Counting the Rode

[onestepcsy37]

I've been using the simplest (IMHO) system for decades. Red white and blue. Red at 25 feet, white at 50 feet, blue at 75 feet, red/white/blue at 100 feet. Then repeat. Red at 125 feet...

Works for me because we anchor in under 12 feet and I've never put out even 100 feet. I use cheap plastic tie wraps, a dozen at each mark. They need to be replaced occasionally but they're cheap and easy to apply.

[Pau Hana Daz]

This is the same marking system we use except our 100' and 200' marks are black. We keep five or six ties at each mark with the tails attached. They're easier to see in low light than paint and the rwb pattern is easy for everyone to remember

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[nhschneider]

We use 1-meter lengths of 6mm bright polypropylene rope woven through the links. It goes through the gypsy just fine and you don't have to watch for a single mark, eg, a nylon cable tie. We deploy and retrieve our anchor frequently and the rope markers easily lasts several years.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[onestepcsy37]

I put a dozen plastic tie wraps at each mark so its easy to see it going out - and coming back too. OTOH, your method sounds interesting and certainly easy and cheap enough to try. Another advantage is that rope is a lot easier on bare hands then the plastic lock on the tie wraps, although I always wear gloves when hauling chain - when I remember.
One question. How do you keep the rope in place? Do you knot it at each end to keep it from sliding loose, or is friction enough?

[nhschneider]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

One question. How do you keep the rope in place? Do you knot it at each end to keep it from sliding loose, or is friction enough?

I don't do anything to keep the poly rope in place - it just stays there. Every once in a while it will start to come 'unwoven' but a simple tuck puts it back in place.

My brother on his boat uses the rope method, too, but he has it all color-coded. I just use yellow every 15 meters and I'm usually good counting up to 3 or 4.

Fair winds and calm seas.

[ranger42c]

Originally Posted by Davealso

I have seen colored plastic chain infills. cable ties and paint used.
Who has some other thoughts on this as a simple alternative to another electronic readout on the yacht!

We actually have a rode counter. Works like a champ for chain, nowhere close for rope. And we have a combination rope/chain rode... and I suspect even a rode counter wouldn't get everyone where they want to be anyway. (At least ours doesn't.)

So I marked the rope portion with cable ties (zip ties) threaded through and then around the 8-plait: one band at 25' or rope, two at 50', three at 75'. Mentally adding that to the leading 25' of chain is easy enough. Estimating in between 25/50/75/100' is easy enough.

I didn't bother to mark the remaining 225' of rope. We seldom anchor in depths requiring significant precision or more depth.

The zip ties pass through the gypsy easily enough. I don't know what to expect from wear over time; issues haven't arisen yet. I would expect the cable ties would work well enough on chain and through the gypsy without too much wear. I used black on white rope; maybe white ties on gray chain would be easier to see.

-Chris

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by AnchorageGuy

... We have found that paint wears off rather quickly with all of the anchoring we do...

Like many things, I suspect this is regional. Sand will wear paint off, while the mud bottoms common other places are quite easy on paint. When I last replaced my chain (galv gone, some wear) the paint from the prior owner 5 years prior was still quite readable. Moreover, the links that are always on the bottom wear (who cares what those numbers are), while those I am likely to read (which seldom lie on the bottom) remain like new.

As I said, I tried zip ties and webbing; the gypsy ate them in a few cycles. Paint takes only a few minutes to renew every 100 anchorings or so. Still, I would use webbing, if it worked with my gypsy.

So it is a valid method for some areas.

[jcapo]

Originally Posted by nhschneider

We use 1-meter lengths of 6mm bright polypropylene rope woven through the links. It goes through the gypsy just fine and you don't have to watch for a single mark, eg, a nylon cable tie. We deploy and retrieve our anchor frequently and the rope markers easily lasts several years.

I'll second this method though I only get about 6 months before I need to replace the ones that are in the water most of the time. Easy to replace if needed when anchoring or retrieving. I use a length of line every 25 feet and simply count them.