Is it possible to haul in all chain by hand?

[Jim Cate]

Yes, it is p ossible to haul in a light, all chain rode by hand on a routine basis IF you have a good (large diameter) bow roller and (most important) a chain stopper. Those two items make it possible, but not advisable. When you go long term, distant destination cruising, your ground tackle is of supreme importance to your safety and your general well being. You MUST be prepared to anchor in depths of at least 50 feet and possibly more without worry about retrieval of your gear, for things don't always work out otherwise, no matter what it says in the cruising guide! And to do so on anything but chain is an invitation for disaster... parted rope rodes are not that uncommon, parted chains are rare indeed.

So, if you are interested in the advice of a long term cruiser who spends >300 nights a year at anchor, go with good quality 1/4 inch chain and a small electric or a manual windlass. Install a good bow roller and a chain stopper. With this setup, you can hand over hand the chain when you feel like it and the conditions are benign, but when the chips are down you will have what you need to weigh anchor in a controlled and expedient fashion.

Cheers,

Jim

[Snowpetrel]

A chain pawl on the bow roller really helps. Much better than the normal chain stoppers, with much less friction. A big roller, and a good sitting position make it doable with all chain on a small boat.

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[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

A chain pawl on the bow roller really helps. Much better than the normal chain stoppers, with much less friction. A big roller, and a good sitting position make it doable with all chain on a small boat.

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Ben, I'm not sure that I know what you mean by a "pawl on the bow roller". Would you have a photo of one perchance? I suspect that you mean some sort of hinged plate that can jam against a link, pinning it against the roller. is that it? I can see that if it worked it would be both stronger than and less froction than the typical Maxwell stopper type.

Jim

[roverhi]

My chain stopper has virtually no friction. It is a pawl like device that sits back of the chain roller between it and the windlass. You could leave the windlass off and just haul up the anchor rode by hand. Did that for a while on my second boat but it got old in a hurry. Have had a windlass, either manual or electric since.

[gjordan]

Chains jamming has been mentioned. Once I purchased a windlass , I never removed the chain from the gypsy, so it never got twists and never jammed. When you pull hand over hand, you almost always get twists that can lead to jamming. In smaller boats, sacrificing a v-berth to get a larger chain locker is a very good idea. By the time you get a 28 foot boat outfitted for cruising, the forward cabin is usually just a big storage locker anyway, so why not make a decent chain locker? Larger boats have less issues concerning the size of the existing locker, but it can be critical in a small boat. What I would consider the best type of windlass would be an electric, that you could crank with a regular cockpit winch handle if the electrics failed. Simple backups make cruising more enjoyable. Just another 2 cents worth. _____Grant.

[MYTraveler]

Originally Posted by Robin3

It weigh exactly the same as 50 feet of chain plus the anchor. Mathematical fact!

Mass yes. weight no. Subtract the weight of the water they displace.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Sandero

This is an dopey thread. Obviously hauling chain can be done in shallow water with no wind. But the reality is that virtually all cruisers who live on a hook use all chain and have a windlass. It's not very prudent NOT to have a windlass and chain... But you can do it and live to tell how cool (macho) you are!

Play nice. You don't like the thread don't read and don't post.


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[Adelie]

So 3 of the 5 things I was going to say have been said:

1. 1/4" chain at 0.8 lb/ft
2. Bow roller
3. Chain pawl/stopper

4. This would be chain length of about 125' to start. Just before heading offshore or when you have the money put a duplicate size and length in the bilge with an appropriate shackle. The duplicate is a replacement if you lose the main chain, to swap out if the main chain starts showing significant rust and you want to delay regal vanishing until you get somewhere cheap and most importantly to double the length of chain on the main rode if the anchorage is very deep.

For each secondary anchor on the boat I would have at least one boat length of chain plus 200' of nylon.

This link by a long- term cruiser and now CFer discusses this: http://www.bethandevans.com/systems.htm#8.

5. 200-300' of nylon behind the chain plus a nylon snubber for when you don't pay out enough rode to be onto the nylon, in heavy conditions (35kt or so) the rode will be pulled straight and there will be no cantenary (sp?) to provide shock absorption.


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[Cap Erict3]

41' boat. While I manhandled 3/8" chain for a while and used the halyard winch when the going got tough, I am a big fan of a windlass.

Mine is manual and a decent workout but a welcome addition to the boat.


