Has anyone ever tried aluminum chain?

[Rohan]

In another thread, I talked about problems I had with my anchor rode, and a lot of comments here recommended all chain. But holy cow - steel chain is heavy. It's roughly 1 pound per foot (or about 1.4kg per meter length). So if I wanted 400' of chain, that would be 400 lbs! Shipping would be expensive. I wouldn't even be able to lift that into my car, much less my boat.

I could usually do fine with 200', but even that would be difficult.

So has anyone tried aluminum chain? It's not as common, but it does exist. It's significantly more expensive, but it weighs 1/3rd as much. But I'm wondering if that would be feasible?

[rslifkin]

Aluminum has a limited fatigue life before failure. For that reason alone I don't think it's suitable to use as anchor chain.

If you need to save weight, you can go to a stronger grade of chain and go down a size, provided your windlass has a gypsy available to accommodate that.

[Shrew]

You need the weight when the anchor and rode are in the water. IMHO the chain is equally important as the anchor.

Also, I'd not be confident in the tensile strength of aluminum chain.

[SomeGuyInaShirt]

Aluminum fails catastrophically whereas steel does not. I've had a steel bicycle frame crack while I was riding it and I simply rode it home to deal with it. Conceivably, a chain link would show signs of impending failure or if not, it wouldn't blow apart after a shock load the way aluminum would. Why not get 300' of chain and 100' of rode? How often are you anchoring with 400' out? I think I've used 300' a handful of times cruising continuously in an area known for deep anchorages this past summer. It's expensive and a hassle, yes but so is having your boat drag into the breakwater or out to sea.

[SailingHarmonie]

1.4 lb/foot? Say what?

Your profile lists your boat as a Hunter 36. What size chain are you talking about using??? There is no reason for 3/8" or larger chain on that boat. 5/16 max, and go with G40 grade if you want. That will be 2/3rd of the weight you are thinking of.

And how much chain you need to carry depends on where you are anchoring. If you are locally sailing in the Chesapeake I am really sure you are not going to be anchoring in 60 feet of water, and 200 feet of chain would be plenty. 200 feet of 5/16 chain will weigh less than 200 lbs.

There are MANY reasons when even the high-end weight-conscious race boats don't have aluminum chain for their anchors. It is not a practical material for any load bearing chain. All other considerations aside, it is too soft. The links would destroy themselves.

[Rohan]

Originally Posted by SailingHarmonie

1.4 lb/foot? Say what?

No, steel chain is about 1lb/foot. Which would be about 1.4kg for a meter of length.

Your profile lists your boat as a Hunter 36. What size chain are you talking about using??? There is no reason for 3/8" or larger chain on that boat. 5/16 max, and go with G40 grade if you want. That will be 2/3rd of the weight you are thinking of.

Not a bad idea. Then I would have to replace the windlass though, its set up for 5/16.

[rslifkin]

If you can get a windlass setup that will handle it, 1/4" G70 will be strong enough and gets the weight down to about 0.7 lb/ft (compared to 1 lb/ft for 5/16 G43).

[desodave]

Rohan, your post#6 has really confused me. I have followed both this and your other thread ... and posted on the other one. You say in #6 that you'd need a new windlass in response to a suggestion to go to 5/16 G40, but then say it's set up for 5/16 ?? I had a 2005 H38 that likely had the same Simpson Lawrence windlass that your's has. They came with one of 2 gypsy's but I'll bet it's the one that will also handle the 5/16 G40. If so, the gypsy handles a number if different chains inc some 3/8's ... mine had an unidentifiable likely 3/8 on it originally. Check the windlass manual if you have it or go to SLSpares website (in Scotland) ... they may have it. If not, ask John ... he knows everything about SL stuff and helped me ID my gypsy and therefore the chain it would handle. As others have said, you don't need 100% chain, just more of it ... I went to 150ft of chain spliced to 100ft of rope on my H38.
Lifting that much chain is not difficult by the way. It'll fit in a standard tote and you run enough of it out on the ground until you can lift the remainder, then reverse the process each time you have to lift it ... once into the car, once into the dock cart or wheelbarrow to get it to the boat. The chandlery should be able to splice your rope to the chain so that it will run through the windlass ( gypsy should handle 5/8 triple braid, possibly 9/16).

