All correct. I've always used chain the length of the boat on combination
rodes; I now have the luxury of an all-chain rode, which I love! I can get
away with 3:1 scope where I'd have to use 5:1 to get the same effect with
chain/nylon. Of course, I add a nylon snubber when anchoring overnight or
for any extended period of time. I've also been using a Spade anchor for
awhile (in mud), and so far am very pleased with it.

--


Keith
__
Don't let your mind wander -- it's too little to be let out alone.
"RG" wrote in message news:Xi4Pa.506$Bp2.66@fed1read07...

"Michael Wright" wrote in message
...
I believe the purpose of the chain is to hold the flukes down to
initially
set the anchor. Please correct me if I am wrong MW

Well, you're on the right track, but I think your wording could use some
improvement. There are two purposes for adding chain to a nylon rode.
The
first, which is very much related to your suggestion, is to lower the
angle
of the pull of the rode on the anchor. Since chain is heavy, it tends to
lie on the bottom and stay there more so than straight nylon would. An
anchor will always take and hold a set much better with a horizontal pull,
rather than a vertical pull. In fact, the most common way to break the
set
of an anchor for retrieval is to position the boat directly above the
anchor, thereby changing the pull to pure vertical. Generally, the more
chain that is added to the rode, the less scope is required for a given
set
of conditions, because of the increased horizontal pull effect that chain
provides over straight nylon.

The second reason for adding chain is for chafe protection. It stands to
reason that the part of the rode closest to the anchor will be subject to
the most abuse from rocks, coral, or other items on the bottom that could,
over time, chafe nylon to the point of needing to be replaced. By
positioning a length of chain next to the anchor, the chain takes the
majority of such abuse rather than the nylon section of the rode, and the
chain obviously holds up much under such conditions than does nylon.