Freefall or power down anchoring?

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

That's why we sometimes buy different things. We have different needs.

I have only 180' of rode so I wouldn't do well where you are boating. I do fine where I boat and have never used the entire length.

You are correct. I carry 550 feet of chain rode.....

 

[psneeld]

I only have freefall... Can I wire up a reverse polarity circuit to power down?

depends on your windlass....

 

[Montenido]

All my previous boats had freefall only on the windlasses. My newest boat has power down, but I can freefall like some of you by using the clutch. So far I haven't used the freefall, but I do miss initially dropping my anchor to the bottom this way. I will try it next time to see if it improves anything for me. One nice feature about the power-down is that I can deploy they anchor from the flybridge if needed. Like some of the others, I usually anchor in less than 25' in the Sea of Cortez, so speed of deployment is not an issue.

Cheers, Bill

 

[caltexflanc]

I only have freefall... Can I wire up a reverse polarity circuit to power down?

Ask the windlass manufacturer. Some motors are not reversible.

 

[Bob Cofer]

Ebbtide has either option and we use them as the situation dictates. I prefer to free-fall with the clutch. We have a Quick 1000.

 

[markpierce]

We don't freefall as it would require loosening the clutch (which would need to be tightened when recovering anchor) and preference to avoid dropping the chain in a pile. Play out the chain as the boat draws away from the anchor point.

 

[AKDoug]

Having a mixed rode I can slip the nylon out of my chainwheel and loop it around my Sampson post to free fall it when anchoring really deep for halibut fishing (200'+). If I want to hit my spot (in the current) powering down is too slow, it only happens a few times a season.

Otherwise I always power down. I think with my LoFrans I would have to disengage the clutch completely, not aware of a free fall option on a Project 1000. My Sampson post is in an optimal position for slipping the chainwheel for free fall. I hate to anchor that deep, but the fishing is much more successful anchored than drifting for halibut.

 

[Peter B]

Mine doesn't. Free fall is a $100 option, something I didn't (and still don't) think is necessary or useful for where and how I anchor.

One thing I find my self doing from time to time is lowering the anchor back down to clean off mud and weeds. I don't want to lower it to the bottom again, just to below the surface of the water. I can go up and down as needed.

If I were anchoring in 100' of water, free fall might be nice. Typically, I'm in 20' or less so powering down works well for me.

My feelings exactly. I often do that to lose mud as well. My anchor has the free fall option, in fact the PO had the power down added, and with good reason. I'm glad he did. I never use free fall. The power down is plenty fast enough. I can't foresee a time when I would ever need free fall.

 

[dhays]

You are correct. I carry 550 feet of chain rode.....

I have 300 and occasionally have wished for more. I will likely add some nylon three strand for those rare occasions.

 

[dhays]

We don't freefall as it would require loosening the clutch (which would need to be tightened when recovering anchor) and preference to avoid dropping the chain in a pile. Play out the chain as the boat draws away from the anchor point.

It is possible to play out chain just using the clutch as the boat backs away from the anchor.

 

[caltexflanc]

We don't freefall as it would require loosening the clutch (which would need to be tightened when recovering anchor) and preference to avoid dropping the chain in a pile. Play out the chain as the boat draws away from the anchor point.

Your clutch isn't adjustable? You make it sound like it is "on" or "off". What windlass do you have? Why not just tighten it when the anchor is set or at least once it has hit bottom?

 

[Knot Salted]

I have a Maxwell VCW 3500. It does both. I tend to free fall initially and I control the speed if I am in 60+ feet of water. My chain is marked, so when I hit the bottom I know it and we start backing down. Once I get about an additional 60 feet of rode out we set the anchor. Then once I get the rest of the rode out (electrical) we set again. So I use both options on my windlass.

After looking into several vert and horizontal units, I am leaning toward the Maxwell HRC8 for ease of installation and good reviews. Not heavy duty, but practical for our boat, and much better than the very old powerwinch. Has both power down and freefall...

Thanks.

 

[Peter B]

It is possible to play out chain just using the clutch as the boat backs away from the anchor.

Your clutch isn't adjustable? You make it sound like it is "on" or "off". What windlass do you have? Why not just tighten it when the anchor is set or at least once it has hit bottom?

