Stainless steel chain vs standard chain?

[blue-moon]

I am a first time sailboat owner. Just bought a Ben Oceanis 40 year 2011. Have a few questions
I sailed several times with different boats and noticed that weighing an anchor is generally interrupted by chain piling up in the chain locker since galvanized chain not sliding easily into the chain locker. Have you tried stainless steel chain? will it solve the chain piling problem? would you recommend it?

[HopCar]

I used stainless chain on my boat but only about thirty feet attached to rope. I didn’t have a piling problem but a longer length might be different.

What I did like about stainless chain was that it came up clean. Mud just didn’t stick.

Remember stainless chain isn’t as strong as G40 galvanized chain. You may need to go up a size.

[double u]

will alleviate chain-pilup greatly - BUT CAVEAT:
many substandard-quality SS-chains on the market. ...unsuitable alloys (pitting,...), bad welding,...
there was a test in a Kraut-sailing rag some years ago: some chains had atrocious welding. Have seen myself chinese chains with strong variation in link-size (in the middle of a 100m length) - jamming on the gypsy....
these guys came out best: https://www.ketten-waelder.de/en/nautic

[PaulCrawhorn]

isn't Kraut derogatory, as much as Jap or Chink?

[double u]

…not if used by people the Krauts call „canyon-crappers“ (just some friendly ribbing among neighbours having the same mother tongue-after a fashion)

[Locquatious]

We've had the same stainless chain on our boat for 16 years. It has been problem free. The welds have always looked less than perfect. The chain is 316 LL.

The 300 ft of chain always comes in and out of the chain locker easily. We commonly deploy 75 to 150 feet when anchoring, but at the end of the season we remove all the chain and fresh water wash/air dry it before putting it back in the locker.

In the past, as the galvanizing aged, the chain lost its slip and stacked high (high angle of repose) just under the hawsepipe. From time to time during haul-up the pile would fall over. And then when underway it would fall over again. This led to portions of the chain being buried beneath. As the chain was redeployed, the windlass sometimes had to pick a ball of chain that became jammed below the hawsepipe. Someone had to go below and free-up the chain ball, which sometimes came loose quickly and dangerously. Meantime the boat dragged the low scope anchor, and the crew communicated in loud stressed voices.

All those anchoring problems went away when we put in stainless chain.

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by blue-moon

I am a first time sailboat owner. Just bought a Ben Oceanis 40 year 2011. Have a few questions
I sailed several times with different boats and noticed that weighing an anchor is generally interrupted by chain piling up in the chain locker since galvanized chain not sliding easily into the chain locker. Have you tried stainless steel chain? will it solve the chain piling problem? would you recommend it?

I did a lot of searching on thi because I wanted stainless due to its advantages. However, I was deterred by the cost and lack of facts for tropical use.
The one I wanted was not any stainless, I was looking exclusively at the Cromox chain made by Ketten Wälder in Germany. This is not your average stainless.
I found information from users sailing in Europe and the Med but none in the tropics. This chain lasts 15+ years in cold water, but I was unable to find any data for tropical use. Its pricey at over $15 / foot (5/16 318 LN duplex), but the price is moot if it lasts 15+ years.

Check this starting at 7:07

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g6Is6sf6Vw&t=1203s

and another discussion on this:

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...de-247219.html

[GordMay]

Ketten Wälder’s “Cromox” chain is made from ‘316L’ [CK Grade 6?] low carbon stainless steel
➥ https://wedolifting.com/products/bra...0for%20lifting

[rwidman]

Stainless steel chain is way more expensive than galvanized chain and not as strong for the same size. It may or may not solve your problem.

I would first look for another solution to your problem.

[captstu]

Stainless Steel is a brittle metal that will snap under extreme load.

Galvanized steel will give a bit and save your boat. I had it happen when my 43' catamaran blew down the anchor chain during a hurricane veer as the eye passed over. The chain stretched a bit, could no longer be recovered by my winch and had to be replaced.

Almost all the other boats in the anchorage were on the beech with either anchors that didn't reset (I used a tandem with an FC-35 secondary so it never budged) - walking around the beach, I saw several parted rope rhodes and a few parted stainless rhodes.

Stainless if preferred for lunch hooks and boats that never see heavy weather. Real cruisers have learned that galvanized is safer but it must be washed, stored where it can dry and be galvanized after several hundred (800 for me) days of salt water anchoring. Even with regalvanizing, galvanized chain is still much cheaper than stainless.

[Djarraluda]

In Australia, stainless steel chain is not recognised as being suitable for anchoring.
Many surveyors will defect it and insurance companies void the policy if incident is caused by chain breakage. SS work hardens and is brittle, so fails suddenly. Inspection is not an adequate safeguard.
I only had 2 metres of it before the transition to galvanised, but surveyor and insurance warned it is not acceptable.
Roger

[BobFord]

I have investigated changing to stainless chain. At the moment I need to re-galv.every 2/3 years at about 50% cost of new chain. Findings-my existing chain has seen a lot of 'testing' , situations without fault. Stainless seems impossible to define quality. At the quoted price of new stainless , it would be 'cost effective', in 5 years. However , no standard or test results can be quoted.
My decision-stay with proven as I don't want to be "feelin' lucky" !

[SVTatia]

As I mentioned on Post #7, not all stainless steel chains are the same.

It seems like everyone is mentioning "Stainless Steel Chain" as if they all had the same characteristics, britle, not strong, etc....

As far as I know, The only SS chain suitable for anchoring is the Cromox chain made by Ketten Wälder in Germany. Again, this is 316L and 318LN, not your average stainless.
Its pricey yes, but it lasts 3 or 4 times longer. Check the working loads below for 8mm / 5/16- stronger than galvanized steel.

[Simi 60]

Cromox would be the only one we would consider, but given the price there the consideration ends.

Given that we have deformed 13mm chain and binned the affected length after a big blow I would be pissed off it it happened to the s/s variant.

Add: going on the above chart it indicates the cromox is a fair bit stronger than grade L