Dimensions of chain?

[gjordan]

I tried the search feature but came up with 493 threads with many of them going over 100 post each. That is overwhelming to look through. I know I have seen a table on CF that show the actual wire size and inside and outside dimentions of anchor chain, according to type, proofcoil, BBB, hightest etc, but Ill be darned if I can find it again. Anybody have a link? Thank You ahead of time. _____Grant.

[skipmac]

Hi Grant,

Not all on one page in one table but if you look at the pages for each type of chain; BBB, proof, G3, G4, etc on the 1st Chain Supply website they give all that.

https://www.1st-chainsupply.com/

I spent many hours trying to decide on chain, options like 5/16 G4 vs 3/8 BBB, what about G70, proof coil, etc, etc, etc, etc.

In case you haven't seen this for yourself, I decided the critical dimension for fitting chain to the gypsy is the links per inch. My boat came with 120' of 3/8" BBB on the main anchor and 150' of nylon with 50' of 5/16" G4 for the backup. Both chains had the same number of links/ft and both ran perfectly in the same gypsy.

G4 5/16 is cheaper, lighter and rated higher strength than 3/8" BBB which is where I was headed until I started reading about problems with brand new, US made chain rusting in a year. Then I found a deal on some used Acco from the good old days in good shape for cheap so put off the new chain decision for a while.

[gjordan]

Skipmac, thank you, that was a big help, but I am still not sure what I have. The background is that I bought an Ideal windlass with 150 foot of chain. I was told when I bought it, that it was 3/8 chain. I want to add another 80 or 100 feet, so I am trying to make sure I get identical chain. With my trusty Harbor Freight digital calipers I measured the actual wire size and came up with 0.352. That doesnt fit any of the sizes that I am seeing. It is closer to 5/16 hightest, but is 9 or 10 thousands more, and much less than 3/8. Since the chain that came with it seems to fit perfectly, I really dont care what size it is , as long as I can match it with some more. The windlass and chain are already oversize for my Tartan 34, but It was almost a gift so I am good with it, and I am a big believer in oversize ground tackle for cruising. I wonder if there is someplace I could send a foot of chain and be told just what it is? Always curious, _____Grant.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by gjordan

Skipmac, thank you, that was a big help, but I am still not sure what I have. The background is that I bought an Ideal windlass with 150 foot of chain. I was told when I bought it, that it was 3/8 chain. I want to add another 80 or 100 feet, so I am trying to make sure I get identical chain. With my trusty Harbor Freight digital calipers I measured the actual wire size and came up with 0.352. That doesnt fit any of the sizes that I am seeing. It is closer to 5/16 hightest, but is 9 or 10 thousands more, and much less than 3/8. Since the chain that came with it seems to fit perfectly, I really dont care what size it is , as long as I can match it with some more. The windlass and chain are already oversize for my Tartan 34, but It was almost a gift so I am good with it, and I am a big believer in oversize ground tackle for cruising. I wonder if there is someplace I could send a foot of chain and be told just what it is? Always curious, _____Grant.

Try measuring in metric and then search for the size in mm (Sounds like it could be standard 9mm DIN766/A
short link chain)

Edit: Here's the sizes for the various DIN 776 chains.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by StuM

Try measuring in metric and then search for the size in mm (Sounds like it could be standard 9mm DIN766/A
short link chain)

I think Stu might be on to something. 0.352" converts to 8.94mm. That's close enough to 9mm for most chain.

But to emphasize, the wire size is not what's critical, it's the length of the links and links per foot. If you find chain that fits the windlass then as long as it's load rated to match then I would go with it.

Instead of cutting a foot or so off to match, you can order a foot or so of various size chains and check them for fit in your windlass.

Also, how do you plan to join the new chain to the old? I'm a fan of one piece chain rodes but there have been a few discussions on this forum about different methods for adding chain. If you haven't done so already might be a good thing to read.

[gjordan]

I didnt think to measure in metric. I will be back at the boat in a day or so and the calipers also do metric, so I will try that. I will also measure the overall length of 10 links and see if anyone can match that. Thanks for the thought. _____Grant.

[gjordan]

Yes, I would by far prefer a single length of chain, but short of breaking the bank that isnt going to happen. On one of these anchor threads it gave breaking strengths of various methods of joining chain and I was very surprised to see that the links that are split length ways and pounded together are nearly the strength of the original links. That was not at all what I expected. If I do it that way I will buy a number of them to experiment with since I suspect that the technique used would make a big difference and possibly corrosion would weaken them much sooner than normal links. This is still a learning process, but I like all chain rode. _____Grant.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by gjordan

I didnt think to measure in metric. I will be back at the boat in a day or so and the calipers also do metric, so I will try that. I will also measure the overall length of 10 links and see if anyone can match that. Thanks for the thought. _____Grant.

