Chain tug er

[maxkai]

I am think'n about storing the 300 feet of anchor chain farther back in my sailboat, maybe by the mast.

Idea is to build a PVC pipe that the chain would fall into - under the winch - this pipe is attached with line, so if something were to go wrong, the line is cut and the chain goes into the current storage area -

but if all goes right, chain is pulled into a new locker in front of the mast -

flaking the chain is a concern - maybe a spool with a leveler or perhaps a small electric winch with a friction gypsy head - that moves back and forth, on a satellite tracking arm -

Curious if any one has tried a similar solution

Boat is a 36 foot Hartog Steel cutter

Chow

Paul

[Cotemar]

Free fall into the anchor locker is the way to go.

All the other stuff you talk about is a nightmare and when you wake up from a cold sweat you will say.

"What was I thinking, clearly I was not".

[Sailmonkey]

for any normal short trips like island hops I'd just leave the chain in the bow, for longer multi day/ocean excursions it's easy enough to pull the chain by hand through the pipe and flake it in the bilge.

[rw58ph]

That is a lot of chain for a 36 ft boat? I assume the reason for storing the chain further back is it’s to much weight for the bow, and or the chain lock is not big/deep enough. We have 200 ft of chain and another 200 ft of rope. Here is a free anchor/rode calculator to play with. Click on syntheses and then rodeanch.xls. I don’t think you need that much chain.

Also the size/kind of anchor and the type of bottom are huge/big factos besides the rode.

[Teknav]

There is just one tiny issue that you'll need to deal with; weight distribution. In aviation terms...flying within the weight & balance envelope. A pilot could be within the allowable weight to carry, but if it is not calculated within the envelope the plane will not take off! Redistributing the weight on a boat...ummm...you get the drift...

Mauritz
Going to behave now!

[jimbim]

Originally Posted by maxkai

I am think'n about storing the 300 feet of anchor chain farther back in my sailboat, maybe by the mast.

Idea is to build a PVC pipe that the chain would fall into - under the winch - this pipe is attached with line, so if something were to go wrong, the line is cut and the chain goes into the current storage area -

but if all goes right, chain is pulled into a new locker in front of the mast -

flaking the chain is a concern - maybe a spool with a leveler or perhaps a small electric winch with a friction gypsy head - that moves back and forth, on a satellite tracking arm -

Curious if any one has tried a similar solution

Boat is a 36 foot Hartog Steel cutter

Chow

Paul

Paul,
While preparing to sail home from Thailand, we investigated building a system like yours to store the 300' of chain further aft in our 27-footer.

I won't go into the details for and against, but we did decide finally that life is too short. The only time we would perform the transfer aft (1/4" HT chain) was just prior to setting off on a crossing, so we could easily perform the move passing it between two people through the boat and flaking it in the bilge.

As it was, we never did. Since then I have sailed her without chain and it's open to debate whether there was much difference, certainly with regard to hobby-horsing.

[kentobin]

Can't remember the book but the author determined that in most anchorages he didn't need more than 150 feet of chain. He had 300 feet of chain where he kept 150 feet in the chain locker with a tube connected to amidships where he stored the rest of the chain. He also made a marker on the chain at 150 feet so he knew when he was pulling it out. After a few years he reversed the chain to spread out the wear before he had to replace it.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Free fall into the anchor locker is the way to go.

All the other stuff you talk about is a nightmare and when you wake up from a cold sweat you will say.

"What was I thinking, clearly I was not".

remember these sage words! I have tried angled pipes and they do not work well.... nothing but trouble. How about a large pipe? like 8-12" diameter. The trouble with enclosed storage is if you have a problem, how do you get in there to solve it? Moving the winch back you will also need deck protection all the way back. In the end I always figured it was easier just to splice on a couple hundred feet of nylon after 200 feet of chain. But.. if you are going to Patagonia or somewhere where you anchor real deeps... that's another issue I guess...

[s/v Jedi]

Move the windlass aft:

[roverhi]

To stow the chain out of the forepeak and under the V Berth without messing up the V berth, used 3" PVC pipe with a 45 degree elbow to aim it aft. Worked okay except there was not enough depth in the storage compartment and about the last 50' of chain would pile up and jam in the pipe. Manual windlass so would crank till the chain hung up and then run below, knock the pile over and repeat. Usually took 3 trips or so to get all the chain stowed. Pipe held up fine for the anchoring 24/7 for a year and a half.

[DennisDW]

I did it on the Alajuela 38. We have twin rodes, one with 300' of 5/16" HT. The first 200' gets pulled through the PVC hawse pipe and distributed by hand to the bilge area at the mast base. The last 100' in sits in a pile in the bow. It's all I need for routine anchoring. Our second rode of 100' of chain and 200' of 12 strand is all pulled back. The bilge and bow areas are, of course, separated in half by battens.

Good luck,
Dennis

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Move the windlass aft:

I bet that's fun to walk on while tethered to the boat in 10' seas!

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I bet that's fun to walk on while tethered to the boat in 10' seas!

Why would you want to do that? There is plenty room around it, much unlike the foredecks filled with dinghies, canoes, surfboards etc....

[foggysail]

I see two issues, both mentioned earlier. First is the weight and next is the piling.

What I believe to be more important is HOW DEEP is your chain locker? The locker on my Silverton sucks! I carry about 180' of 5/16" HT chain. Most of our anchoring is in shallow waters, less than 25'. I find that chain forms a TEEPEE inside the chain locker AND IT QUICKLY becomes a first class PIA!

I have to send Wifey inside to knock the pile down or it jams the windlass. An I really have to be careful to not let that happen. My Maxwell HWC2200 has attempted to yank itself off the boat while pushing chain into the locker.

Before I would install 300' of chain, I would switch to a rope rode. JMHO

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Paul.