How to rig anchor?

[siraXLe]

Hi, first post so historic moment.

Just after some advice regarding how to rig the anchor I have and whether I have a bow roller and if so why are there 2?

I can find a lot of information on how to set and anchor but not much on how to rig it.

Any advice or links to how to rig an anchor would be greatly appreciated. It is a manual windlass.

Thanks for the time.

[Don C L]

Welcome aboard siraXLe! When you say rig the anchor it is first important to know which anchor you have. Ideally the anchor is on the roller and attached to its rode ready to deploy at a moment's notice. Barring that, the anchor can be stored on the foredeck with rode attached. There are two rollers because sometimes you may want to deploy two anchors from the bow. Most folks don't stow two anchors in the rollers though.

[siraXLe]

Hi, thank you for the welcome.

So from the inventory is has"

Manual Winch 22lb Bruce Anchor, 40m chain, warps, Danforth x 3 Anchors.

How do I attach this Bruce anchor to the winch? Is this something that can be done in a mooring? Would I attach the chain the the anchor and throw it over and count the chain?

I am not sure how to exactly get it onto the bow roller and set it up.

[HankOnthewater]

First lets see what you have:
- 2 anchor rollers
- behind that in the middle is that some sort of an eye that a chain or rope has to go through?
- plenty of chain
- some old rope
- an eye that the rope is tied to, this prevents the anchor with the chain all going overboard

"rigging" of anchor
1. There is no pic of an anchor, but each one has an hole in the end (of the shank) the take a (bow) shackle (will find a pic of that later). Nearly always only the pin of that shackle will fit the hole, not the 'bow' part.
2. Then another shackle, either a 'D' shape or 'bow' shape to connect the shackle on the anchor with he chain. Again, only the pin of that shackle will fit the chain's first link. The pin must be at least as thick as the thickness of the chain, but really needs to be a size that just fits the link
3. Then a rope needs to tied to the last link of the chain. Best is to splice but any good knot will do if there is no windlass, but as you have one, a rope to chain splice is best. (pic of anchor-knot is attached)
3. The length of that rope? ...... depends how long the chain is and in what depth of water you want to anchor. If the chain is long enough, 2 meters of rope might be enough (this is used a a quick way of getting rid of your anchor and chain, by cutting the rope).
4. The end of that rope to be tied to a strongpoint on/in the hull (as in pic)

Some comments:
1. The rope or chain can easily slip off your anchor roller in your setup. After you anchor, you need to secure that somehow
2. You use your windlass to haul the chain and anchor back up, but when anchored the chain or rope need to be tied to something strong, ie a cleat or post. The windlass should not take the strain of the anchor/chain/rope.
3. The rope in your pic does not look too healthy

In the pic below there is an anchor swivel. Some have them, most people do not. You may leave that one out at this stage, until you formed an opinion about that.

Edit, I see you posted some more details and my comments on that:
* An anchor is not attached to the winch, it is attached to the chain, and the chain is wrapped around sort of toothed sprocket on the winch called a 'gipsy'
* Yes it is all setup before you leave your mooring so you can used it near instantly
* No real a need to count chain on most occasions, but if you do you need to know the depth of water (either via a depth sounder, a special line (lead-line) or lowering the anchor carefully, and see the how deep it is with the chain.
Therefore you need to mark the chain at regular intervals, with strips of cloth, paint or coloured zipties (but they can be sharp in the hands), and put out 3 to 5 times the depth of water. Or more in adverse weather.

[Knotical]

siraXLe, I suggest you ask a fellow boater near you to show you how to connect the anchor to the rode and the rode to the boat, anchoring is probably the most important safety factor on a boat and you don’t wanna mess it up.

[Uncle Bob]

Why do I get the feeling that someone is playing games here.

[Don C L]

Tell us more about your boat and where you are and where you need to anchor.

[siraXLe]

This is the boat.

Thanks for the informative post HankonTheWater.

I was shown how to use a snubber on my course which had an electric windlass. Is a snubber only applicable to a Gypsy setup.

The setup I have with a manual winch is it best practice to have a combination of chain and rope to connect the anchor to the boat?
If so, how is this setup on a mooring. Would I attach the anchor to the chain and let it out till near the end and then splice the rope on?

