To swivel or not to swivel, that is...

[rsn48]

So I was snooping around Rocna resources, and I believe it is on the Rocna site, but Mr. Rocna (I know it's not his name, to lazy to look it up) suggests not to use a swivel as it is the "weak" link in the rode make up.

Comments and your experience?

[zboss]

This may be true for most swivels but the Mantus swivel is stronger than the G4 chain it is attached to.

[SV Bacchus]

I hear that a lot on this site but I personally prefer a swivel.

What you should know is that most swivels are SS and most chain is galvanized steel. Everyone note I said "most"!

Every year or two I have to cut off a foot or two of chain immediately above the swivel. The chain is wasting away much quicker at and above the swivel.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by SV Bacchus

Every year or two I have to cut off a foot or two of chain immediately above the swivel. The chain is wasting away much quicker at and above the swivel.

This is probably not a bad practice anyhow. I'm also in the mindset of flipping ends every two years.

[Kenomac]

If you buy a cheap swivel at the maine store for $30-$50, you’ve just created a weak link. If you instead purchase a high quality swivel like the Ultra swivel, you’ve added an asset to your anchor rode.

[sy_gilana]

I agree with the "Mr Mantus."


Reasons:
1 Experience.
2 My bow roller is grooved, the anchor comes up to chock the same orientation every time, with a swivel, it can come up any which way, resulting in damage, curses and lost boat hooks.
3 Of the 3 anchors we carry, two were found on the bottom with half a swivel attached.
4 I do not mix metals underwater, a stainless swivel will eat away the chain and the anchor.
5 I have half inch chain, a 110Lb Bruce (Genuine) and a 5/8 shackle between them, the shackle pin has washers either side of the chain link to center it in the pin. The angle of wrap of the chain link to the shackle pin is 180 degrees. Approaching 7000 nights and days at anchor now, some with swivel some without. Without is better for me.

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by zboss

I'm also in the mindset of flipping ends every two years.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by sy_gilana

I agree with the "Mr Mantus."


Reasons:
1 Experience.
2 My bow roller is grooved, the anchor comes up to chock the same orientation every time, with a swivel, it can come up any which way, resulting in damage, curses and lost boat hooks.
3 Of the 3 anchors we carry, two were found on the bottom with half a swivel attached.
4 I do not mix metals underwater, a stainless swivel will eat away the chain and the anchor.
5 I have half inch chain, a 110Lb Bruce (Genuine) and a 5/8 shackle between them, the shackle pin has washers either side of the chain link to center it in the pin. The angle of wrap of the chain link to the shackle pin is 180 degrees. Approaching 7000 nights and days at anchor now, some with swivel some without. Without is better for me.

With an Ultra swivel, the anchor can only come up one way. Been mixing a Stainless swivel and anchor with galvanized chain for seven years... it doesn’t eat up either. We cut off the last two links every year due to the harder stainless metal wearing off the zinc plating on the chain because of friction, the same would happen with a galvanized shackle.

[sy_gilana]

There is no right no wrong,

Only tin cans and cordite and white cliffs and blue skies and flight.....


You love your thingie and I love mine...

[Ken Z]

I agree, more hardware more chance of breakage. In 55years of anchoring with chain connected to 3 strand I ve never felt a reason for a swivel.

[gatorsailor]

Swivel. I don't like dealing with chain twist. I don't believe anchoring with or without a high quality swivel is worth the argument. It works a very high percentage of the time. However, chain twist is sometimes insidious and you don't know you have a problem until you have the problem.

My two cents.

[Siberian Sea]

The swivel placed in anchor rods...... one possible solution for a mostly none existing problem.

[Briney Bug]

Swivels have a weakness, they break at half of their rated load when side-loaded. Compounding this problem is attaching swivels to G4 chain, when to get shackles to fit, you often have to find smaller shackles, thus shackles with lower WLLs than that of the chain.
It is important to know what a swivel's rated load is in straight-line pull, as its rating when side-loaded can be 1/2 of that of its rating in straight-line pull.
Any swivel that is attached directly to the anchor is subject to possible side loads should the anchor become jammed in the bottom and the boat veer enough to side-load the swivel.
If a swivel is going to be installed, and side-loads are possible, install a swivel that has twice the WLL of the maximum load that the ground tackle will be exposed to.
Using high-strength (alloy) shackles, with G4 chain, will allow lesser expensive, big-enough, HDG eye/eye swivels to be used. Even better, being attached at both ends with shackles, there is at least of modicum of universal movement, significantly decreasing the odds of side-loads on the swivel.
Adding at least a link or two of chain between the swivel and the anchor, even if it requires additional shackles, improves this universal movement even more.
Swivels do not have to be the weak link, but they do need to be sized for the maximum loads, in both straight-line pull and when side-loaded.
Rudy Sechez

[mikeod]

Unseen crevice corrosion is what I would worry about. I've seen stainless disappear in the right conditions. Swivels always seem to have little places where it can hide. Once it starts in SS it accelerates.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by SV Bacchus

I hear that a lot on this site but I personally prefer a swivel.

What you should know is that most swivels are SS and most chain is galvanized steel. Everyone note I said "most"!

Every year or two I have to cut off a foot or two of chain immediately above the swivel. The chain is wasting away much quicker at and above the swivel.

So true. The chandleries love to sell shiny boat jewelry. The last thing I want is a piece of soft SS between my anchor and chain. The dissimilar metals cause corrosion. The typical swivel can become highly stressed passing over the bow roller or if caught and backed in the rocks.

Look at commercial vessel swivels. They use an Anchor Forerunner several links above the anchor. I bought one of these, 7/16 from Washington Chain, in high strength galvanized. Way less than SS junk and way stronger. It’s made to pass over the bow roller just like links. Make sure you have room for the added length.