To answer both of you, in case Mark does not return, the real issue is you can do it, but why bother..? Because I suspect Mark, and most others, like myself, do all the anchoring from the helm, where you have total control of up and down, also where you are, via the GPS, and how deep it is via sonar, and control of direction of the boat, without having to delegate this to someone else who is not as familiar with the whole business, often with shouting to and fro. Then, one only need go forward when the final set is achieved, to put the snubber on.

There is also the issue of mucking around with the clutch, and the risk of it slipping later because it was not tightened well enough last time it was loosened to free fall. Mine requires nipping up with a bar lever to be really tight. Too many possibilities for 'issues' in my view, and presumably that of others..?

 

[Nightsky]

It is possible to play out chain just using the clutch as the boat backs away from the anchor.

Yes. Most that say they free fall chain actually control the fall rate with the clutch. Back the boat up to prevent chain from dumping on the anchor.

 

[Peter B]

Yes. Most that say they free fall chain actually control the fall rate with the clutch. Back the boat up to prevent chain from dumping on the anchor.

And therein lies the problem with free fall, as I see it. It requires two to tango, and the one doing the backing up is often not the one most used to driving the boat, and frankly I won't let anyone else take the responsibility of being out on the foredeck getting their hands anywhere near the revolving winch gypsy, to do the clutch control. Basically, the skipper can't be in two places at once, and it is my impression that in most boating couples, the wife or partner is usually not all that keen to get that close and personal with this gear, although clearly there are exceptions, eg Donna, and Pineapple Girl. But facts are facts, not political correctness, right..?

 

[Nightsky]

Yes, it takes 2 of us as I don't have remote from the helm so I am at the anchor and my wife is at the helm. She has no problem following my hand signals (don't have comm headsets ) to put either or both engines in reverse while I pay the chain out. This works for us.

 

[Lepke]

In an emergency, freefall gets the anchor where you need it a lot quicker.

 

[OldDan1943]

Thoughts and opinions on windlass types?

Free fall or power down. I guess that all depends on if you want a pile of chain on the sea floor. CHUCKLE

 

[psneeld]

Its not an all or slow option.

Some windlasses can control the descent fast so that it is way faster than power down, yet still under control. Controlling it so that it matches your drift rate isn't a bad or hard thing, no pile of chain and the anchor doesn't get tugged along if you have a fast drift rate and your power down is slow.

If you are single engine, its nice to know you can get the anchor down fast if you lose that engine in a swift current and wind in a confined area.

I am not sure anyone is saying it's the best way all the time, just better in some cases.

 

[OldDan1943]

Its not an all or slow option.

Some windlasses can control the descent fast so that it is way faster than power down, yet still under control. Controlling it so that it matches your drift rate isn't a bad or hard thing, no pile of chain and the anchor doesn't get tugged along if you have a fast drift rate and your power down is slow.

If you are single engine, its nice to know you can get the anchor down fast if you lose that engine in a swift current and wind in a confined area.

I am not sure anyone is saying it's the best way all the time, just better in some cases.

Yup, a manually operated clutch.

 

[O C Diver]

My Ideal windlass has free fall but no brake, only the clutch. Intellectually I have a problem with using the clutch and stationary gears as a breaking system. Think that's part of why we use snubbers instead of the windlass at anchor. The good news is the Ideal seems to spool out at about 3 times as fast as it spools in, so powering down isn't an issue.

Ted

 

[Larry M]

...Some windlasses can control the descent fast so that it is way faster than power down, yet still under control. Controlling it so that it matches your drift rate isn't a bad or hard thing, no pile of chain and the anchor doesn't get tugged along if you have a fast drift rate and your power down is slow.

If you are single engine, its nice to know you can get the anchor down fast if you lose that engine in a swift current and wind in a confined area...

As I said in an earlier post our windless is slow. Trying to get get the anchor down in 60’ of water, with any wind, with other boats around and a single screw, forget doing it electrically. We’re able to control the deployment via the clutch very easily. We use the down foot switch mostly for attaching the snubber or to asjust the rode length. We’ve been doing this for over 20 years. Not once has the chain jumped of the gypsy or has Lena ever been injured.

 

[caltexflanc]

Teaching an average intelligence person how to run the helm when anchoring is about a 15 minute job. We too use simple hand signals.

