How do you mark your anchor rode?

[sailorchic34]

Silly me I just paint my 8 plait rode at 50' 75' 100' etc.. Most of the time I'm using 75 feet and 50 feet is a good mark to show back at my jib winch. I use the main jib sheet winch to get the rode to vertical and then use engine to break it out.

I generally repaint the 50 and 75 foot marks once a year, with the same tiny can of paint I purchased 6 years ago... One band of paint for 50, two for 75 and three for 100'. At 125 feet I go back to one band. 95% of the time I'm using 75 feet.

[sww914]

I'll be doing the abacus style marks on our chain, probably with zip ties. Depends on whether I can find colored zip ties in PV without making it a 6 week expedition or if it's easier to find colored nylon webbing. I already have white, dayglo yellow, and purple webbing. Prolly close enough for this Bohemian Assasin.

[Dsanduril]

I take the colored yarns from some double braid (or anything else about 2mm, 1/16") and sew them through the line rode, leaving a flag that sticks out about 3-4cm (1.5-2"). Do one at 20', two at 40', three at 60', then repeat, changing colors so I know what segment I'm on. What I like about it is the yarns are tough (since their made of the same stuff as the rope) but soft and forgiving (so that when you're hand-over-handing the line they don't get in the way or cut). At the same time, if you are letting line out you can feel them, so don't have to be able to see.

[Kettlewell]

With chain I mark it every 50 feet with black zip ties. One for 50, 2 for 100, three for 150, etc. Than for my nylon rode, which is three strand, I use the little yellow plastic numbers you can buy at almost any marine store.

[Stu Jackson]

The length of your stretched out arm from your shoulder is about three feet. When you coil a line you have one end in your hand and the other holds the loop, so you're pulling about four feet of line out.

I used to have those plastic markers stuck into my 3 strand anchor line (after 30+ feet of chain).

Now I use the arm method and know how much goes out. I must admit that I anchor in pretty much the same depths almost all the time (12 to 20 feet) so it becomes pretty easy to figure it out. I also have a "hose holder" in our anchor locker, so I just figure out how many "loops" of rode to let out.

This is not rocket science and an exact measurement is usually not required.

[Kettlewell]

I agree with Stu that you don't have to be really precise about it. That's why every 50 feet is fine on my chain. About the shallowest water I can comfortably anchor in is 6 feet, and I've got about 4 feet up to the bow roller, so I rarely put down less than the first 50 feet of chain--usually has to be more to compensate for tide. Once I see one of the markers go by I can estimate pretty well how much additional chain has gone over the side until I get to the next 50 marker.

[Sandero]

I take the 200' chain and range on the dock, on fold it into 8 parts... each fold is 25' and I weave some small colored line (very light) as follows:

25' - 1 green line about 15" long
50' - 2 green lines about 15" long separated by a couple of feet
75' - 1 green line about 15" long and 1 yellow line separated by a couple of feet
100' - 2 yellow lines about 15" long separated by a couple of feet
125' - 1 red line about 15" long and 1 yellow line separated by a couple of feet
150' - 2 red lines about 15" long separated by a couple of feet
175' - 1 red line about 15" long

Most of my anchoring is in the *yellow range*... 75'- 125'

I can end for end it and the system works fine.

[Mimsy]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

Maybe my brain just works like his. In any case, this seems to me simple, ingenious, and extremely effective.

BAH! Engineers!

[SmartMove]

On our 200' of 3/8 chain we use colored zip ties, red, yellow, green, blue, at 20' increments. At 100' a double black and then double red, yellow, green, blue (the order of the colors in a rainbow).

P.S. Got the idea for zip ties from Mimsy's blog a while back.

[Kettlewell]

Someone once told me the black zip ties last much longer in the sun, and I tried them and it seems to be true. That's one reason I go with one black zip tie at 50 feet, two at 100 feet, three at 150 feet, etc. The ones on my chain now have been on there for at least five or six years.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

With chain I mark it every 50 feet with black zip ties. One for 50, 2 for 100, three for 150, etc. Than for my nylon rode, which is three strand, I use the little yellow plastic numbers you can buy at almost any marine store.

