Carey wrote:
*
Marin wrote:
*
Conrad wrote:
...and I'm not sure if 1/4' chain will work in the windlass.
If you're going to be buying chain one thing that might be worth doing is ask the supplier to whack off a short length of whatever chain it is that you want to buy. Then take that short length and make sure it fits correctly into the wildcat on the windlass.* Or you can bring the wildcat (or the whole windlass if you haven't mounted it yet) to the chain supplier.*
There have been times--- this happened to Carey of this forum-- that even though the chain was of x-size, and the wildcat on the windlass was stamped for x-size, the chain did not, in fact, fit the wildcat properly.* It was close, but under strain it would hop or slip in the wildcat.
When we replaced the old rusted chain that came with our boat the supplier on his own cut off a short length of what we were proposing to buy and told us to go check it on the boat's*windlass and report back what we found.* It fit so we went ahead with the purchase.* Had it not fit, the supplier would have helped us determine the solution.*
-- Edited by Marin on Wednesday 16th of February 2011 10:56:58 PMWhat Marin says is correct. Take your wildcat to the store. If the chain doesn't lay perfectly for one full revolution, it will likely slip. Your manual should indicate what chain to buy, but just to be sure... I bought chain for mine, and it was correctly sized, but it was of foreign manufacture. My gypsy must have domestic chain. So much for standardization.
*
*
Hi folks; the deed is done after discussing it with my supplier today. The windlass, 5/16 HT chain, and rode c/w splice are all coming from the same supplier, Western Marine, so I expect that they will match. *I hope. I do like the suggestion of getting a sample of the cahin and trying it on the gypsy though.*We discussed the idea of going with the 1/4 HT but in the end decided, before we even got to the point of determining if it was possible, that we preferred the 5/16th for the extra weight it would provide at anchor. (I.e., caternary/catenary, however you spell it!)*
*