Attach anchor rope to chain

[BugzyCan]

I installed an anchor roller on boat this Spring, and then discovered on my trip that the 2" thimble on the rope (connects rope to chain) was a tiny bit too wide to fit through the anchor roller. I managed it, but need to replace that thimble with something smaller. The rope is 5/8ths.
What is the recommended way to attach rope to chain with an anchor roller?

[Shrew]

Thimbles are sized by the line. A 5/8" line would a take a 5/8" thimble. A 2" Thimble would be for a 2" line.

[jamhass]

Anchor splice

[jackdale]

Can you use a rope to chain splice?

https://youtu.be/OCvA4m8doVI

[barnakiel]

Smaller thimble, or splice.

[BugzyCan]

That chain splice looks like the ticket, thanks all.

[wsmurdoch]

I take a Crosby G-209A bow shackle and slip a piece of heavy duty hot melt adhesive lined heat shrink tubing over the bow covering the rough galvanized metal and the raised lettering, then I shrink it in place. I back splice my nylon anchor rode to the encased bow and shackle the assembly to my chain. The system has two advantages over splicing directly to the chain. The tubing prevents the corrosion that occurs from the first chain link being always surrounded by salty damp nylon, and the rope and chain are easily separated for reversing the chain or any other reason. The assembly will pass through a smaller opening than a splice over a thimble and a bow shackle.

Bill

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by wsmurdoch

... The tubing prevents the corrosion that occurs from the first chain link being always surrounded by salty damp nylon, and the rope and chain are easily separated for reversing the chain or any other reason....
Bill

Points for innovation! I don't really mind the 5-year resplicing, but being able to reverse the chain is neat.


If you have a horizontal windlass this may not work. If you have a vertical windlass with a combination gypsy it will jam. If you haul by hand, no worries. Of course, it's better than a thimble.

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by thinwater

If you have a horizontal windlass this may not work. If you have a vertical windlass with a combination gypsy it will jam. If you haul by hand, no worries. Of course, it's better than a thimble.

I have a Muir vertical windlass with both a drum and a gypsy. Our main anchor is a 20 kg Rocna on 137 ft of 5/16" BBB followed by 170 ft of 5/8" nylon three strand.

Dropping the anchor, the transition from chain to rope goes nicely with the rope following the chain and running in the gypsy. There is just not enough tension to cause a commotion.

Anchor coming back up; not so much. It is more of a process. The nylon starts off on the drum, and because it will not feed into the chain locker on its own, I accumulate it on deck. When the rope-chain join gets to the windlass and we have a little inertia, some fast (gloved) finger work gets the chain into the gypsy where I pull in a couple of feet and wrap the slack chain around the drum to make sure that it stays in the gypsy while I poke the nylon into the chain locker followed by the join. Then, after getting the extra turns of slack chain off the drum, normal operation resumes.

So far, I can still count to ten without mental effort, but the bow can be a busy place. But, from North Carolina to the Bahamas, we seldom wet the nylon rope.

Bill

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by jamhass

Anchor splice

Correct.
Search Youtube fir chain/line splice.
It will be the most easy transfer over windlass and bow roller

[TomThumb]

Chain Splice is certainly the go.

FWIW and because we can't have too many nautical terms, a 'vertical windlass' is known as a 'capstan'. A salty old chief taught me the way to remember the difference is that my cap would stand on one and not the other as it turned.

[BugzyCan]

I did a splice into the last link in the chain, it was easy and looks perfect. I was thinking maybe a smallish locking carabiner might be an idea for next time instead of a shackle, the shackle snags on things in my chain bag, or maybe on my small boat, even that is overkill. I can just resplice every few years.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by TomThumb

Chain Splice is certainly the go.

FWIW and because we can't have too many nautical terms, a 'vertical windlass' is known as a 'capstan'. A salty old chief taught me the way to remember the difference is that my cap would stand on one and not the other as it turned.

... No, I don't think so.


Oxford English Dictionary:

Capstan. Noun. A broad revolving cylinder with a vertical axis used for winding a rope or cable, powered by a motor or pushed round by levers.


Capstan has a rope drum. A vertical windlass with a combination rope/chain gypsy is not a capstan. A capstan is a sub-catagory of vertical windlass.


Not a capstan.https://www.lewmar.com/node/11627

[wmcunninghamii]

exact same prob on my boat. I have used a chain rope splice in for many years with no issues and good durability. Should be routinely inspected of course but has served me well in many anchorages. Last time I did the splice I lengthened my chain component from 15 feet to 50 feet. This has also been a great mod. The extra heft of the chain really gives me peace of mind and has eliminated the occasional keel wraps I got in shallower anchorages with tidal current running both directions in fairly narrow channels.

I have no windlass so the rig gets mighty heavy to recover in deeper water

[David B]

Originally Posted by BugzyCan

I installed an anchor roller on boat this Spring, and then discovered on my trip that the 2" thimble on the rope (connects rope to chain) was a tiny bit too wide to fit through the anchor roller. I managed it, but need to replace that thimble with something smaller. The rope is 5/8ths.
What is the recommended way to attach rope to chain with an anchor roller?

Absolutely in my view, the only way is to splice the rope into the chain. It will mean minimal size change, and if done correctly, there is minimal if any chafe at the rope/chain interface. It will also run through a windlass.