i now hav e 2 anchors and chain on and in my bow. i have a separator inmy vchain locker and my bruce is on 194 ft of 4/16 chain and my cqr is with 250 ft. the 350 ft is paint marked, and the bruce chain was recently marked with zip ties.
one windlass is manual and one electric--at present, my bruce is to electric, and cqr to manual.
before my slave added the zipties to the short chain i was not marking it at all--i knew exactly how much was on bottom by keeping the remnant on deck while i secured the chain to the bits. now that chain is marked with the zipties at 1 for 50, 2 at 100 and 3 at 150 ft. i have 160 ft chain on bottom here now.
i dont know the markings on my 250 ft length of chain, as i turned it end for end of late.
i carry no rope rode in bow--i keep 2 spools of thimbled 3 strand on their respective spools inmy lazarette along with some extra anchors-- my friend counted 4 extras, in that same lazarette.....rope rode is good for kedging off and emergencies only, as bottom is littered with mountain tops and other rocks....


anyone want a danforth dinghy anchor?/ is 20 or so pounds.....only good for dinks, not boats....lol--i understand i have 2 of those..(funny how they seem to multiply inside the bilges..lol)..mebbe i can trade for bruce of decent weight.....hhmmmmmm

[rognvald]

Hardware stores sell multi-colored electrical tape (green,red,orange,white) which I cut into strips, double over and weave through the nylon rode. I numerically mark the visible ends of these strips with an indelible magic marker at 50 feet, 75 feet, 100 feet, etc. They hold up extremely well in both salt and fresh water and only occasionally do I need to retrace the numbers as they fade. It is cheap, practical and you can use the tape for your electrical components as well. I have 35 feet of 3/8" chain and 250' of nylon rode. Good luck and good sailing.

[s/v Jedi]

I have tried it all and found the most durable is short pieces of 1/8" thick line tied to chain links with tiny bowline knots. They sell rolls of this small double-braid line with names like SpiderLine etc. and it comes in fluorescent colors.

Second best is the zip ties. They fail after so many hours of use which is a pain. The line pieces do not fail and no trouble with the windlass either.

I have markers at every 60', starting with one piece of line at 60' and ending with 4 pieces at 240'. There there is a panic marker at 280' meaning the end is near (many pieces of line plus zip ties)

Attached to the end of the chain are two lines: one is strong double braid, long enough so that it comes on deck just past the windlass where I can cut it if needed. The second line is 100' of 5/16" bright yellow polypropylene which floats. It cushions the chain in the bottom of the chain locker (easier drainage) and makes it easy to find back the anchor when I would have to abandon it.

[ErBrown]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I have tried it all and found the most durable is short pieces of 1/8" thick line tied to chain links with tiny bowline knots. They sell rolls of this small double-braid line with names like SpiderLine etc. and it comes in fluorescent colors.

Second best is the zip ties. They fail after so many hours of use which is a pain. The line pieces do not fail and no trouble with the windlass either.

I have markers at every 60', starting with one piece of line at 60' and ending with 4 pieces at 240'. There there is a panic marker at 280' meaning the end is near (many pieces of line plus zip ties)

Attached to the end of the chain are two lines: one is strong double braid, long enough so that it comes on deck just past the windlass where I can cut it if needed. The second line is 100' of 5/16" bright yellow polypropylene which floats. It cushions the chain in the bottom of the chain locker (easier drainage) and makes it easy to find back the anchor when I would have to abandon it.

Thanks Jedi,

This system makes a ton of sense to me and we'll be taking your advice and marking our new 3/8" chain with bright orange mil-spec para cord. I like the idea if a simple bowline, do you also stitch the tail through the chain? It seem like that would be an easy way to keep the line out of the way and make it super visible by having the line stitched through a foot or so of line at each mark...hard to miss 1" of bright orange line running out.

I also think the idea of the 100' of floating polypropelen line on the end as a marker if needed. Think I'll run out and grab some before we mark our chain tomorrow.

Thanks for the suggestion.

-EB

[chouliha]

We also have used zip ties for the past 30 years. Black seems to last the longest if the link with the tie is above the waterline. Since we end for end the chain about once a year painting doesn't work for us. Occasionally we have to replace a tie as it gets torn off by rocks or coral. Overall a good system for us with more than 3600 nights on the hook. We are on all chain.

Small ties 10'
Long ties 50'

We mark 30', 50', 70', 100', 120', 150', 200', 250', 290'

Just remember to keep it simple as other folks maybe setting the anchor on occasion and trying to explain a complicated colored marking system may cause confusion.

Good Luck with your choice

Chuck
Jacaranda
Marquesas, French Polynesia



www.jacarandajourney.com