is my anchor swivel installed correctly?

[Pack Mule]

Greetings,
Mr. PM. Do I detect a lack of "locking wire" around that shackle pin on the extreme right of your picture?

Yes you do. Lazy on my part. I saw that right after posting. I'll get that taken care of this weekend . I knew somebody was gonna catch that. With my new little title here I'm not supposed to make these mistakes.

 

[Dougcole]

On a related note, my setup, which is 80' of chain to rope rode and a 55 lb Rocna, has developed a twist in the chain that sometimes causes the chain to bind in the windlass wildcat. Any suggestions as to how to straighten it out?

I've thought of lowering the anchor down in deep water and letting it spin, but I'm seldom in more than 25' feet of water unless I'm crossing the stream. I'm not going to stop and screw around with something like that out there. Also, that seems like a big load on the windlass, 80' of chain plus the anchor hanging straight down.

I've tried "flipping" the chain over on the roller but it hasn't helped. Tough to tell if I should twist the chain clockwise or counter clockwise.

 

[MurrayM]

...Do I detect a lack of "locking wire" around that shackle pin on the extreme right of your picture?

I mentioned the same thing to a fellow who's retired from the Coast Guard in our marina. Next time I saw his boat, he'd used a thin plastic zip tie.

 

[Nomad Willy]

The grooved rollers should negate the need for the swivel w an all chain rode. But I suspect all rollers w their grooves aren't the same. If the groove is sharp/crisp/definitive so the chain dosn't rotate w side loads or other irregular forces the chain should never get twisted. One could run down the chain and put a wellow dash of paint on the top of the chain link and from there on one could know at a glance if the chain "jumped" the groove.

By the way it seems to be getting established to call line (not rope (rope is for farmers)) rode. It is only part of the rode.

If rope is purchased in a store and brought aboard a boat it remains rope until it's used and then becomes part of the rigging on a boat ..... it then becomes LINE. The anchor rode consists of all the gear fastening the anchor to the boat. Shackles, swivels, eyes, line and chain with one exception .. the winch or capstan. The chain and line can have several sizes but along w the hardware it's all the anchor rode. But the part farmers call rope is line when it's employed on a boat and has a "job" like being part of the anchor rode. Rope is stored on a boat and becomes line when assigned a job and gets used on the boat.

This is what it says in Chapman's book. I thought it was silly at first but after years of use it seems quite correct and any variation seems odd. Most or all nautical terms were created for a reason and it is easier and more precise to talk about nautical matters using nautical terms. The only exceptions are those terms that apply to things no longer in relatively common use. But we talk about anchor chain, line and the rode very often.

 

[Pack Mule]

The grooved rollers should negate the need for the swivel w an all chain rode. But I suspect all rollers w their grooves aren't the same. If the groove is sharp/crisp/definitive so the chain dosn't rotate w side loads or other irregular forces the chain should never get twisted. One could run down the chain and put a wellow dash of paint on the top of the chain link and from there on one could know at a glance if the chain "jumped" the groove.

By the way it seems to be getting established to call line (not rope (rope is for farmers)) rode. It is only part of the rode.

If rope is purchased in a store and brought aboard a boat it remains rope until it's used and then becomes part of the rigging on a boat ..... it then becomes LINE. The anchor rode consists of all the gear fastening the anchor to the boat. Shackles, swivels, eyes, line and chain with one exception .. the winch or capstan. The chain and line can have several sizes but along w the hardware it's all the anchor rode. But the part farmers call rope is line when it's employed on a boat and has a "job" like being part of the anchor rode. Rope is stored on a boat and becomes line when assigned a job and gets used on the boat.

This is what it says in Chapman's book. I thought it was silly at first but after years of use it seems quite correct and any variation seems odd. Most or all nautical terms were created for a reason and it is easier and more precise to talk about nautical matters using nautical terms. The only exceptions are those terms that apply to things no longer in relatively common use. But we talk about anchor chain, line and the rode very often.

Note : I edited mine to line but I can't photo shop wire to the shackle (rode ) in the picture .

 

[Nomad Willy]

I mentioned the same thing to a fellow who's retired from the Coast Guard in our marina. Next time I saw his boat, he'd used a thin plastic zip tie.

Are you saying plastic "zip ties" are a propper substitute for SS wire to lock the shackle pins? This Coast Guard guy may have been an engineman or a cook knowing little or nothing about anchoring. I'm not saying I know ... I don't. It seems tacky though. What does Chapman say?

I looked... Interestingly it refers to the chain locker as the rope locker ??? It makes no mention of tie wraps as shackle locks however I checked and in 1983 (my book) there probably wasn't any plastic tie wraps. Another interesting note is that the book says "swivels are required on all chain rodes to prevent snarls" Hmmmm?


Marty wrote in the previous post;
"Note : I edited mine to line but I can't add wire to shackle (rode ) in the picture .

I'll bet photoshop Larry can.

 

[koliver]

I have no swivel. Yet my anchor still comes up in the correct orientation most of the time. Every once in a while, it arrives on the roller upside down, but the weight of the Meaty part (CQR) quickly flips it around. I think the secret to my success is fairly high sides and a bail on the roller fitting, so that, in flipping over, the anchor shank is trapped within the roller fitting and cant possibly leap off.