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Looking for another pretty place to work on the boat.

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Ben, I'm not sure that I know what you mean by a "pawl on the bow roller". Would you have a photo of one perchance? I suspect that you mean some sort of hinged plate that can jam against a link, pinning it against the roller. is that it? I can see that if it worked it would be both stronger than and less froction than the typical Maxwell stopper type.

Jim

Exactly right, it means you can sit comfortably and pull at a natural angle without the friction losses of the chain rubbing through the stopper. There are a few pics in the hiscocks books. They used to be common but have faded as boats got bigger. I've used them on a few boats with good success. Cheap to make from a piece of heavy flat bar. It's all I had on snowpetrel 1, with 3/8 chain and a 45 lb cqr. I'll try to find a pic.

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[Snowpetrel]

mine was something like this, I made snowpetrels one longer, and a bend down in can help. Ideally a block of hdpe or wood to raise the lead angle of the pawl jambing part to match your hauling angle.

The bolt that the pawl hinges of was much higher than the one here so the anchor could fit under it without problems.

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[Sandero]

Originally Posted by RTB

Now....that's funny! It's really not that big a deal, even with the wind blowing stink. Just have your wife follow hand signals and put you on top of the anchor. Once there, secure the chain, move the boat forward to break the anchor loose, and haul it up.

Now, if I was anchoring in 20'+ water regularly, I wouldn't be so eager for the task.

....and you are wrong. I've seen plenty of other "macho" cruisers without windlasses where we cruise. Now, about that AP. Yep, I'd love one (way before a windlass).


PS- most cruisers aren't on 28' boats. I really don't see the need for a windlass on a 28' boat.

Ralph

I single hand and my wife does not drive the boat... so driving to the anchor is a non starter... for us and for single handers and so this means hauling up heavy anchor is a chore... and worse in a blow.

[Sandero]

Everything changes when conditions are foul. My single handing experience on the hook for years is that all chain.. 5/16" and an electric windlass reversing and with cockpit and bow foot switch control windlass with a easy to deploy and retrieve snubber is the only way to go.

And I certainly have no desire to haul in the sticky mud that I see in many NE anchorages.

[valhalla360]

One more reason single handing is less safe. Bad conditions and the electric winch goes out and you are SOL...

It's really not that hard to retrieve when you motor up to the anchor. Even in heavy winds

It's also very handy to have a large open workspace. I can stand with legs wide and lift with my legs and drop the chain into a large hatch as I pull it in.

[zeehag]

all your fancy dancy drawings and figgering and numbers do well as long as you are not out in the real world.
in the real world, your awesomest electric windlass fails, so you use the back up manual, which is way slower, so you assist it with manual labor.
you figger, each time i anchor my formosa, i will prolly have to raise anchor and chain sola and by hand. no ido not motor up to my anchor, as that is not feasablel when solaing. you pull the chain and approach the anchor manually. if you choose to motor up to the anchor and you are slolo, your boat will fall back to its original position before you can reach your anchor on your bow. rather inefficient. is do able with a second soul on board, but NOT solo.
no, many of the anchorages here are not protected and have mucho swell and wind action.
does this hamper my anchoring?? not really. i use the motion of the boat to break loose anchor once i have the all chain rode at a 90 degree angle to the water and bottom. swells will bring the anchor out of the bottom. then hand over hand i bring up the mess, whille cleaning it at same time using a bucket and a brush.
when i have a hang up and all stop, i use mast winch to assist in bringing the anchor onto the roller, which is too small for the anchor., i use a 30 kg bruce and 196 ft 5/16 chain.
gjordan got hurt doing this.
i am a girlee...rodlmffao.
YES it is possible to raise your chain and anchor on a 30 ft boat without a windlass. WITHOUT getting hurt.
as for mixed rode--there are few who actually inspect their rode more than daily, which is what ye have to do with a mixed rode. chafe happens 5 ft from your splice to chain. have fun retrieving boat from rocks, as others before ye have had to do .
the secret is having the swells work for ye, not fight em. make the swells lift anchor and loosen ye from bottom.
should be doing that anyway.

have fun, and remember, each time you pull your anchor out the mud that there is a female doing this, so look sharp and see if ye can do it better than a mere old girlee... rodlmffao.
btw--YES, HAVE had to raise anchor by hand in a 25 kt blow.....