[HankOnthewater]

Every single windlass, well, every single windlass for chain has a gypsy. The use of a snubber is not related having a windlass or not, snubber is a shock absorber. The second reason for a snubber is to take the strain of the anchor chain/rope away from the windlass.

On calm days and anchoring for short time, a short piece op rope from the chain to one of your cleat is OK, as long there is no force on the windlass.
Here is a short video how a snubber setup can work. That setup (with a loop on both sides) would work well for you as you have a cleat both sides as well.
https://www.google.com/search?q=snub...Yz7sP57yzqA433

Regarding best combination
Like everything boating, there are as many opinions as they are sailors, not even counting the armchair skippers.
I would say, at this moment leave your combination chain and rope as is. That 40 mt chain (120 ft for those imperial sailors), will do you fine in up 10 mt of water, in not too adverse situations.
To allow the chain-to-rope connection to run over your gypsy, it is best to splice that rope to the chain. BTW, it is very difficult to splice old used rope. Another reason to replace that rope. There are many videos on the net how to do such splice.
If you have never done splicing before, have it checked or done by someone who knows, as the safety of your boat depends on that.

Best to take all the chain out the locker, put is all on deck. Check all the chain and find the last link to check the connection of chain to rope, and the connection of the rope to the eye in the anchor locker. When satisfied, put it all back in the chain locker. The chain might still some excessive twisting or kinks.
So, on a calm day motor out, find a safe place, out of the way of boat traffic and away from rocks etc, let the anchor and chain out slowly !!! ideally in water deeper than 40 mt (length of your chain) and then winch it all in again, that way the chain is stowed in your locker properly without any twists. If you encounter problems, the weather is calm, water is deep, and you get the anchor/chain back on board by hand.

[Don C L]

I'd just echo everything Hank is saying. I'd just add that the ratio of the length of rope and chain you have out to the depth is known as "scope." A scope of 5 to 1 is good for most situations especially if you have lots of chain. More scope generally ensures a lesser chance of dragging the anchor. You'll hear of folks who will advise 10 to 1, but that is VERY extreme IMO unless and hurricane is brewing. You have enough chain as Hank says for secure anchoring in most depths you'll encounter. I prefer to splice a thimble on the nylon rope and then shackle that to the chain. Others prefer to splice the nylon line directly to the chain to make it move more freely through the bow roller and gypsy.
Looks like a really nice little boat!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, siraXLe.

[sepharad]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Why do I get the feeling that someone is playing games here.

I dunno, because I have exactly the same questions, and I am really appreciating the great response. Some of us (myself) come here because we are clueless.



My only obvious differences are:

1)I have not yet installed my mechanical Lofrans Royal windlass and new straight chain pipe.

2) I have a 25lb CQR, Rocnor plow and a HydroBubble.
3) I have no hatch, just a 90 degree chain pipe.
and a Photo from the previous owner (Thank God).
4) There appears to be 2 anchor chains, one attached to the Rocnor on the starboard bowsprit/rail and I am thinking a second on the other chain going off the port bow roller to I dunno what.
5) I have a bunch of chain attached to a bunch of rope and see nothing like a tie down ring for the rope.


Anyone see anything in my photo that I should be noting? Or anything I should be asking?

[Cliffhanger]

First thing I would do would be to get a stainless steel loop around the rollers as shown in the image. This will stop the chain from falling off the rollers and will make your life far more pleasant. Just make sure it is high enough to allow the anchor shank to sit on the roller.

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by Cliffhanger

First thing I would do would be to get a stainless steel loop around the rollers as shown in the image. This will stop the chain from falling off the rollers and will make your life far more pleasant. Just make sure it is high enough to allow the anchor shank to sit on the roller.

This is good advice for anyone with an open bow roller. I learned this the hard way after having to raise anchor in a gale with a strong counter current- the chain repeatedly jumped the roller and it took over an hour to get the anchor up on a pitching deck, very stressful. Rope rode jumping the roller risks chafing through and losing your anchor and even your boat.

Just measure the width of the roller and the height needed for the shank and a new or used boom bail works well for this purpose. Might have to drill the holes in the bail to fit the roller bolts/pins.

[Rumrace]

I’ve anchored with two anchors forever. I use two equal length spring lines to take the load off the hardware and less bob. I also add a tiny anchor sail on the stern.
Two anchors give you an uneventful night on the hook. The boat is never a spinning menace or walks over its anchors. I use an eyeball 15 degree spread.