Anchor Chain Choices

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I'm struggling with this decision and hoping someone will say something clever which I didn't think of, which will make it easier.

I have started a list of yachts that found themselves adrift because their anchor chain failed. I am dividing this list into three columns. On the left, failures involving stainless steel chain. On the right, failures involving badly corroded chain of doubtful seaworthiness. Failures of well-found galvanized steel chain go in the center column.


So far, the center column is empty. Do you have any entries I can add to it?

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Well, the reasons are 100kg less weight in the bow, and about half the cost.

Will 100kg really make any real difference for your boat?

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Joli

We're 65,000#'s and use 3/8" g43 or 10 mm for the Europeans. It's fine. We're switching to 318l electro polished. Pricy but galvanizing didn't last two years in the Caribbean so we'll give it a try.

See “Cromox* G6 Stainless Steel Chain” [Jimmy Green Marine]
➥ https://jimmygreen.com/1000-Cromox-G...ss-Steel-Chain

Jimmy Green sells 10 link of Samples of Anchor Chain for £1.00
➥ https://jimmygreen.com/mf-grade-40-c...ize-6mm_din766

And “Chromox Duplex (Stainless) chain for rode”
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...de-247219.html

* “Cromox” is a brand of stainless steel chain products, made by Ketten Wälder, manufactured mainly from 316L & 318LN steel.

[s/v Jedi]

Option #3 for sure. We are larger and 25 metric tons for real and use 3/8” G70 so by going up in diameter to 10mm and having a smaller, lighter boat, option 3 will be great.

Besides cost and weight, volume is another win.

[Tetepare]

Doesn’t the type of bottom come into play? We carry only 15m chain and the rest is nylon, which most of you wouldn’t dare use.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Doesn’t the type of bottom come into play? We carry only 15m chain and the rest is nylon, which most of you wouldn’t dare use.

Type of bottom does dictate the minimum amount of chain required. But if you want to go anywhere and not worry about it, you either need all chain or quite a lot of it (at least 200 feet) before any rope rode. And as you go to larger boats, the advantages of a mixed rode are less, as the weight of 300 feet of adequately sized chain is generally less significant to the boat than it would be on something the size of your boat or mine.


On my own boat, I've got 90 feet of chain and 300 feet of rope, but I wouldn't use that rode for traveling far and wide like Dockhead does. I'd probably want to go for 200/200. But his boat should handle the weight of 330 feet (~100 meters) of chain without much trouble unless the chain is oversized.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Anders

Will 100kg really make any real difference for your boat?

Right in the bow? Theoretically yes.


However, I didn't even notice much when the entire 330kg plus 45kg anchor was off the last two summers.


So maybe not.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Option #3 for sure. We are larger and 25 metric tons for real and use 3/8” G70 so by going up in diameter to 10mm and having a smaller, lighter boat, option 3 will be great.

Besides cost and weight, volume is another win.

Well, 10mm is going DOWN in size. The boat came with 12mm.

Volume is no problem -- 100m of 12mm only filled the anchor locker about 1/3 of the way up. It's standing (or at least crouching) height.

Concerning Option 3 -- isn't 11+ tonnes of ultimate breaking force overkill? I don't think the rest of the system has such strength. The Chainerie Limousine 10mm G40 has 6.4 tonnes of ultimate breaking strength -- almost the same as the original chain which came with the boat.


The 12mm G30 the boat came with has WLL of about 2 tonnes. The 10mm G40 has actually somewhat greater WLL -- about 2.4 tonnes.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Doesn’t the type of bottom come into play? We carry only 15m chain and the rest is nylon, which most of you wouldn’t dare use.

I'm a big fan of all chain rode, when the boat is able to carry it, as mine is.


However, another approach here might be to have less than 100m of chain -- say 70. Then splice on another 80m of rope (polyester I think, if I can get something which will work in my gypsy).


I often don't need more than 70m. But then I've been in situations where 100m wasn't quite enough -- anchoring in 45m of water in Greenland, for example. In a storm.


