until the surface got rough. SS chain will stay slippery.

On the twist issue. We had terrible twisting even in places where the boat never went through 360 degrees. I studied this for a while, observed our retrieve. I did some on line research and concluded that our U shaped rubber bow roller was the cause. Your boat is never directly in line with the rode as you haul anchor. The result is that the chain rides up one side of the roller until it rolls over, making twist. U rollers are OK for rope. I made a replacement roller that has a flat bottom that fits my chain. This totally eliminated twist.

For a swivel, I use an anchor forerunner. Ours easily fits over the bow roller and is a few links remote from the anchor so it’s pretty impossible to break it. I found that where swivels are used on large commercial or military vessels a forerunner is the only choice.
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Old 12-09-2022, 09:14   #34
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

Has anyone used a double swivel ( two swivels ), back to back ?
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Old 12-09-2022, 11:11   #35
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

Nearly every day at anchor added two more twists to my chain that like the OP did not all come out at the swivel. Therefore, a regular task aboard was to remove the twists by bringing the remaining chain in the locker on deck then working the twists out using a swivel at the attachment point within my chain locker.

What I ended up doing is bypassing the gypsy on a calm day to intentionally bring the twists past the gypsy. I then worked the twists back to the swivel at the end of the chain in the chain locker.

I disagree with someone who wrote it is impossible for twists to get past the gypsy and into the locker. The OP experience is a mass of twisted chain when trying to deploy. This prevents the anchor from deploying smoothly and can endanger the vessel. I have experienced the same.

Those who have not experienced this likely don't have 100 meters of chain deployed on a regular basis.
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Old 12-09-2022, 12:05   #36
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

Haven't tried it. Someone suggested using a small traffic cone placed under where the chain falls so it doesn't stack up.
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Old 12-09-2022, 14:43   #37
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

We screwed a large s/s bowl to the bulkhead where the chain entered. Spread the chain randomly and we’ll.
Swivels??? Recipe for failure unless really high spec. Also any swivel would be at the anchor. Dubious benefit there.
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Old 12-09-2022, 16:44   #38
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

A factor that seems to influence castling is the vertical drop beneath the gypsy into the chain locker. A castle can only get so high before it collapses, or at worst, a tall castle is easier to knock over than a short one.

On our boat, the PO added a windlass to the foredeck. He moved the naval pipe forward by about three feet, which means that the vertical drop went from about 4 feet, to less than two. From there the chain slides down the hull. It's a recipe for castling.

I sail with my wife (for many years in the PNW) and we soon learned that when hauling up the anchor, sometimes we would have to stop while I ran down below, crawled over the V-berth, and knocked over the castle. It was stressful the first few times, but we got used to it and now it is just normal.

One tactic that reduced problems: each morning before raising anchor, I would go down to the chain locker, and drag any chain down there as far from the naval pipe as I could. In fact, I would make a big pile of it out of the way.

We are now in Hawaii, and got new chain, and it seems to castle hardly at all, as others have mentioned.
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Old 12-09-2022, 22:34   #39
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

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Originally Posted by MJH View Post

HOW CAN I BETTER CONTROL CHAIN TWIST?
I found removing the swivel has reduced chain twist and any twist is now worked out by the pull over the gypsy. As someone else has pointed out unless the chain is jumping on the gypsy it will come in straight. Any twist I do have is then at the anchor end and is easy to work out before bringing the anchor on board. I now use the anchor swivel to stop my main sheet twisting where it works very effectively.

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Old 13-09-2022, 05:17   #40
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

Has anyone used one of these? And if so, how successful was it?
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Old 26-10-2022, 10:22   #41
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

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Has anyone used one of these? And if so, how successful was it?
What is the source of this item? Where can I read more about it?
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Old 26-10-2022, 12:26   #42
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

Interesting. Requires a flat surface to mount though, a rarity with recreational boat anchor lockers located in the bow. For a deep locker like ours we could easily install a floor to mount it.

Found it online doing a google image search, height is adjustable. here's the manufacturer- https://www.osculati.com/en/11004-m-019894/chain-boy-chain-stowing-system

Seems a bit pricy for 425. euros/$427. dollars. Douglas Marine has one on eBay for $285.



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Has anyone used one of these? And if so, how successful was it?
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Old 26-10-2022, 12:44   #43
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

I think vertical drop in the chain locker solves the castling problem. Our chain comes in 10' back from the bow roller and drops 5' to the hull. Whatever "castle" develops, we don't see it or worry about it and there are no problems letting the chain out next time we anchor. Nor have we had a problem with twist. We do not have a swivel.

Thoe other benefit is that the weight of the chain and the windlass is far away from the bow.

The downside is that the chain dumps into the forward cabin so it is important to pressure wash the chain as it comes up to prevent the smelly chain being in the cabin.
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Old 26-10-2022, 13:49   #44
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

In my Tartan 37 I often had problems with the castling, after trying a few things what worked for me is to epoxy a board to the inside of the locker then I attached another piece of wood (plastic over top) via a piano hinge. This is so it can move up and down when the chain comes in to move the chain drop location. I attached a small line to the corner of the board and run it up top through the spare hawsepipe and pull on it as the chain drops down. It sounds complicated but works perfect during 8 years of cruising and is easy to use.

As far as the twisting I put a groove into the anchor roller to have the chain lay flat and also found the less strain on the chain when pulling up anchor (I have my wife motor slowly up) the less jumps I see coming over the roller.
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Old 26-10-2022, 14:18   #45
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Re: Anchor Chain Castling and Chain Twisting

Chain locker made from a 12” diameter sewer pipe solves all problems, as does a cone. If you don’t have a flat bottom then build a cone that fits.

The sewer pipe is easiest as long as you have the vertical space.

About chain twist: first, replace the swivel. Second, do not put the boat forward with the windlass. Haul in a bit of chain to lift it from the seabed, stop and wait and the catenary will pull the boat forward. Repeat and you will find the boat accelerates and at some point you can take chain in at full speed without it ever becoming taut, so it will stay in the chain groove of the roller.
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