Extending the snubber

[OneTwoSail]

I've got a 30 foot catamaran with a shallow draft, so I often anchor in shallow water. I used quite a short bridle/snubber last year (+- 5m a side), attached to the lower bows in the front and it worked well, although I never had to anchor in strong wind.

I'd like to use a longer snubber for when it's very windy, but when it's not it would drag on the ground and get worn. What I like about the attachment points for the bridle is that being off the front of the bows means there's absolutely no chafe, and with the bridle being attached about half a meter lower than the anchor roller, I get a slightly better angle on the anchor.

My thoughts for the future are to use a 5m nylon bridle, but then have another two 10m nylon lines with eyes on each end ready to go. In a big blow I would then extend the 5m lines with the 10 either using a soft/hard shackle or maybe luggage tagging them together by their eyes. Then I could let out more chain to match the new length, and have more stretch and another 10m of chain in the water.

Is there anything I'm not thinking about here? Any reason why it's not a workable idea?

[Cheechako]

The one on my 42 cat was about 6-7 M per side adjustable and it was fine in strong winds. Plenty stretchy and it was 5/8" nylon

[hlev00]

Think about chafe joining with a soft shackle. Likely it will be much smaller diameter and would put all the load over a very small area. Stainless eyes would help.

[thinwater]

This has been exhaustively studied. One of the best solutions is to run the snubbers down the side decks, cleating at mid-ships or the stern. Chafe is prevented with careful routing, pulleys, and chafe gear, according to boat-specific geometry.

I run bridle tails down the side decks to the mid-ships cleats. Very smooth, no chafe (I worked out a smooth bend and the tails run inside webbing chafe gear at the bow).

Wear on the bottom is not actually much of a problem, because the instant there is ANY wind at all, the rope lifts off the bottom. It's one of those theoretical problems that does not exist in most cases.


https://www.practical-sailor.com/blo...nchor-snubbers



https://www.practical-sailor.com/sai...hock-load-test


https://www.practical-sailor.com/sai...l-snubber-size


https://www.practical-sailor.com/sai...-all-occasions

[GordMay]

Having a snubber, longer than needed, is akin to having too much money.
You don’t have to spend/deploy all of it, at once; but the extra’s there, if you need it.