Marking Anchor Chain

[drewan08]

Has anyone had success with marking galvanized anchor chain. I would like to know how much chain I have let out and am not going to pay for a chain counter. Most paints don't stick to galvanized with the combination of salt, sun and a gypsy.

[Connemara]

Dunno how long this would last, but have you tried a piece of twine tied on every fathom?

[daddle]

Bright colored zip ties every 5 fathoms, one, two, three ties, then repeat, or whatever suits your fancy. Every fathom seems like overkill. Zip ties seem to survive the bottom and windlass better than anything else. You can leave the tails on...

Also, each turn of my capstan is 1 foot.

[bstreep]

I use color coded wire ties. Put 2 sets on each mark, a few links apart. That way when 1 goes, you know. And yes, leave the tails on - I had a couple pop off because sometimes the gypsy will stretch it a click or 2.

[Bash]

I've actually had good luck with white rustoleum primer. Needs to be reapplied about every five years.

[Ancora Latina]

segna catena 6 mm bianco

or:

[delmarrey]

Now you just have to remember what the colors mean.

[skipperaris]

Originally Posted by drewan08

Has anyone had success with marking galvanized anchor chain. I would like to know how much chain I have let out and am not going to pay for a chain counter. Most paints don't stick to galvanized with the combination of salt, sun and a gypsy.

There are some special coloured plastic inserts for the chain links intended just for this purpose. If you alternate the available colours every 10 meters or whatever your unit may be, you will be able to have a good idea of how much chain you have put out.

They do not get chewd up by the gypsy and the colour is permanent.
In fact if you want to remove them you need to prise them / knock them out.
And they do not cost a fortune!

[MarkJ]

Wde use heaps of those cheap cable ties. About 20 per mark. Starts at 12 meters (work out why...) and then every 10 meters.
They pop off gradually so 20 per mark will last a while

[drewan08]

Thanks for all of the advice. I think I am going to go with the popular nylon cable tie method. That picture was a great help. Is this the same way other people attach the ties, around 2 links? I have a bunch of bright neon ones on-board already. They are easily replaced and can be found almost anywhere. I am going to mark at about 5 fathoms, about 9m, or 30ft

[Bash]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Starts at 12 meters (work out why...)

I'm going to guess it's because your boat is 12 meters long, and you always want at least a boat's length worth of rode out there.

Do i get a prize?

[daddle]

That is a fancy way to lace the ties. Mine are simply on the side of the link. It's easier, seems to work just fine, and I don't think the gypsy abuses the link sides much. Leaving the tails out makes the marks much easier to spot when the chain is running out.

[doug86]

I just put 4 or 5 ties on one link, every 25', as pictured

I use four different colors: clear, yellow, blue & black.
clear = 25'
yellow=50'
blue=75'
black=100'

Here is the reason for that color scheme; as the water gets deeper, it gets darker - so as my chain gets longer, the colors get darker. The ties go right past the gypsy without problem. The ones pictured have been there about a year, and I anchor out every night.

[Ram]

I just look at the pile of chain in the locker or lack of chain and have a good enough idea of how much I have out-

[AnchorageGuy]

This is how we have marked ours, http://tinyurl.com/ya8aod5
It has lasted for at least five years and sometimes more, depending on how often we anchor and most importantly, it will go through the windlass gypsy without jamming. WG