On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 09:15:55 -0500, Courtney Thomas
wrote:

Wouldn't a fixed stopper be better in that... [it conceptually seems to
me]... the chain could "fall out" of the grabber [I realize it's under
tension] in that it has no restraining "lock", as do the fixed ones [in
effect] ?

==========================================

What we are talking about here is a "chain hook" not a "chain
stopper".

I have both on my trawler. THe chain stopper came as standard
equipment and is deck mounted just forward of the windlass. It is of
heavy duty bronze construction, with a pivoting pawl which flips down
and grabs a chain link. I believe it may have been made by Galley
Maid in FL but I'm not sure. Their phone number is 561-848-8696. Ask
for Jimmy, he is alledged to know everything.

The chain hooks were purchased at W-M. Mine are shackled to 3/4 inch
nylon line via an eye splice and thimble. The slot in the hook is
barely larger than a 3/8 chain link and tends to grab on fairly
snuggly. I've never had one shake loose accidently and it would be
virtually impossible unless the hook line were totally slack.

It seems from other migrations of this thread that what's wanted in the
original wasn't a stopper...

We have two hawse pipes with all chain on the two primary anchors, a
vertical windlass for rope and chain, and no stoppers.

Our prior owners made up a short airline cable Y with thimbles and nicopress
(wish they'd shrink-wrapped them!!). Three caribiners connect to a pad eye
and the two anchor chains. Not a tensioner, but certainly insurance against
failure or moving out in lumpy water.

That's pretty inexpensive :{))

L8R

Skip and Lydia

--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

So, to install a proper chain stopper if you don't have one, the
windlass would need to be removed, and repositioned allowing for the
stopper ?

Do you use the chain hook for the second anchor or what ?

Appreciatively,
Courtney



Wayne.B wrote:

On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 09:15:55 -0500, Courtney Thomas
wrote:


Wouldn't a fixed stopper be better in that... [it conceptually seems to
me]... the chain could "fall out" of the grabber [I realize it's under
tension] in that it has no restraining "lock", as do the fixed ones [in
effect] ?


==========================================

What we are talking about here is a "chain hook" not a "chain
stopper".

I have both on my trawler. THe chain stopper came as standard
equipment and is deck mounted just forward of the windlass. It is of
heavy duty bronze construction, with a pivoting pawl which flips down
and grabs a chain link. I believe it may have been made by Galley
Maid in FL but I'm not sure. Their phone number is 561-848-8696. Ask
for Jimmy, he is alledged to know everything.

The chain hooks were purchased at W-M. Mine are shackled to 3/4 inch
nylon line via an eye splice and thimble. The slot in the hook is
barely larger than a 3/8 chain link and tends to grab on fairly
snuggly. I've never had one shake loose accidently and it would be
virtually impossible unless the hook line were totally slack.




--
s/v Mutiny
Rhodes Bounty II
lying Oriental, NC
WDB5619

Hi, Courtney,

"Courtney Thomas" wrote in message
...
So, to install a proper chain stopper if you don't have one, the
windlass would need to be removed, and repositioned allowing for the
stopper ?

Do you use the chain hook for the second anchor or what ?

Appreciatively,
Courtney

I've not (yet) had occasion to double anchor other than to throw out the
Fortress with mostly-rope rode when I was concerned about dragging once on
the trip.

I use the line-and-hook snubber, backed up with the cable-to-chain, further
backed up with the chain in the gypsy. If I were using the secondary
all-chain anchor, I'd also have the line-and-hook snubber (we have two) but
only the cable-to-chain as backup. I'd probably go around the third cleat
(a PO addition) with the chain as a final snubber insurance.

In the case of the snubber rode, I leave a pretty fair amount of slack in
the chain so as to make the rope rode/snubber have to stretch *a lot* before
it would make the chain tug. I confess to using just the catenary in calm
conditions. Having dragged a lot in the Virgins on the trash anchors the
charter companies provide, I overdo my scope, usually aiming for 7-1. With
a heavy chain, that provides a lot of yank resistance, anyway.

If you were looking for a "serious" stopper/snubber, there are a variety of
over-center tensioned ones listed in other responses. I see no reason one
would remove the windlass, as an off-center pull would be more trouble in
raising and lowering than in keeping it in place, at least IMO.

If I were concerned to the level of wanting that sort of snubber, I'd put
them aside the windlass just far enough out to avoid fouling the chain(s) on
their way in and out.

HTH...

L8R

Skip (and Lydia, who, today, is ready to shoot herself it she can't get on
the boat pretty soon!)

--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig
http://tinyurl.com/384p2

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 11:49:45 -0500, Courtney Thomas
wrote:
So, to install a proper chain stopper if you don't have one, the
windlass would need to be removed, and repositioned allowing for the
stopper ?

If you have a strong point forward of the windlass there would be no
need to move anything, otherwise probably yes, or more definitively,
"it depends". :-)


Do you use the chain hook for the second anchor or what ?

Mostly I use it to relieve the load on the windlass before backing
down hard on the anchor, and also for the duration of being anchored.
(the chain stopper can also serve the same purpose). The advantage of
the chain hook is two fold, the nylon line introduces some stretch and
shock absorption, and also allows the load to be transferred to a
hawse pipe which is at a lower angle that the pulpit roller.

The bearings and shaft seals of a windlass do not like being under
high load for any extended period of time, and will fail prematurely
unless precautions are taken with either a chain stopper or chain hook
line.

Wayne,

I fail to see how to utilize a mounted stopper unless it's forward of
the windlass,.....

which in my case would require dismounting the windlass, installing a
stopper, remounting the windlass; which means.... a bridled chain hook
is looking, relatively, most appealing :-)

Also, more stuff's got to break before the anchor chain's loose.

What am I missing
?

Thanks,
Courtney



Wayne.B wrote:

On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 11:49:45 -0500, Courtney Thomas
wrote:

So, to install a proper chain stopper if you don't have one, the
windlass would need to be removed, and repositioned allowing for the
stopper ?


If you have a strong point forward of the windlass there would be no
need to move anything, otherwise probably yes, or more definitively,
"it depends". :-)


Do you use the chain hook for the second anchor or what ?


Mostly I use it to relieve the load on the windlass before backing
down hard on the anchor, and also for the duration of being anchored.
(the chain stopper can also serve the same purpose). The advantage of
the chain hook is two fold, the nylon line introduces some stretch and
shock absorption, and also allows the load to be transferred to a
hawse pipe which is at a lower angle that the pulpit roller.

The bearings and shaft seals of a windlass do not like being under
high load for any extended period of time, and will fail prematurely
unless precautions are taken with either a chain stopper or chain hook
line.




--
s/v Mutiny
Rhodes Bounty II
lying Oriental, NC
WDB5619

On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 17:39:34 -0500, Courtney Thomas
wrote:

I fail to see how to utilize a mounted stopper unless it's forward of
the windlass,.....

====================================

That is correct, a mounted stopper must lie along the path of the
chain between the windlass and the anchor roller. If you have no
space available along that path, or if the space is not structurally
strong enough to support high lateral loads, then a stopper is out of
the question. A chain hook is certainly a reasonable alternative,
with or without the bridle.