What's your system for marking anchor chain depths?

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by CShawn

Interesting about the portable cables, I need to do that for our stuff we use a few times a year.

Since I am a computer nerd, I was thinking along the same lines but with a binary type system:

(See photo, text spacing for a chart was not working out.)

Totals are: 1 mark 4 times. 2 marks 8 times, 3 marks 3 times, and 4 marks once. I have not tried this, just thinking out loud.

Carl

Why make something simple when it is so easy to complicate it?😄

[waterman46]

On my boat the chain often sticks then suddenly runs free maybe 30 feet at a shot as we back down. Those with reversing windlasses won't have this problem. Anyway I found that the paint which covered 15 or so links at each interval very well at first was often hard to see after about 20 anchorings, as the chain ran out so fast and wears off so fast. I also found that painting was a real PITA what with having to do it on deck. I know I could not possibly see wire ties in low light conditions but I have great hopes for the length of polypro line method described earlier.
I

[rjash6666]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush

I know that there are a variety out there. The previous owner of my boat used zip ties, but after a season of replacing broken ones and getting confused when one is missing, I think I need a better system. I know some people use different colors of paint for every marking, but this seems potentially confusing (especially for newer crew) and expensive. 300 feet of chain marked every 25 feet means a lot of different cans or repeating colors.

I was thinking about using only one color, and carefully painting a specific number of links in the chain. For example, one red link is 25 feet, 2 is 50... 5 links painted is 125 feet. But as the paint scrapes off a bit this could also become confusing or hard to count with certainty.

Anyone out there think they have the perfect system that they could share?

I have about the same length of chain as you and now use the thick bright orange fishing line tied firstly with one at 30ft(10metres) with two a 45ft (15metres) three at 60 ft and so on.
These have lasted several years now and do not impede the operation of the windlass, but are strong enough to last several years and are clearly visible.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by meirriba

Why make something simple when it is so easy to complicate it?😄

Because life is boring for the dirt dwellers.

[jtsailjt]

2 zip ties on a link at 50’
2 zip ties on 2 links with an empty link between them at 100’
2 zip ties on 3 links with an empty link between each of them at 150’
2 zip ties on 4 links with an empty link between each of them them at 200’

Also, 2 zip ties on a link about 8’ from anchor at point where anchor is barely immersed to warn windlass operator during retrieval. 3 consecutive links with 2 zip ties on each link about 5’ from end of chain to warn that end of chain is about to come up through deck.

The reason for using 2 zip ties is to make them more visible from both sides of chain and the loss of a single zip tie doesn’t cause me to have to remeasure. If I notice a single zip tie on a link I just add another one to that link.

I don’t clip tails off zip ties to help them be more easily seen.

[fguptill]

Originally Posted by Oceanride007

I think any body using colours should use the same sequence of colours used in nature or electronics or pool balls, why create something new and not consistant,

I prefer Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue this is the same sequence of colors that disappear when you go diving, easy to remember ROY GB. It happens to be the same colors used in electronics (Resistor color of first 2 bands) Red is 3, Orange=4, Yellow=5 Green=6, Blue=7 think it goes Violate after that , Black, brown used for 1&2 but I don't recommend that thou I started with 10M is Black cable ties, they are still there. Couldn't find Brown or Orange cable ties.

You got the sequence right, but the numbers are offset by one. Black and brown signify 0 and 1 respectively. No problem for anchor chain, but might cause some confusion with your electronics.

[Maka]

300' chain +100' rope
Red, White , Blue.
Paint. 4'' per color on chain
Space 25 feet

Anchor to 25' one red stripe at 25 feet
50' red. and white stripe
75' red, blue
100' white
125' white, red
150 white white
175 white blue
200 blue
225 blue red
250 blue white
300 splice to rope
325 red stripe on rope
350 red , white
375 red blue Orange
Orange stripes every foot to let me know I am out of scope / Rode.
Have never gotten this far.

I like the paint because it wont fall off.
Wide stripes easy to see ,,,especially at night in artificial light.
I can go forward anytime and at a glance can tell my scope.
Easy to give colors to anchor man at the bow. And he / she back to me at the helm.
With 6 feet chain on the deck, and at least another 10 feet to the water w snubber, easy to always keep some paint visible w out compromising scope.

[iseadreamer]

I haven't seen our system. We sew tabs of 1 inch fluorescent webbing at 25' intervals. Outlasts paint and zip ties years.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Maka

300' chain +100' rope
Red, White , Blue.
Paint. 4'' per color on chain
Space 25 feet

Anchor to 25' one red stripe at 25 feet
50' red. and white stripe
75' red, blue
100' white
125' white, red
150 white white
175 white blue
200 blue
225 blue red
250 blue white
300 splice to rope
325 red stripe on rope
350 red , white
375 red blue Orange
Orange stripes every foot to let me know I am out of scope / Rode.
Have never gotten this far.

I like the paint because it wont fall off.
Wide stripes easy to see ,,,especially at night in artificial light.
I can go forward anytime and at a glance can tell my scope.
Easy to give colors to anchor man at the bow. And he / she back to me at the helm.
With 6 feet chain on the deck, and at least another 10 feet to the water w snubber, easy to always keep some paint visible w out compromising scope.

I think this one wins the prize for the most complicated and time consuming system yet.

I like the paint because it wont fall off.

Obviously you don't anchor much, to busy painting chain perhaps?