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Old 09-07-2016, 05:39 AM   #21
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The sparks that fly from a cut off wheel are small pieces of iron dust.

Glowing red they are hot enough to stick to paint , plastic and even metal.

They must be removed quickly or they will rust even overnight.

With an anchor ball locating the submerged anchor , every boat is always ready to slip the anchor.
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Old 09-07-2016, 06:22 AM   #22
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I have a bolt cutters from Tractor Supply. Tested them at the store before I bought them. I can easily cut my 5/16 chain and they are not hard to store (under the step by the lower helm).
I hope I never need them (like an umbrella).
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Old 09-07-2016, 06:32 AM   #23
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I have a bolt cutters from Tractor Supply. Tested them at the store before I bought them. I can easily cut my 5/16 chain and they are not hard to store (under the step by the lower helm).
I hope I never need them (like an umbrella).
I have used mine to get people into their boat when they have lost the key to their padlock....

Haven't had to cut my rode but have used them to cut up my old chain.....if I don't use the in the next year or so, hope I am still song enough when the time comes.....

But then again that's why I have 50 feet of poly at the end.....
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Old 09-07-2016, 07:11 AM   #24
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We are in warm water. I have dived to find rodes (for others) a couple of times. Usually fairly easy if the boat owner marked the spot with the chart plotter. A hundred feet of chain is a long trail on the bottom.

The float is a good idea and I have one in my deck locker for that and other purposes. Only used so far when I have dropped something in the water while at anchor or to mark my anchor in a very crowded anchorage.
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Old 09-07-2016, 07:34 AM   #25
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The sparks that fly from a cut off wheel are small pieces of iron dust.

Glowing red they are hot enough to stick to paint , plastic and even metal.

They must be removed quickly or they will rust even overnight.
.
Good point.
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Old 09-07-2016, 07:19 PM   #26
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If the weather and seas are nasty and you need to get rid of the anchor and chain in a hurry, do you want to be digging out your grinder, finding and installing the correct cut off wheel, and then be trying to hold that to the chain while the boat is hobbyhorsing in the waves?

The tool sounds great, but not what I would choose to use for the OPs original question.

I guess I don't see it any differently than digging out bolt cutters, not dropping them over board or on my foot, and managing to cut the chain. I hope never to do either exercise.

But your point it well taken and often overlooked. It's real easy to envision doing something in calm condition, and totally different when the shit is hitting the fan.

In my case, one influencing factor is that I have 1/2" chain, and I'm frankly not sure I could get through it with bolt cutters.
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Old 09-07-2016, 07:39 PM   #27
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Detach the rode and count it has "now for another BringOutAnotherThousand $."
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Old 09-07-2016, 08:42 PM   #28
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Clearly, digging out bolt cutters or cut-off tools while 'in-the-moment' would be troublesome.

Clearly, expecting that a coil of line would magically run free out of the chain locker, would be an exercise in faith!

I imagine that most of us do not have convenient access to our chain lockers. Nor, do most of us have two anchors and two rodes at the ready since most chain lockers are an open heap and the anchor roller is suitable for one anchor.

Thinking that I might divide the chain locker with a partition, so that each rode can find its own place. And add a second anchor/roller.

Thinking that I might take advantage of our FuHwa's little raised foredeck and add a compartment with door, on the aft-facing vertical 'wall', for a washdown connection and coiled hose.

Your learned discussion suggests that an access door on the other side would be a dandy way to access the bitter ends of the rodes, and terminal buoys. A little fuss-n-feathers, thinking, should reveal a way to cast off the bitter ends and have the buoy already rigged.

Hmmm!
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Old 09-07-2016, 09:37 PM   #29
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dhays,and twisted tree make an excellent point .When the "s" hits the fan,you are probably better off cutting everything loose,and save the boat.A few grand loss is better to swallow,than the alternative if things go bad,potentially a few hundred thousand,or in twisted's case,alot more than that.And the high potential of injury,mob, trying to cut off the chain just to save some green.IMHO,i change my vote,neither,let her go.
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Old 09-07-2016, 09:51 PM   #30
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dhays,and twisted tree make an excellent point .When the "s" hits the fan,you are probably better off cutting everything loose,and save the boat.A few grand loss is better to swallow,than the alternative if things go bad,potentially a few hundred thousand,or in twisted's case,alot more than that.And the high potential of injury,mob, trying to cut off the chain just to save some green.IMHO,i change my vote,neither,let her go.
Tinped,

You have such great points but they're tough to read. I just want to buy you an operating space bar that works behind every comma and period. My old eyes cannot easily read through the continuous block of characters.

And I mean that in the nicest way!
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Old 09-07-2016, 10:52 PM   #31
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i change my vote,neither,let her go.

I think cutting a chain is a last resort, say in the case of a jammed windlass. Otherwise letting out the chain and cutting the leader line makes more sense, ideally after attaching some sort of float.
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Old 09-07-2016, 11:49 PM   #32
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I think cutting a chain is a last resort, say in the case of a jammed windlass. Otherwise letting out the chain and cutting the leader line makes more sense, ideally after attaching some sort of float.
And the fast, no tools required snap shackle alternative is less preferable why?
This compunction to leave floating line in the water is odd to me...
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Old 09-08-2016, 12:13 AM   #33
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They do make hydraulic wire cutters. You could see if they work on chain. I used them years ago when discharging pipe from a hold of a ship.
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Old 09-08-2016, 04:52 AM   #34
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Interesting discussion. With so many of the trawler owners being former sailors you would think that it would be mentioned that a fast access mounted bolt cutter is frequently seen on sailboats. The ability to quickly cut the standing rigging is a safety item on a sailboat and the bolt cutter is mounted where it can be gotten quickly.

