End for ending chain - good idea or not

[Peter B]

Hi folks, a question for you.* It seems to be conventional wisdom in these parts to switch the chain around once the used end starts to lose its galvanised gloss, so to speak, and I was intending to do that this off season.* Not that we actually have a real off-season over here in Queensland, but the weather cools down and it's nicer doing maintenance during our so-called winter.* However, on reflection, and as the reason I put new chain on when I bought the boat in 2002, 8 yrs ago, was because the chain was so rusty it would no longer feed out properly because the links used to stick together while sitting in the locker and foul the gypsy, so the PO had taken to manually releasing the winch so he could stand there and sort it out as he released it.
That being the case, is it not likely that if one end for ends the chain, putting the more worn half so it is usually sitting in the locker with salty water dropping on it all the time, might this same condition develop?* If so, it sort of makes some sense to leave the half with the better galvanising on it right where it is, does it not.* What experience do others out there have of doing this switch round, and apart from the chain looking nicer, does it make logical sense to do it, or leave well alone?

 

[koliver]

When my chain got to the point that the decks were getting dirty from the rusty sal****er coming in with the incoming chain, I end for ended it. I never had the problem in the locker that you described, as I replaced the chain altogether before that developed. Once the previously better end degrades, which didn't take as long as the first end, throw it away.
I don't know where the original chain was galvanized, but the chain I replaced it with has lasted much better. The first one lasted only about 20 years. The next still looks pretty new after 10 and is not yet in need of swapping ends. I expect you can buy different quality galvanizing, and that accounts for the difference.

 

[Marin]

You can have chain regalvanized but I don't know how effective this is over time or how the cost compares to simply replacing the chain. Most of the people I know who anchor reguarly simply replace the chain when the galvanizing disappears to the point of the chain starting to get rusty. If you typically ony use the front half or less of your chain rode than end-for-ending it can dertainly extend its useful life. But if you normally use the majority of the chain rode as many of us do here in the PNW, replacement seems to be the more common thing to do.

 

[koliver]

I did a re-galvanizing on some anchors a few years ago. The process involved adrading the rust off first then galvanozing. I got a price on doing my chain at the same time, but new chain was about the same price, and the quality of new was better than what I was told to expect from the re-do. Since then the shop had to get out of town. It is now the site of the Olympic Village on false Creek. So I don't know if that service is easily available around Vancouver any more.

 

[Peter B]

Thanks Guys, as I usually only use about half the chain, it sounds like end for ending is the way to go. It will look better, not that what goes out now is all that bad, but it does not look like nice newish galvanise any more, so it does sort of make sense to get something out of the other half. It was all new 8 yrs ago, so if Koliver is right, I should get quite a bit more use before the need to start over with new. I suspect the PO was still using the original 25 yr plus old chain - maybe that's why he had so much trouble feeding it out. Funny what some people choose to skimp on, isn't it?

 

[C lectric]

Couple years ago I looked into regalvanizing my chain. It's quite rusty so would entail lots of sandblasting - so not done. I'll live with it a bit longer.

However, in the Vancouver area there was Silver City Galvanizing and Canron Steel, Annacis Isl.,

If done when rust first starts to show it is worth it. If the chain gets quite rusty it likely is better to go with new.

 

[Keith]

Probably impractical, but my grandfather's tow chain that he dragged in the sand behind his tractor had a mirror finish all the time. If you could find similar conditions and drag your chain around, it would clean it up very nicely!

 

[Marin]

There was a D-9 Cat that used to trundle around on the sawdust piles at one of the local mills years ago pushing the sawdust and chips into the hopper for the conveyor belt that took them out to the barges being loaded. The treads on that D-9 looked like they were chrome plated and spotless every time I saw it working.

 

[Peter B]

Ok, so let me get this straight. I take my wife's near new Subaru Outback and tow the anchor chain up and down a beach for a while, then get it regalvanised. I need to know who to pass the blame onto when she finds out you see.......

 

[Tidahapah]

Peter,
End for end your chain and then later when you are heading north stop in Bundaberg for a week or two and get your chain re galvanised there.
Much cheaper* than down our way in Bris.
I got 14 years out of my anchor chain with end for ending it and only renewed it as I went up from 3/8" to 1/2"*

Benn

 

[Jay N]

One thing not mentioned yet in this thread is that, when chain is re-galvanized, it loses some strength. I was told about 10%, but this is probably hearsay. And although I regalvanized a couple of times over 23 years with my last boat, there was never any impact on the strength of the rode as the weaklink always seemed to be the holding power of the anchor, then the connecting shackle which I always renewed.

 

[Peter B]

I reckon if I get another 8 yrs out of mine end-for-ending, = 16 in all, if I hold onto her that long, the chain will owe me nuss-ing, and new chain would be in order, but thanks for the contributions, guys.