Kodiak System of Anchoring

[Manateeman]

The system has four basic components. The anchor or anchors. The float or floats the snubber or snubbers, the waterline attachment point.
The idea is simple. Floats are used to keep the final section of chain and snubber parallel to the sea and to facilitate the vessel in riding up and over the waves rather than plowing down into them.
I’ll describe the system without the snubber. For example a vessel with mixed chain / plait rode. Call this #1
The anchor chain goes from the bottom to a float attached to the last link of the chain. The plait attaches to the vessel. It can attach directly to the deck or to a block at the waterline and then up and over the bow roller to the deck bollard.
Need to let out more line? Put a Prussic knot on , pull to loosen the bollard attachment wraps and ease out line.
All chain... call this #2...you neeed a snubber line.
From the anchor the chain rises to the float then hangs in a loop to the vessel.
What keeps it in a loop is the snubber. The snubber attaches to the chain under the float and goes to the vessel where there are now two options. In the first, the snubber is fed through a block at the waterline and then up and over the roller to the bollard. The second way is to go directly to the strong point.
Since the chain is not carrying much load, you can easily let out more and then add more snubber. If the snubber breaks, you’ll still be attached but it’s going to be quite a shock under severe conditions.
Obviously there are a lot of variations. For example, two snubbers or a bridal or a sophisticated snubber like the oceanographic guys use on moorings.
Most boats don’t have a really strong attachment point at the waterline. You can add two chainplates with a nice bolt ,cross ship, to attach the block to.
We use commercial fishing and ocean scalloping gear wherever we can. A big all stainless block. Our floats are the LD3 size you see used for crab in Alaska.
There is a lot written about snubbers, chafe gear, etc so there is no need to add anything. I don’t know who first used the system.
If you look at boats on moorings during a huge storm with significant wave action, you’ll see the bow dive straight into the waves then climb up very steeply and this action puts huge forces into play. With the rode parallel to the sea, the vessel rides the waves in a more normal fashion and there is much less hobby horsing. The floats and waterline attachment point changes everything.
So that’s the basic system. We use a huge scalloping swivel and an all stainless block that could handle tons of strain. Use what works best for you. We don’t care what anchor you use, what chain, what snubber...what ever.
We posted just to explain what the fishermen use in Alaska.

Captain Mark and the Manatee Crew

[Montanan]

Sounds a lot like a standard mooring configuration.