See the chart posted earlier. Measure 11 links

[noelex 77]

This is an excellent link to the sizes of metric and imperial marine chain:
https://coxengineering.sharepoint.co...finitions.aspx

[UNCIVILIZED]

When you go to the boat, you might try bringing some (or all) of your chain home with you. So that you don't have to run back & forth to measure things. Even if it means snipping off a few feet for ease of portability. Ditto on bringing your gypsy home, that or the windlass.
Especially as if you have the gypsy at home you can take it with you when chain shopping, even if you're just window shopping for chain.

[gjordan]

Thanks Stu, I did not notice the 11 link part on the top of the chart. Uncivilized, if I bring anything more home to the garage, the the Mate will mutiny. My boat is only about 10 minutes away, but I wasnt able to leave the house yesterday. My storeroom is 10 minutes the other way which is where the windlass is, so logistics are not too bad. The nearest West Marine is almost 2 hours away and the nearest boat yard is over 2 hours away. I actually bought a trailer before I bought a boat, knowing that I could never finish a project that took a 4+ hour round trip just to get some work done. I knew roughly what size range I was looking for and it has worked out great. Paying a mobile home mover to tow it was about the cost of one months storage in the boat yard, so the trailer has already paid for itself, but the important thing is that I didnt get myself in an unworkable situation. Back to chain talk! I will be out to the boat in an hour or so and measure the way the charts say to , and I will see what happens. I just looked at the link Nolex sent. Thank you, that is the one I had seen before but could not re-locate. Things will work out good. _____Grant.

[gjordan]

Well, I measured the chain again and I am even more confused. It is clearly not the 3/8 that the seller told me, but that is fine since I dont need that heavy a chain. The wire size is almost exactly 9 mm but none of the other dimensions match the metric chain. There looks to be the G4 raised letters on each link, but it doesnt seem to match what shows on the charts. Wire size is 0.366, inside length is 1.009, outside (side to side, not length) is 1.173, length is 1.69. The 11 link measurement is about 11and5/8" Maybe I am reading the charts all wrong, but it doesnt seem to match what I see. I am going to cut off about 2 foot and keep it in the truck for the next time I go to the BIG CITY. The big city means the closest place with a West Marine store. Almost a 3 hour drive. Oh well, I am not in a big rush over this issue. Thanks for all of the help. _____Grant.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by gjordan

Well, I measured the chain again and I am even more confused. It is clearly not the 3/8 that the seller told me, but that is fine since I dont need that heavy a chain. The wire size is almost exactly 9 mm but none of the other dimensions match the metric chain. There looks to be the G4 raised letters on each link, but it doesnt seem to match what shows on the charts. Wire size is 0.366, inside length is 1.009, outside (side to side, not length) is 1.173, length is 1.69. The 11 link measurement is about 11and5/8" Maybe I am reading the charts all wrong, but it doesnt seem to match what I see. I am going to cut off about 2 foot and keep it in the truck for the next time I go to the BIG CITY. The big city means the closest place with a West Marine store. Almost a 3 hour drive. Oh well, I am not in a big rush over this issue. Thanks for all of the help. _____Grant.

Hi Grant,

First you do need to keep in mind that this is chain and isn't made to a really tight tolerance. I'm guessing might have standard G40 windlass chain. Specs at this link

Gr 40 Windlass Anchor Chain

11.7 links per foot sounds pretty close to your 11 5/8 links in 11"

Again, don't get too hung up on wire size and other details. What makes is fit in the windlass will be links per ft. This does assume you are anywhere close on wire size. A windlass for 5/16" won't work with 1" chain no matter how closely the links/ft match.

[gjordan]

Skipmac, I think you are right about 5/16 G40 judging from that table. The only reason I care at all is that I want to add about 80 feet more and I want to make sure I dont buy the wrong stuff. I cruised in the South Pacific before with 180 foot of chain and wished I had more, so I want to take off with 220 foot more or less and feel more comfortable. I was told that what came with the windlass was 150 foot of 3/8 so maybe I need to lay it out and measure the length to see if it really is 150 foot. It will all work out, but I still think I will cut and keep a small length in the truck for comparison, in case I find used chain to buy. Thank You all for the input. ____Grant.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by gjordan

Skipmac, I think you are right about 5/16 G40 judging from that table. The only reason I care at all is that I want to add about 80 feet more and I want to make sure I dont buy the wrong stuff

Hi Grant,

The point I'm trying to make, if you get new chain to fit AND you link the new and old properly then it won't matter if some is 5/16 and some is 9mm or 3/8 or whatever. If the links fit properly in the gypsy then the diameter of the wire making the links, even if it changes or varies (within reasonable limits) as it crosses the gypsy doesn't matter.