I guess if you are a single handler with only occasional guests rather than a regular crew mate, it's a different matter, but personally I still don't get. Some sort of controlled free fall would be an advantage in my opinion... get the boat in position drop the anchor to the bottom quickly, go back to the helm to pay out line... usually the prevailing wind will drift the boat gently back for you anyway. To each their own.

 

[psneeld]

As I said in an earlier post our windless is slow. Trying to get get the anchor down in 60’ of water, with any wind, with other boats around and a single screw, forget doing it electrically. We’re able to control the deployment via the clutch very easily. We use the down foot switch mostly for attaching the snubber or to asjust the rode length. We’ve been doing this for over 20 years. Not once has the chain jumped of the gypsy or has Lena ever been injured.

The problem with hardly ever using them, at least the ones with bronze cone clutches like my Vetus, is any corrosion or salt in them makes them sticky and harder to smoothly control the fall.

At 40 feet per minute, isn't that like less than a half knot? So if your drift is more than that, you probably should hold your drift to near that, otherwise you are piling your chain or dragging your anchor and possibly picking up debris.

I know, no one ever seems to have a problem dropping their anchor in the right spot and it holds first time every time...... so all moot points....

 

[Roger Long]

We bought a boat with an old Vetus manual windlass and its replacement was the first thing on my list of upgrades. After using it for a while, I love it. I keep one of those short aluminum brush handles handy next to it. It slips over the spokes of the clutch wheel making it easier to work and keeping my hand away from the chain. Dropping the anchor is easy. Once the anchor starts down, I take up a bit on the clutch to slow it down. Stop when it hits the bottom, wait for the boat to start drifting back with wind or current, and then adjust the clutch so the chain lays out along the bottom. It's easier to do this with the clutch than with the single speed of electric pay out on our previous boat.

Getting the anchor up has become my morning exercise. I often do it in stages if there is a lot of chain out. I start every day with a nice exercise glow.

 

[klee wyck]

Klee Wyck has a Lofrans Tigre and we have always powered down and up. I have never looked into what options it has, I just thought that is how you did it.

The windlass on Libra is pictured below and only has power up and free fall down. The free fall is controlled by the brake that you see controlled by the vertical handle to the left in the photo. We do not have enough experience with it to comment intelligently yet but in learning how it works and practicing, I have been impressed at how you can control or feather the rate of decent and the resistance needed to pay out more chain. Nothing flying around for sure. I think I am going to like it.

 

[O C Diver]

That's a nice bell!

Ted

 

[bayview]

power down is the only way to go with chain. If the water is deep enough the weight of suspended chain already out will pull it all out

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

After looking into several vert and horizontal units, I am leaning toward the Maxwell HRC8 for ease of installation and good reviews. Not heavy duty, but practical for our boat, and much better than the very old powerwinch. Has both power down and freefall...

Thanks.

We got ours from Defender.

 

[FlyWright]

And therein lies the problem with free fall, as I see it. It requires two to tango, and the one doing the backing up is often not the one most used to driving the boat, and frankly I won't let anyone else take the responsibility of being out on the foredeck getting their hands anywhere near the revolving winch gypsy, to do the clutch control. Basically, the skipper can't be in two places at once, and it is my impression that in most boating couples, the wife or partner is usually not all that keen to get that close and personal with this gear, although clearly there are exceptions, eg Donna, and Pineapple Girl. But facts are facts, not political correctness, right..?

I guess if you are a single handler with only occasional guests rather than a regular crew mate, it's a different matter, but personally I still don't get. Some sort of controlled free fall would be an advantage in my opinion... get the boat in position drop the anchor to the bottom quickly, go back to the helm to pay out line... usually the prevailing wind will drift the boat gently back for you anyway. To each their own.

I anchor single-handed multiple times every time I go out comfort-fishing. There's nothing easier than 1-finger anchoring while at the helm wearing slippers. My self-deploying anchor-roller requires no kick-off to start the deployment process. I don't need a snubber in the short-term, benign conditions I often fish in. When it's time to change spots, it's 1-finger retrieval.

I don't see the point in involving another person into the mix. Occasionally I'll have someone onboard who REALLY WANTS to help. I'll ask that person to spray the chain and anchor on retrieval with the washdown hose. It makes them feel like they're helping.