My friend told me to use Anchor chain to attach between the anchor and the
rope.. what is the reason? I was trying to search on Internet but couldn't
find a good explanation. Can anyone tell me why please? thanks

I.Y

see http://www.johnsboatstuff.com/Articles/anchor.htm for an explanation
or
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...nchorrodes.htm

These are very good articles, thanks

Simon


"FredB" wrote in message
news:iNslc.355980$oR5.42842@pd7tw3no...
see http://www.johnsboatstuff.com/Articles/anchor.htm for an explanation
or

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...nchorrodes.htm

The chain protects you in case you've dropped the anchor near something
which could cut the rope, like a rock or some sort of metal garbage. Since
an anchor could save your life under certain circumstances, the chain is
VERY cheap insurance.

"Ivan Yonge" wrote in message
ble.rogers.com...
My friend told me to use Anchor chain to attach between the anchor and the
rope.. what is the reason? I was trying to search on Internet but
couldn't
find a good explanation. Can anyone tell me why please? thanks

I.Y

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
The chain protects you in case you've dropped the anchor near something
which could cut the rope, like a rock or some sort of metal garbage. Since
an anchor could save your life under certain circumstances, the chain is
VERY cheap insurance.

I just lost a nice Fortress anchor yesterday because I don't think I had
enough chain on the line while trying to use an Anchor buoy retrieval
system. I started powering forward at a 30 degree angle to the line/anchor,
and the buoy normally pops it loose. In this case, the line apparently
dragged across some of the sharp relief (rocks ?) on the bottom and cut
through the rope like butter. I had on about 10 feet of chain...and now wish
it was 15 feet.

NOYB wrote:

I just lost a nice Fortress anchor yesterday because I don't think I had
enough chain on the line while trying to use an Anchor buoy retrieval
system.

Good Lord! NOYB, you own a boat? :-)

The Rulers of Thumb say the minimum amount of chain should be at least equal to
the LOA of your boat.

Step up. That "extra" chain won't cost anywhere nearly as much as the Fortress
you just lost.

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
NOYB wrote:

I just lost a nice Fortress anchor yesterday because I don't think I had
enough chain on the line while trying to use an Anchor buoy retrieval
system.

Good Lord! NOYB, you own a boat? :-)

The Rulers of Thumb say the minimum amount of chain should be at least
equal to
the LOA of your boat.

Step up. That "extra" chain won't cost anywhere nearly as much as the
Fortress
you just lost.

Gulp! 25 feet of chain? What diameter? Can you use a heavier chain to get
away with a shorter rode? Remember, I don't have a windless.

Gulp! 25 feet of chain? What diameter? Can you use a heavier chain to get
away with a shorter rode? Remember, I don't have a windless.



If you have a 25' boat, you should be able to get by with 1/4" chain. 25-feet
would weigh about 15 pounds. You probably catch, or hope to catch, fish heavier
than that.

Since the "get by" is 1/4 inch, you might want to step up to 5/16 or 3/8.

5/16 will weigh about 10 pounds for ten feet, so your chain would weigh 25
pounds.

3/8 will weigh about 14 pounds per ten feet, so your chain would weigh 35
pounds.

On Mon, 03 May 2004 22:14:17 GMT, "NOYB" wrote:

Gulp! 25 feet of chain? What diameter? Can you use a heavier chain to get
away with a shorter rode? Remember, I don't have a windless.
==================================================

1/4 inch chain should be more than enough, less than 20 pounds, OK if
you have a good bow roller and a half decent back.

"NOYB" wrote in message
ink.net...


Gulp! 25 feet of chain? What diameter? Can you use a heavier chain to
get
away with a shorter rode? Remember, I don't have a windless.


"Rules of thumb" have their use, but they also have their limits.

As other people have pointed out, one primary reason for chain is that it is
much more resistant to abrasion, which is really important if you anchor in
coral or rocky areas. For sandy or muddy bottoms it is not so important.

Another reason for chain is that it makes the pull on the anchor more
horizontal. If you had no chain at all, when the boat pulled on the anchor
line it will straighten the line out between the boat and the anchor. The
angle you see the rope entering the water will be essentially the same as
the angle it is at when it reaches the anchor. The more vertical this angle
is the more it will want to pull the anchor UP instead of setting it deeper.

With chain, the weight of the chain will hold the line down. If you have
sufficient chain and sufficient scope you will never lift all the chain off
the bottom, and thus the pull on the anchor will always be horizontal. This
will make the anchor set deeper when it drags.

One way to achieve the same effect is to use a "caternary weight", which is
simply a heavy weight that is hanging from your anchor line between the boat
and the anchor. This pulls the rope down so that the pull on the anchor is
more horizontal.

This is all great and wonderful if you need to a good secure anchor. If you
are just dropping the hook for lunch or a little fishing and will be
observing your position all the time then you can usually get by with lots
less. Chain is a real bitch when you don't have a windlass and can be a
safety issue (it is a really bad idea to be handling chain under tension).
If the chain is longer than the water is deep then you may have to deal with
freeing a stuck anchor without being able to cleat it off. With rope it is
simple, you power up till you are over the anchor, cleat off the line and
then use the boat to power the anchor up. If you have reached the chain
when you are above the anchor then you need to have a hook handy so that you
can fasten the chain.

Rod