How do I mark anchor chain?

[thinwater]

Wow.


I posted the USN marking (post 2) because I thought it was funny, obviously not applicable to yachts. I thought it also made it obvious paint worked.



Somehow we lost that the USN marks only every 15 fathoms (90 feet). The typical cruiser should only need a few marks. One every 50' should be enough. I only mark every 25' because I anchor in 5-8 feet of water, so just a few marks.If you anchor in both deep and shallow, mark the first part every 25-50, then increase to 50-100 after the first 100 feet.

[Jim Cate]

I thought it also made it obvious paint worked.

TW, I'm not so sure that the Navy experience relates well to a cruising yacht. first, the links are WAY bigger than our piddly little chains, and the bigger links, coupled with captive labor, make a good paint job easier to maintain.

Second, the Navy ships don't anchor and re-anchor as frequently as a cruiser, and big ships don't move around nearly as much as our little boats do,and their chains don't get dragged about so much.

Finally, I'm surprised that this thread has such legs... 76 posts arguing about such a simple task. I think all the obvious methods of marking were described long ago, and now folks are just defending their own particular methods.

But I keep following, hoping that the holy grail of permanent, easy to read and see marking will appear. Oh wait... it already has... MY system!

Jim

[trimaranspirit]

we make dyneema rope loops. Have them every ten meters worked for years now and also gives us a good attachment point for our bridal.

[Russ333]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Absolutely, if you rely on colour you’re going to need a key. But what a PITA - ‘how much is out?’ ‘Green green yellow yellow red just went past’ ‘what’s the card say that is?’ ‘what card?’ ...

KISS is your friend. Figure out a system where you don’t need to use a key to decipher your markers.

The key is for novices (I don't use it). Once they've used it a few times, they know the simple sequence of Red - Yellow - Green. The long flashes of colour are 10's, the smaller ones the 5's in between. Normal procedure is for the winch to pay out the anchor chain as we slowly reverse and set the anchor. So it's easy to check progress. Being a cat we tend to anchor in reasonably shallow water, and in crowded anchorages you don't want to pay out more than you need for the weather and holding conditions. So this system makes it easy to give directions to someone to "Put 25m in the water".

[Seriously Slow]

[QUOTE=nhschneider;2637336]We ‘weave’ a 3’ length of 1/4” polypropylene rope through the chain every 50’. It goes through our windlass without any problems and the length of the marking helps make it easier to spot in low light or if the chain is running fast. You could use different colors to identify how much chain you have put out or are retrieving but we don’t. I find that, regardless of the depth, I’m putting out either 100’ or 150’ but I rarely put out, say, 175.

Fair winds and calm seas.[/QUOTE

THANKS, we just returned from a cruise that started days after this was posted and I tried this idea. It works great and is in my opinion the best answer to this problem.
I tried the paint, zip ties etc. never again.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

... TW, I'm not so sure that the Navy experience relates well to a cruising yacht. first, the links are WAY bigger than our piddly little chains, and the bigger links, coupled with captive labor, make a good paint job easier to maintain....

Oh come on. I mostly posted that for humor.

Just a few of those links weigh more than my boat!

[parkstone bay]

If you will ever, ever, have to handle the chain by hand - no zip ties please. However hard you try, there will be at least one sharp cut edge, and it will slice your hand like a razor blade. This would spoil your day.

[nhschneider]

Originally Posted by parkstone bay

If you will ever, ever, have to handle the chain by hand - no zip ties please. However hard you try, there will be at least one sharp cut edge, and it will slice your hand like a razor blade. This would spoil your day.

Please excuse the thread drift but I cut the ends of ‘zip’ ties with a hot knife. It leaves a rounded end that won’t cut you.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[Herrick]

I still think the best method of marking the anchor chain is using colored rick rack from a sewing store like Jo Ann's. The color is visible and easily seen. The material lasts long and passes through the gypsy without issues. Just wash the mud off as you clean the chain and you are good to go.

[seashine]

In 8 years of countless up/downs and several lengthy haul-by-hands (and I usually take the chain off the winch to wrap it around the cleat once I know we're secure, so it gets handed a fair bit) I am pleased to report that I have never received an injury from my chain marking cable ties and that only 2 ties have left the chain... to each their own. What I like about my method is that I get a strong visual on how much is down, and marking every 5m suits my usual 5:1 scope [emoji41]

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by parkstone bay

If you will ever, ever, have to handle the chain by hand - no zip ties please. However hard you try, there will be at least one sharp cut edge, and it will slice your hand like a razor blade. This would spoil your day.

Well, most folks who mark chain with zip ties don't cut them. The full length is left so that they are easily seen in poor light conditions, and if color coded, the color is more discernible.

Hence, your worry is unnecessary.

Jim

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by parkstone bay

If you will ever, ever, have to handle the chain by hand - no zip ties please. However hard you try, there will be at least one sharp cut edge, and it will slice your hand like a razor blade. This would spoil your day.

Are you using stainless steel zip ties? If so, try the plastic ones and don't cut the ends off at all. Furthermore, most people wear gloves when handling the chain, don't you?

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by trimaranspirit

we make dyneema rope loops. Have them every ten meters worked for years now and also gives us a good attachment point for our bridal.

That's a new and excellent idea! Dual purpose, what's not to like? The only challenges are not to miss any marker when you drop the hook and note it down in the logbook if you need to adjust it later.

[thinwater]

Many vertical windlasses will jam on anything that hangs outside the chain. It gets caught in the spring loaded guide arm. Ties can also cause a link to get sideways. I locked up the windlass several times fooling with ties and such. A good way to break a windlass. It's simply a non-starter for many windlasses.


I'm sure it works on others. As with many things, no one answer. Arguing that one way is the only way is often myoptic unless you have tried every solution on each model of equipment.