"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
....and due to its weight, it can also reduce the angle between the rode
and
the sea/lake bed, which will help the anchor "bite" better. I've read
this,
but I'm not sure how important it really is.

Until I lost that anchor yesterday, I thought your aforementioned reason was
*the* most important reason for rode. Now I see both reasons (prevent
strafe and reduce the pulling angle) are equally important.

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.

Until I lost that anchor yesterday, I thought your aforementioned reason was
*the* most important reason for rode. Now I see both reasons (prevent
strafe and reduce the pulling angle) are equally important.

The more chain you use, the less scope you will need in almost any situation.

If you routinely anchor in relatively deep or crowded areas where 5 to 1 is
impractical,
an all-chain rode will often hold as well at 3 to 1 as a rope rode will at 5.
The extra weight of the chain keeps a shock absorbing "belly" in the rode to
help resist pullout, in addition to a more horizontal, (less vertical) pull on
the anchor once it is set.

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Until I lost that anchor yesterday, I thought your aforementioned reason
was
*the* most important reason for rode. Now I see both reasons (prevent
strafe and reduce the pulling angle) are equally important.

The more chain you use, the less scope you will need in almost any
situation.

If you routinely anchor in relatively deep or crowded areas where 5 to 1
is
impractical,
an all-chain rode will often hold as well at 3 to 1 as a rope rode will at
5.
The extra weight of the chain keeps a shock absorbing "belly" in the rode
to
help resist pullout, in addition to a more horizontal, (less vertical)
pull on
the anchor once it is set.

Gould, I don't care WHAT we might've said about you while you were gone from
this NG. You're not dumb, smelly or ugly. You just gave me a great idea. I
need more weight in the front of my 14' yacht when I'm the only one in it,
or the bow catches the wind, causing the boat to do some very interesting
things. I wonder how much chain would weigh 28 lbs, same as my battery,
which when placed in the bow for experimental purposes, added just enough
weight to level things nicely.

things. I wonder how much chain would weigh 28 lbs, same as my battery,
which when placed in the bow for experimental purposes, added just enough
weight to level things nicely.

14' boat.....

3/8" chain= 10 ' weighs about 4 pounds.
You could put 70' of chain up there to duplicate your 28 pound battery.

1/2" chain= 10' weighs about 6 pounds.
Call it 50', a pound or two one way or the other won't matter.

3/8" chain= 10 ' weighs about 4

OOPS.

Make that 3/16", not 3/8. Obviously 3/8 would be heavier than 1/4".

A 10 foot length of 3/8" chain weighs about 14 pounds. You'd only get 20 feet.
Not enough.

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
3/8" chain= 10 ' weighs about 4

OOPS.

Make that 3/16", not 3/8. Obviously 3/8 would be heavier than 1/4".

A 10 foot length of 3/8" chain weighs about 14 pounds. You'd only get 20
feet.
Not enough.

Hmm. Maybe just a bag of sand. 50' of chain...bulky. Or, new boat.

Hmm. Maybe just a bag of sand. 50' of chain...bulky.

I am willing to guarantee that the chain will be of greater usefulness when
anchoring than would a bag of sand. :-)

NOYB wrote in message
ink.net...

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.

As they advise in the power Squadron courses...the anchor chain length
should be equal to your boat LOA.

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Hmm. Maybe just a bag of sand. 50' of chain...bulky.

I am willing to guarantee that the chain will be of greater usefulness
when
anchoring than would a bag of sand. :-)

True. I have to take a peek at the chain in question, and visualize whether
it'll even fit into the space ahead of the front bench seat. It's wasted
space anyway, but I can't have the chain piled so high that there's no room
for the anchor. It's an oversized anchor for this boat. Perch get really
excited here when there are small craft warnings. Theories abound.