Anchor Chain Hook Poll

[Kettlewell]

Ram, scary story, well told. I knew someone who lost some fingers down in the Bahamas while trying to wrestle with the anchor chain during a hurricane. The loads broke the bow roller, and the chain ended up sawing right into the hull. It is important to have a good snubber on chain in bad conditions. I do use the standard eye-grab hook quite a bit, but I also use rolling hitches, particularly in bad conditions. As someone pointed out, you can more easily let out chain quickly by just letting the snubber go over the side, or sometimes it is a good idea to just let out a lot more snubber as you let out the chain, and with the rolling hitch you don't worry about the thing falling off when you are struggling with the chain and windlass.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

(...) All testing I've read over the years says that a snubber will hod and perform better than using straight chain by itself!(...)

Well, much depends on chain amount and size, perhaps.

Never seen snubbers on fishing trawlers, coastal freighters, nor on sailing ships.

b.

[Kettlewell]

Well, much depends on chain amount and size, perhaps.

Never seen snubbers on fishing trawlers, coastal freighters, nor on sailing ships.

On a pleasure boat you will switch quickly to using a snubber after the first time you straighten the chain out and either it tears something out of the boat or knocks you off your feet with a big jolt. The first time it happened to me I was anchored on the Bahama Banks at night with no shelter for 30 miles around and it started to blow harder and harder. After awhile we had out 200 feet of chain in 20 feet of water with a long snubber in probably six foot seas. The boat surged back so hard on a sea that it stretched out the snubber farther than I thought possible and we came up hard against the chain--felt like we had hit granite or something! Wow, did I let out more chain and snubber quick after that.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Glad you posted that picture. I was looking for that one.
What are you using for a biner now? Any pictures of that?

Yaw, just one with a higher strength rating. Non-locking, as I consider that zero risk, and the chain is still attached anyway. If I was thinking hurricane I might well swap it for a screw shackle.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Well, much depends on chain amount and size, perhaps.

Never seen snubbers on fishing trawlers, coastal freighters, nor on sailing ships.

b.

In general, those are larger vessels and harbor waves just don't have the same effect. Really, unrelated. Those vessels also realize that they cannot anchor in the open in conditions that would cause the boat to pitch; they move.

[Andrew Troup]

I polled "Other"; I use a webbing strop, Kleimheist hitched to the chain (or a Prusik hitch, which is very nearly as good and much easier to remember and teach)

I attach the snubber rope to the strop loop with a double sheetbend, which is particularly secure when made to a loop rather than a free end. Like a bowline, it is relatively easy to untie after seeing heavy loads.

[Tim Godber]

Originally Posted by Ram

I hate to disappoint you, but there is not a cleat, nor chain or stopper made that will withstand a direct hook up to a chain rode- or the deck will rip out - if in a strong blow- something’s going to break, without the shock absorbing action of the snubber- even with good long snubber it can break if it does not stretch enough or chafe thru- I had a 5/8 3 strand snubber chafe thru 3 times in 24 hours- in 60 knot blow-the first time it chafed thru the snubber I had the chain on a cleat – It cracked the FG around the cleat in a matter of minutes , destroyed my wichard shackle & about ripped the cleat out of the deck ! ANd with all that pressure on the chain your never going to raise the chain on any windless-- then what will you do?

Ok, You obviously know best, but as a final post on this subject, I will just have to continue to rely on the meagre experience I have built up over around 40 years of cruising!

[arisatx]

Other: Devil's claw / Columbus McKinnon with nylon 3 strand spliced to it.

[Hudson Force]

Tim, I think you and Ram are both "spot on" correct! I can imagine Ram's descriptive situations, but I think that my over 40 years of cruising allows me to be anchored in more protected places with less fetch when the wind is blowing over 60 knots,- probably like the places that Tim might be anchored. ......but then Ram might be out in more places where a secure low fetch anchorage is harder to find. There are too many other variables to compare what technique would be safe or a risk.
Edit: No maybe I'm mistaken. Tim, are you saying you lay on the chain with nothing to absorb shock when the chain stretches taut?

[DotDun]

Just got the Mantus Chain Hook, used it a couple of times but no big wind to test it. Was using a Wichard Snap Shackle. It's very beefy, can't imagine it would ever break.

[Andrew Troup]

Ram, thanks for posting that - very instructive account.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by Tim Godber

Ok, You obviously know best, but as a final post on this subject, I will just have to continue to rely on the meagre experience I have built up over around 40 years of cruising!

Tim it’s not how many years one has been cursing that makes one a good sailor it’s how well we learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others, along with common sense- I got my first boat 48 years ago and have had one almost the whole time, the last 20+ years as a professional Captain running charters from the Bahamas to Cypress- I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years, and learned from them, and I also have learned from others mistakes- And I’m sure gunna make more mistakes, just not the same mistakes!!- If you keep that set up` it will bite you in the ass someday- that is if your out there enough-

[Ram]

Originally Posted by DotDun

Just got the Mantus Chain Hook, used it a couple of times but no big wind to test it. Was using a Wichard Snap Shackle. It's very beefy, can't imagine it would ever break.

I bought Mantus yesterday also after seeing it & had been using the Wichard also - for years,

[Andrew Troup]

Originally Posted by thinwater

In general, those are larger vessels and harbor waves just don't have the same effect. Really, unrelated. Those vessels also realize that they cannot anchor in the open in conditions that would cause the boat to pitch; they move.

Huh?

Where I come from, fishing trawlers (and ships) anchor offshore routinely, sometimes in horrible conditions.

- - - - -

Apropos of no particular post:

The general use of snubbers on cruising yachts is a fairly recent development

I'm guessing this arises from a combination of some or all of the following: increased aversion to perceived risk and discomfort and noise, the megaphone effect of the www, the general use of light or ultra-light chain, boats with lightly built foredecks, and the fact that typical designers and builders no longer provide sampson posts or towing bitts.

To protect the windlass (where fitted) smaller vessels would shift the chain to the bitts, larger vessels would first rig a temporary line to hold the load prior to doing the same.

[stevensc]

I use a Chain Grab Hook have never had any problem with it falling off yet I do keep a loop in the rode so there is always some tension on the hook.
The Mantus Plate/hook looks practical too.
Steve W