Anchor Rodes and Restless Nights

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by motion30

psneeld
The article did mention a kettel It went on to say that the weight should be close to the anchor to hold the shank down I am certainly no expert this is just what " I read on the internet" so it must be true

I'm pretty sure a kettle gets let down about 2/3 of the rode...

[boatman61]

Not sure what a 'Kettle' is...... but if you mean a weight attatched to the rode... it should be 1/2 to 2/3rds from the anchor... the purpose is to keep the rode weighed down so the pull is more horizontal... also works well as a shock absorber up to a certain wind strength...

[cheoah]

kellet, maybe?

[motion30]

Originally Posted by csh

kellet, maybe?

Yes you are correct Thank you I googled kettle and did not learn anything about anchoring but did buy 2 nice tea pots

[s/v Jedi]

Use of kellets, weights etc. is a flawed concept as discussed many times on this forum. Like the other poster wrote, it only helps up to a certain wind speed.... while you anchoring gear must be matched to a certain maximum wind-speed instead.

=> buy the heaviest anchor you can still handle safely and match it with the longest, strongest and lightest chain you can afford.

ciao!
Nick.

[cheoah]

well I just googled it an maybe it is spelled kellett. The PO of my crealock made one by pouring concrete in a small container and setting some hardware in the concrete and attaching a small block.

My "anchorman" manual windlass, simpson-lawrence, I think, says 3/8 high test or 5/16 BBB. That's from an old manual aboard, but wish I could test it out before I spend $$$ on 5/16 BBB chain which would be my choice I think.

csh

[boatman61]

I played with it in my early days... but as the above said... its OK but I found it a pain in the ass if I had to haul the hook quick for any reason...
I used to use a old Danforth shackled to the chain... an extra 5-10m of chain works much better...

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Not sure what a 'Kettle' is...... but if you mean a weight attatched to the rode... it should be 1/2 to 2/3rds from the anchor... the purpose is to keep the rode weighed down so the pull is more horizontal... also works well as a shock absorber up to a certain wind strength...

Sorry...I've always known them as sentinels anyway...silly sailor freind calls it by the "other" name...

Not sure why this forum has decried their effectiveness...though they are a pain in anything but moderate conditions anyway.

Also not sure the lightest chain is the answer...I would debate that it depends on the length of chain used in conjunction with the weight of it.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by psneeld

Also not sure the lightest chain is the answer...I would debate that it depends on the length of chain used in conjunction with the weight of it.

Correct, it's the combination that counts: longest, strongest and lightest.

I think that all the anchoring guru's have agreed that it's best to put the weight in the anchor itself, instead of in the chain or even silly weights etc.

ciao!
Nick.

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Correct, it's the combination that counts: longest, strongest and lightest.

I think that all the anchoring guru's have agreed that it's best to put the weight in the anchor itself, instead of in the chain or even silly weights etc.

ciao!
Nick.

The right chain with a average anchor makes a huge difference..seen it enough to call it more than just opinion....soI'm pretty sure the same chain with a great anchor has to be an improvement too...

I still think weight away from the anchor has to help...no matter how it gets there as long as it's manageable. If it doesn't...all my practical physics and backyard engineering has been faulty for a long time.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by psneeld

The right chain with a average anchor makes a huge difference..seen it enough to call it more than just opinion....soI'm pretty sure the same chain with a great anchor has to be an improvement too...

I still think weight away from the anchor has to help...no matter how it gets there as long as it's manageable. If it doesn't...all my practical physics and backyard engineering has been faulty for a long time.

What you have seen is the difference of the extra weight... if it had been put into the anchor instead of in chain or kellets/sentinels then you would have seen an even bigger improvement.

The chain is for strength and abrasion resistance. When conditions are at their worst, the chain will be as taut and straight as a nylon line. That's what I mean, you must design your anchor gear to cope with the worst conditions, not with calm weather when anything works.

A G40/42 chain is better than a BBB chain because it is stronger. It allows you to select one size smaller chain, like 5/16" instead of 3/8". This saves so much weight, that you can buy more length. This makes your system better and also more expensive. The next step up is G70 chain.. I have 3/8" G70 instead of 1/2" G42. This allows me to carry 300'.

ciao!
Nick.

[hugosalt]

The "silly weights"...kellets/sentinel come in handy
when properly placed...they can dampen the sailing tendencies somewhat(yaw)...reducing some real heavy loads when wind pipes up...
used together with a snubber/nylon rode that is not oversized
can make the difference in the amount of sleep one gets.
Might take some experimenting...

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by hugosalt

The "silly weights"...kellets/sentinel come in handy
when properly placed...they can dampen the sailing tendencies somewhat(yaw)...reducing some real heavy loads when wind pipes up...
used together with a snubber/nylon rode that is not oversized
can make the difference in the amount of sleep one gets.
Might take some experimenting...

Yes they dampen somewhat... in benign conditions. When your anchor gear can't easily handle staying put without the silly weights in those conditions, it will get you in serious trouble when the weather goes bad.

The forces on anchor gear during the conditions you describe (where the silly weights reduce yaw) are a fraction of what you get in worse conditions, regardless of the use of the silly weights or not.

So, what do you get for it? If two boats both have the same undersized anchor gear and one deploys the silly weights while the other does not: when wind starts to increase steadily, the boat without the silly weights will start dragging sooner, that's all. A boat with well designed anchor gear will stay put without the weights in all conditions.

But... this has all been written and explained so often...

ciao!
Nick.

[motion30]

OK it has been three weeks or so since I installed the 40' of chain on my rode I have anchored maybe a dozen times The chain makes a huge difference mostly I dont need to back down on the anchor I was in a raft uo of 6or7 boats this weekend not my anchor when we suddenly the whole raft broke loose and was heading for another boat I quickly dumped the manson with chain off the bow stoped the whole raft immediately The chain is a PITA to handle by hand but it sure doew work,,,,Now I have this back problem....

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by motion30

OK it has been three weeks or so since I installed the 40' of chain on my rode I have anchored maybe a dozen times The chain makes a huge difference mostly I dont need to back down on the anchor ...

You DO need to back down on your anchor, no matter how much chain you have. Otherwise you can't be sure the anchor has set. You need to back down slowly at first, with gradually increasing revs until the anchor is well buried and set hard.

It took me a few years to figure that out myself, and my anchoring is certainly a lot happier since.