 

[sunchaser]

I mentioned the same thing to a fellow who's retired from the Coast Guard in our marina. Next time I saw his boat, he'd used a thin plastic zip tie.

Zip ties are easy to install, quick to wear out. I use them to mark chain intervals and replace a couple of times a season, especially those close to anchor that are grinding on bottom.

 

[twistedtree]

The best arrangement we have found is also a grooved roller in combination with regular shackle(s) between the chain and anchor. This of course assumes an all chain rode. The groove maintains chain alignment between the anchor and roller, and between the roller and windless. As soon as the anchor lifts off the bottom, gravity causes and chain twist to unwind and the anchor always comes up oriented the correct way.

The only time you get into trouble is if you are retrieving the anchor and allow the chain to be pulling off heavily to one side or the other. That can cause the chain to "derail" out of the groove, and then drop back in 90 deg out of alignment. When that happens you have to manually re-orient the chain in the roller. But this never happens if you are paying attention when retrieving the anchor.

Without the chain groove in the roller, it is nearly impossible to maintain chain alignment, and even if you do, the anchor will naturally want to come up 45 deg out of alignment. This is what leads people to an anchor swivel, and is the path we previously followed.

The problem we found with a swivel is that they pretty quickly become filled with bottom sand and grit, and become much harder to swivel. Kind of defeats the purpose. Cleaning them out helps, but it's not long before you end up right back where you were before. And a swivel distracts you from solving the underlying problem, which is inconsistent and incorrect chain alignment. Solve the chain alignment problem, and everything else falls into line.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

On a related note, my setup, which is 80' of chain to rope rode and a 55 lb Rocna, has developed a twist in the chain that sometimes causes the chain to bind in the windlass wildcat. Any suggestions as to how to straighten it out?

I've thought of lowering the anchor down in deep water and letting it spin, but I'm seldom in more than 25' feet of water unless I'm crossing the stream. I'm not going to stop and screw around with something like that out there. Also, that seems like a big load on the windlass, 80' of chain plus the anchor hanging straight down.

I've tried "flipping" the chain over on the roller but it hasn't helped. Tough to tell if I should twist the chain clockwise or counter clockwise.

Your windlass better be able to take that light a load.

 

[psneeld]

I dont like that installation because side load as the tide turns tend to spread the swivel apart. IMO it is not designed for strain in that direction. having bent one anchor in a storm I appreciate that the loads can come from many directions.

Only if the swivel is attached directly to the anchor.

My swivel is attached to the anchor with a shackle, so no more side loading should be possible than on a shackle or chain link.

 

[sunchaser]

Only if the swivel is attached directly to the anchor.

My swivel is attached to the anchor with a shackle, so no more side loading should be possible than on a shackle or chain link.

Some swivels are designed to move in X, Y and Z axis. If built right and correctly sized they work very well in conforming to any direction stresses may be coming from. My Suncor Universal works this way.

 

[psneeld]

That why I posted before about knowing all one's boat systems and their strengths and weaknesses.

Swivels that can handle side loads....perfect, ones tbat can't can be adequately adapted with shackles or lengths of chain.

Anti swivel pundits just havent seen the big picture.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

I like to attach the swivel to the anchor with a few links of chain between the two when possible.

 

[eyschulman]

An anchor coming onto the roller the right way may be slightly complicated. So commenting on individual anchors may be comparing oranges to apples. My particular anchor must be balanced in a way that about 25% of the time without the flip swivel it was ass backward. The builder of the swivel must have been well aware of this since they also build the anchor. For those who don't need a swivel why complicate things. But if your anchor is one that will not cooperate at the roller get a flip swivel a different anchor or go up on the bow and turn it. Not really worth all this wordage.

 

[dhays]

Well, I will need to check to see if my chain somehow got twisted. I'll lower it and raise it this weekend and see.

 

[78puget-trawler]

The grooved rollers should negate the need for the swivel w an all chain rode. But I suspect all rollers w their grooves aren't the same. If the groove is sharp/crisp/definitive so the chain dosn't rotate w side loads or other irregular forces the chain should never get twisted. One could run down the chain and put a wellow dash of paint on the top of the chain link and from there on one could know at a glance if the chain "jumped" the groove.

By the way it seems to be getting established to call line (not rope (rope is for farmers)) rode. It is only part of the rode.

If rope is purchased in a store and brought aboard a boat it remains rope until it's used and then becomes part of the rigging on a boat ..... it then becomes LINE. The anchor rode consists of all the gear fastening the anchor to the boat. Shackles, swivels, eyes, line and chain with one exception .. the winch or capstan. The chain and line can have several sizes but along w the hardware it's all the anchor rode. But the part farmers call rope is line when it's employed on a boat and has a "job" like being part of the anchor rode. Rope is stored on a boat and becomes line when assigned a job and gets used on the boat.

This is what it says in Chapman's book. I thought it was silly at first but after years of use it seems quite correct and any variation seems odd. Most or all nautical terms were created for a reason and it is easier and more precise to talk about nautical matters using nautical terms. The only exceptions are those terms that apply to things no longer in relatively common use. But we talk about anchor chain, line and the rode very often.

Sort of like when some farmers call a rail cap, a cap rail, LOL.:lol: