* Garland Gray II wrote, On 4/23/2007 9:09 PM:
Anybody out there using a combination rope/chain rode with a horizontal
windlass? Is it manual or electric ?
I'm curious how much of a hastle it is shifting the rode from rope drum to
gypsy. Do you retrieve a bit of chain on the rope drum to get enough tail
and/or use a chain stopper ?


I used to have the old basic Simpson Lawrence manual windlass and
hated it. The real problem was that each stroke hauled about a foot
of chain, so it was easier to hand-over-hand both the rope and the
chain as far as I could before putting it on the gypsy. The only time
I used the drum was when the rode was fouled - actually under someone
else's rode.

My current boat has an electric vertical windlass, without the drum.
Although the drum would have been only another few hundred, I haven't
missed it. The rope/chain gypsy works almost perfectly - perhaps once
a year there's a minor problem, usually just a twist in the chain.
The rope splice is not a problem, I used the variation of the eye
splice the S/L (now Lewmar) recommended.

The amount of chain I use in the rode is influenced by the depth of
water I anchor in. I like to be able hook the gypsy with the chain
before lifting the anchor. For me, that means 50 feet of chain, which
is good for almost any location I'm in, and is a reasonable amount to
aid the anchor in setting.

And I almost always power up to the anchor with the engine, not with
the windlass. When I do use the windlass, I try to do short bursts to
straighten the chain off the bottom, and then the weight of the chain
pulls the boat forward. Using the windlass to pull the boat against
the wind or current will, I believe, shorten its life.