Our bolt cutter is stored at the bottom of the four step ladder into the engine room and a serrated line cutting knife is mounted inside the pilot house along side of the port door.

Thankfully I have never needed either the bolt cutter or the knife in an emergency, but in an emergency searching for one or the other would not be beneficial.
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Old 09-08-2016, 06:11 AM   #35
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Tinped,

You have such great points but they're tough to read. I just want to buy you an operating space bar that works behind every comma and period. My old eyes cannot easily read through the continuous block of characters.

And I mean that in the nicest way!
Thanks , obviously spell check is my best friend, but its an addon here , as I.E. version doesn't work. I never took typing classes when I was young, it was frowned upon with guys in those days, so I am a typical one finger, self taught kind of person . And working in the trades gives you big cheesy fingers, which compounds the issue. No excuses , will try and improve.
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Old 09-08-2016, 06:43 AM   #36
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I have an old pair of 36 inch or so bolt cutters that I do keep on board. They are on the flying bridge, so not handy to the windlass, but can be grabbed in 30 seconds or less.

For 5/16 chain it's a struggle, but will cut it quick enough.

But...with all the talk of not splicing chain....not sure I would ever cut my chain unless it jammed somehow. Not sure how likely that is, and if the windlass jammed, I can just pry my chain up off the windlass probably easier than anything.

The times I see this happening are like anchoring in general. Either I have all the time in thevworld, so to speak, or it is a right now, panic situation.

The panic time, let her run, and either the light poly line will snap from the conditions anyway, or I cut it. It is the thickness of pot warp but really crappy poly line so not much threat to anyone's boat, maybe their dingy. Plus me or someone else is going to go back for it pretty quick, as in as soon as the storm abated or first ligtht. So the time it is sitting isn't a huge threat to save navigation anyway, especially on the edge of some anchorage.

The calm times, I have the option of releasing it any way, and marking it any way I see fit at the time. Large orange bouy, no line or buy at all as I have a great location fixed, etc...etc...

So with the exception of needing bolt cutters to cut my own or someone else's padlock, I am not so sure I really need them onboard after all.
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Old 09-08-2016, 06:56 AM   #37
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I have an old pair of 36 inch or so bolt cutters that I do keep on board. They are on the flying bridge, so not handy to the windlass, but can be grabbed in 30 seconds or less.

For 5/16 chain it's a struggle, but will cut it quick enough.

But...with all the talk of not splicing chain....not sure I would ever cut my chain unless it jammed somehow. Not sure how likely that is, and if the windlass jammed, I can just pry my chain up off the windlass probably easier than anything.

The times I see this happening are like anchoring in general. Either I have all the time in thevworld, so to speak, or it is a right now, panic situation.

The panic time, let her run, and either the light poly line will snap from the conditions anyway, or I cut it. It is the thickness of pot warp but really crappy poly line so not much threat to anyone's boat, maybe their dingy. Plus me or someone else is going to go back for it pretty quick, as in as soon as the storm abated or first ligtht. So the time it is sitting isn't a huge threat to save navigation anyway, especially on the edge of some anchorage.

The calm times, I have the option of releasing it any way, and marking it any way I see fit at the time. Large orange bouy, no line or buy at all as I have a great location fixed, etc...etc...

So with the exception of needing bolt cutters to cut my own or someone else's padlock, I am not so sure I really need them onboard after all.
Really good points. I guess the point of a hazard to navigation(possibly)never occurred to me as part of this discussion, so I guess a panpan to uscg might be in order. Psneeld, please respond, as you are the pro in this situation, good idea, or no. Tried to use spacebar, better?
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Old 09-08-2016, 07:24 AM   #38
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Where I boat between FL and NJ.....there are so many floats ot there, it would almost be comical to hear a pan pan about a float or few feet of floating line (which would depend on the diameter you used...that's why I chose mine to be similar or weaker than pot line).

Sure you could call it in...but again I have to wonder....how long is anyone here going to abandon their main anchor?

Unless I have an emergency where I am incapacitated, someone most likely me is headed back to try and retrieve it. If I can't get back right away, I will pay someone to go back and retrieve it or put a better marking on it, or get a good lat/long and cut the floating line off.
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Old 09-08-2016, 07:43 AM   #39
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I used a 36" bolt cutter maintaining a all chain (3/8") mooring and as a safety item when we sailed. Make a pair of 36" handle extensions, I used steel pipe and you can cut the chain much easier. They stow nicely along with the bolt cutter.
Leverage it's a good thing !
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:01 AM   #40
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I only had to cut an anchor rode one time. It was not my boat I was crewing with the new owner on a delivery from NC to Baltimore.
we had an impending tropical storm coming and he insisted on anchoring in a protected cove that was know to be full of stumps. (I think it was in the Alligator River?).
Yes we caught one with his Danforth.
No way we could get it out, we tried for about 20 minutes before giving up.
The only recourse was to cut and thankfully it was line because he did not have bolt cutters. Not sure he even had a hacksaw.
We moved to another area, not so well protected but more than adequate.
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