Proper attachment on end of chain.

[Bacchus]

Being able to release under load might be worth considering.

With a windlass and Sampson post I never intend to have tension on the bitter end. But you raise a good point to be considered and avoided.

 

[Arthurc]

I use a thin piece of Amsteel long enough to be cut easily from up top. That said I’m also moving up to 700ft of 1/2g43 up from 350ft so will find a creative spot to store bolt cutters if I do need to cut. I love the floating line idea, might consider that.

 

[dhays]

I use a thin piece of Amsteel long enough to be cut easily from up top. That said I’m also moving up to 700ft of 1/2g43 up from 350ft so will find a creative spot to store bolt cutters if I do need to cut. I love the floating line idea, might consider that.

Not sure the floating line idea is all that helpful if you are anchoring at depths that would require 700' of chain. You would need a very long length of poly line.


I've not thought of using Amsteel as an attachment. It certainly would work. When I cut it, I usually use a very sharp ceramic blade. While I have one on board, I think I'll stick with nylon as it is easily cut by any of the steel blades I have on board or in my pocket.

 

[Arthurc]

I find cutting amsteel is pretty easy with the rigging knives I use, but nylon works just as well.
I don’t actually anchor in places needing 700ft it’s more that my windlass only handles one very large chain locker, so I have two Rocna 55kg anchors on the bow, one connected one not, if I get an anchor stuck I’ll cut the chain, attach to a float and reconnect the remaining to the 2nd anchor.

 

[dhays]

I find cutting amsteel is pretty easy with the rigging knives I use, but nylon works just as well.
I don’t actually anchor in places needing 700ft it’s more that my windlass only handles one very large chain locker, so I have two Rocna 55kg anchors on the bow, one connected one not, if I get an anchor stuck I’ll cut the chain, attach to a float and reconnect the remaining to the 2nd anchor.

That makes sense.

 

[warfdog]

Thank you

Thank you, everyone, for your replies and ideas on this thread. I realize that I could probably find guidance in Chapmans but being lazy, I am hugely thankful for this open discussion and sharing of knowledge.

Warf

 

[78puget-trawler]

The surveyor alerted me to the fact that the chain was not attached to anything in the locker when I bought this boat, so secured the end with a good chunk of line to a ring bolt at bottom of the post.

 

[Group9]

I have a hard point in my anchor locker and when I bought the boat the PO had shackled the end of the chain to it.

My current boat was set up the same way when I bought it. I remember it taking about twenty minutes to get the seized up shackle loose with a scewdriver and a pair of pliars and thinking how much fun it would have been to do that in a pitching anchorage off a lee shore in a blow.

We now have ten feet of heavy nylon between the hard point and the bitter end of the anchor chain and a serrated edge knife affixed to the inside of the dockbox on the bow.

We also have a float and fifty feet of line with a snap shackle on the end of it in that locker. This finally, after having lost two sets of anchor and chain over the years that had to be cast off.

We use a small cheap float, as we had our large expensive float cut off and stolen last year when we dropped the chain due to a malfunctioning windless and had to grapple in 25 feet of water for four hours to retrieve it later.

 

[mramoo]

G9, IMHO you are on the same track that I'm on.

 

[FlyWright]

Or attach it with 50 to 75 feet of bright floating line...

That way if you cut it and it gets away from you before you get a bouy on it, you may still see enough line to retrieve it later.

Same here...I've got 100 ft of poly cord at the end of my 360 ft rode that can be released as needed and the line will float on the surface for retrieval.

The last 15’ of chain is painted red so no need for indicators- I like the floating line idea since most water I navigate is fairly shallow. I think that the average depth of SF Bay is about 4’, and the Sacramento delta is about the same

I know you're kidding about the 4 ft depth but it reminds me of a CA Delta anchoring lesson that has served me well. I was told to always anchor in water depths of 15 ft or greater. Anything shallower has too many weeds to allow a good hold to the bottom.

 

[High Wire]

As I posted, the only times I have heard of dropping the whole rig was ....

Either all the time in the world where snapping on lines or hitting MOBs is possible, or it is a panic where rational thought is a distant memory for most.

That's why I have light line connecting the chain so it can part on it's own if I want it to, rather than heavy line that ALWAYS needs to be cut.

Good point. Even though I keep a razor sharp knife strapped to the sampson post, there might not be time to use it or worse, scared to death to get near it. I think I'll swap out the 5/8 floating poly for 50 ft of 1/4" floating poly. Don't even tie that off. Just let it go and come back later and pick it up.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I have another anchor rode tie off.

The bitter end is first tied off to a skookum cleat on the foredeck and then the rode is put into the rode box until it's all in except the bitter end and the end attached to the chain. See photo.

 

[78puget-trawler]

Hey Eric, you snag that chain off a local tugboat or something?? LOL.

 

[Nomad Willy]

3/8ths chain. Don't know where I got it.
Had the cable made up. Think it's 5/16".