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by desodave

Rohan, your post#6 has really confused me. I have followed both this and your other thread ... and posted on the other one. You say in #6 that you'd need a new windlass in response to a suggestion to go to 5/16 G40, but then say it's set up for 5/16 ?? I had a 2005 H38 that likely had the same Simpson Lawrence windlass that your's has. They came with one of 2 gypsy's but I'll bet it's the one that will also handle the 5/16 G40. If so, the gypsy handles a number if different chains inc some 3/8's ... mine had an unidentifiable likely 3/8 on it originally. Check the windlass manual if you have it or go to SLSpares website (in Scotland) ... they may have it. If not, ask John ... he knows everything about SL stuff and helped me ID my gypsy and therefore the chain it would handle. As others have said, you don't need 100% chain, just more of it ... I went to 150ft of chain spliced to 100ft of rope on my H38.
Lifting that much chain is not difficult by the way. It'll fit in a standard tote and you run enough of it out on the ground until you can lift the remainder, then reverse the process each time you have to lift it ... once into the car, once into the dock cart or wheelbarrow to get it to the boat. The chandlery should be able to splice your rope to the chain so that it will run through the windlass ( gypsy should handle 5/8 triple braid, possibly 9/16).

Usually the S&L gypsies have a number marked on the flat side of their underside. The number code refers to the chain measure in the manual.

[Rohan]

Originally Posted by desodave

Rohan, your post#6 has really confused me. I have followed both this and your other thread ... and posted on the other one. You say in #6 that you'd need a new windlass in response to a suggestion to go to 5/16 G40, but then say it's set up for 5/16 ??

The answer is simple. I misread the comment I was responding to, and by the time I realized it, I could no longer edit my answer. I couldn't delete it either. I was going to bring this up in another forum - but is there any way to delete your own comments here? If so, I can't find it.

[boatman61]

Have you an aluminium anchor.. or at least stainless steel.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Have you an aluminium anchor.. or at least stainless steel.

How about a Fortress :-) but even that one prefers a steel chain.

[emoji847]

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Rohan

In another thread, I talked about problems I had with my anchor rode, and a lot of comments here recommended all chain. But holy cow - steel chain is heavy. It's roughly 1 pound per foot (or about 1.4kg per meter length). So if I wanted 400' of chain, that would be 400 lbs! Shipping would be expensive. I wouldn't even be able to lift that into my car, much less my boat.

I could usually do fine with 200', but even that would be difficult.

So has anyone tried aluminum chain? It's not as common, but it does exist. It's significantly more expensive, but it weighs 1/3rd as much. But I'm wondering if that would be feasible?

If the weight truly bothers you, use a combination rode with ~ 30' of chain. There is no real reason for all-chain in the Chesapeake Bay, having cruised there for 40 years.


Alternatively, reduce the chain to about 120', backing it with 100' of rope. You will very nearly never need more than 100 feet of chain in the Chesapeake, as nearly all of the harbors are shallow. Thus, you will be anchoring on all-chain nearly all of the time. And you will never need more than 200' total.


Ask around your marina. "How often do you anchor in more than 15 feet of water?"


I had 100' of chain on my PDQ, and I would not use the rope portion most years.

[Rohan]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Ask around your marina. "How often do you anchor in more than 15 feet of water?"

Well honestly, in my marina I'm probably the one who anchors out the most often. With 5' of draft, I try to anchor in about 10', because there is about 1 foot daily change in the tide level, and sometimes there is unexpected stuff under the water.

But that 10' is really 14' because of the height of the boat above the water, and if you put out 7:1 rode (although realistically most people put out about 4 or 5:1), that's 98' right there. And there are plenty of times I anchor in as much as 20' in some spots if I don't want to get too close to wreckage or shore, which would be 168' of rode.

With precautions, I don't need an all chain rode, but the security of it would be nice. I was just wondering if aluminum chain was a feasible compromise.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Rohan

Well honestly, in my marina I'm probably the one who anchors out the most often. With 5' of draft, I try to anchor in about 10', because there is about 1 foot daily change in the tide level, and sometimes there is unexpected stuff under the water.

But that 10' is really 14' because of the height of the boat above the water, and if you put out 7:1 rode (although realistically most people put out about 4 or 5:1), that's 98' right there. And there are plenty of times I anchor in as much as 20' in some spots if I don't want to get too close to wreckage or shore, which would be 168' of rode.

With precautions, I don't need an all chain rode, but the security of it would be nice. I was just wondering if aluminum chain was a feasible compromise.

I have a 4-foot draft, similar freeboard. So you could use 120 feet of chain and have the same experience as me.



I'm just telling you what worked for me, cruising everywhere, and around the Delmarva, stopping here and there, six times. The tide ranges as much as 5 feet there.



Mostly I anchored a little closer to the bottom, and avoiding 20-foot depths is not hard. I could have anchored in 20 feet ... but I think I have only done that maybe twice. In part, I guess I am comfortable anchoring in close.


Until the introduction of cheap power windlasses very few people used all chain, and fewer yet in the Chesapeake.


---


But yes, there are always compromises. Either carry the weight or think more about anchoring, where you anchor, and how. Cats can actually end up anchored with the rode running between the hulls! Had that happen once. I recall taking out a second anchor, slacking the first, and being on my way. No big deal.