Taking 30m less of chain would save 100kg. And some money. The $64 question however is whether it's better to have 70m of 12mm chain or 100m of 10mm chain, weighing the same. I don't know.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I'm a big fan of all chain rode, when the boat is able to carry it, as mine is.


However, another approach here might be to have less than 100m of chain -- say 70. Then splice on another 80m of rope (polyester I think, if I can get something which will work in my gypsy).


I often don't need more than 70m. But then I've been in situations where 100m wasn't quite enough -- anchoring in 45m of water in Greenland, for example. In a storm.


Taking 30m less of chain would save 100kg. And some money. The $64 question however is whether it's better to have 70m of 12mm chain or 100m of 10mm chain, weighing the same. I don't know.

When weight limited and deep water anchoring is expected, I generally like the attitude of: carry as much chain as you can handle weight-wise or as much as you need for areas with any bottom chafe concerns. And then add as much rope as you have space for. Nobody has ever said their anchor rode is too long... In my mind, if the last 100 feet have never left the locker, then I know it's long enough.

[MicHughV]

These anchor topics have been discussed ad infinitum here..most everyone has an opinion based on his/her experience on his/her boat, which is likely quite different from the OP's boat and cruising grounds.

There is no one size fits all solution. Simple as that.

It's really up to each individual to experiment with their own boat find a solution that works best for THEM.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I'm a big fan of all chain rode, when the boat is able to carry it, as mine is.


However, another approach here might be to have less than 100m of chain -- say 70. Then splice on another 80m of rope (polyester I think, if I can get something which will work in my gypsy).


I often don't need more than 70m. But then I've been in situations where 100m wasn't quite enough -- anchoring in 45m of water in Greenland, for example. In a storm.


Taking 30m less of chain would save 100kg. And some money. The $64 question however is whether it's better to have 70m of 12mm chain or 100m of 10mm chain, weighing the same. I don't know.

With the 30m longer chain you won’t have to mess around with rope rode for the vast majority of anchoring, if ever. With the shorter chain you will deal with rope more often.

We had 65m of 1/2” / 12/13mm G40 chain. We downsized to 90m of 3/8” / 10mm G80 chain. We wanted a longer chain without a weight penalty and a chain that would stow better in our shallow anchor locker, with strength at least equal to the old chain.

We didn’t even consider 10mm G40 due to the lower working load (about 1600kg, with break at 6500 kg), compare to G70 working load 2200kg and break at 11000kg. The 1/2” G40 we replaced was about 1800kg working and 8900kg breaking.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Well, 10mm is going DOWN in size. The boat came with 12mm.

Volume is no problem -- 100m of 12mm only filled the anchor locker about 1/3 of the way up. It's standing (or at least crouching) height.

Concerning Option 3 -- isn't 11+ tonnes of ultimate breaking force overkill? I don't think the rest of the system has such strength. The Chainerie Limousine 10mm G40 has 6.4 tonnes of ultimate breaking strength -- almost the same as the original chain which came with the boat.


The 12mm G30 the boat came with has WLL of about 2 tonnes. The 10mm G40 has actually somewhat greater WLL -- about 2.4 tonnes.

I can’t follow you. Option #3 which I recommend is 10mm G40. 10mm is bigger diameter than 3/8” and your post seems that you think option #3 is G70 instead of G40?
Anyway, I’m pretty sure everything I wrote is correct

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I can’t follow you. Option #3 which I recommend is 10mm G40. 10mm is bigger diameter than 3/8” and your post seems that you think option #3 is G70 instead of G40?
Anyway, I’m pretty sure everything I wrote is correct

Ummm, 3/8” = 0.9525cm, so you are correct but pedantic. Functionally in the case of chain dimensions and windlass gypsys 3/8” and 10mm are equivalent.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Ummm, 3/8” = 0.9525cm, so you are correct but pedantic. Functionally in the case of chain dimensions and windlass gypsys 3/8” and 10mm are equivalent.

Forget the power of Pi, you do…

The difference is more than 5% in diameter… more than 15% in surface area.