tom, you got it close enough. when the chain pulls tight the forces become
huge *********VERY********** quickly.

But wouldn't the strain be equal at the arthimetical center and can be
equated to weight? It's really just another to figure energy
transfer, right?

I'm not totaly familiar with this so if I mess this up, it's an
electronic engineer with a math degree playing at mechanics, but
catenary defined means the shape of the line (or in this case rode) as
a curve. A funciton of strain would be weights at either end. Strain
can be defined as stored energy which is, I would think, distributed
evenly along the line to the end points. One way to define how much
strain is being applied would be to add weight to the middle and
measure the deflection.

At that point, it becomes a trig function - yes/no?

the forces get out of hand ********VERY******** quickly. Even worse, is
that
the weight in the middle (or chain) has momentum as the boat rocks, so the
"natural" position of the weight overshoots and makes for seriously high
g-loads.


There is no weight "in the middle" (other than the weight of the rode)
.... so you put two anchors on the same rode? Odd.

Using that concept, most people use kellets and think it is a good and
useful idea.

What's a kellet?


Later,

Tom