Anchoring Question

Don't freak out, this is a question about anchoring technique not anchors.

When I set my anchor and then attach a chain hook I always let out a significant length of chain to form a downward loop the weight of which bears on the chain hook keeping it firmly attached. The chain hook is attached to 2 snubber lines that go back to two bow cleats forming a "vee." Should the dangling loop of chain fall outside of, or inside of the "vee?"

I work to keep it inside, to avoid chafe as the boat horses around. Does it really make a difference? Beats me!

We always have the chain loop hang nside the V. We use a V-bridle as a snubber, not a single line with a chain hook. This reduces (a little, not a lot) the boat's yawing back and forth.

So we use a chain grab plate with the two legs of the bridle shackled to the corners. We fasten the plate to the chain rode with the slot facing up and the loop hanging down between the plate and the bow. So there is no twist in anything.

When we retrieve the anchor the plate falls off the chain on its own when rhe loop is pulled out of the chain and swings down on the bridle to hang out of the way under the bow.

When the anchor is up and stowed we retrieve the snubber bridle.

What George said.

The chain should hang between the "V" formed by the snubber lines.

Ok, thanks to all. Between the lines it shall be.

Inside is preferred , but use a size 4 bronze snap shackel and have no fear of it falling off.

Yeh agree we always have the chain on the inside between the snubber lines.

Cheers Chris D Liberty

I use a single snubber line

jleonard said:

I use a single snubber line

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Don't be apologetic. 90% of boaters do, (as do I), and it works just as well, and is a bit simpler to set up and retrieve. More to the point, unless you have hawse openings in the bulwarks either side of the bow, which many don't, the chafing of a bridle system, (over the cap rail), as opposed to no chafing with a single snubber line over the bow roller, (or one next to it as I use), is the preferred way.

Just to give an opposing view...

I always anchor with a chain plate facing back held by a bridle attached on both sides of the bow. I never let the bridle or chain grabber go below the water line. I never could find a mathematical/physics advantage of doing that and yet there are multiple disadvantages of keeping the line and gear under water. In 13 years of doing it, the chain plate has fallen off one or two times due to extreme calm conditions. The key, I think, is pulling the bridle a little tighter so the chain doesn't hang completely vertical. That might not work with some bows but it's pretty perfect on ours.

On a related topic, there seems to be many people who think that using a bridle reduces the need for additional scope believing that the distance from the bow/cleats/hawseholes to the water can be removed from the scope calculation. Unfortunately, a bridle will not reduce scope needs and larger bows will often result in many boats being under scoped if they believe ignore the bow height.

jleonard said:

I use a single snubber line

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jleonard,
Appearently your boat dosn't swing or "sail" at anchor .. or you are immune to it?

manyboats said:

jleonard,
Appearently your boat dosn't swing or "sail" at anchor .. or you are immune to it?

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In some cases I find an offset single snubber line can stop a boat from sailing much better than a bridle does.

manyboats said:

jleonard,
Appearently your boat dosn't swing or "sail" at anchor .. or you are immune to it?

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Sure it does, but it also does when I used a double snubber thru the hawse holes.
I find a single more effective at taking up shock, and it's so much simpler and easier to rig (for me).
I use 1/2 inch 3 strand nylon. Yes I have a second ready in case it really blows, and I have a 5/8 snubber as a backup.
And the hook is always below the waterline by the way.

as opposed to no chafing with a single snubber line over the bow roller, (or one next to it as I use), is the preferred way. __________________

Another l preferred way is to attach the snubber to a bow eye , just above the WL tpo increase the scope.

Have a choice of a light and heavier snubber line fixed and be sure it wont reach the shaft or prop if it goes overboard.

Softest ride is with the thinnest line ,,1/4 should be first attempt under 40 ft.

jleonard said:

I use a single snubber line

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I too use a single snubber line and find it holds the boat at a slight angle to wind and greatly reduces sailing.

I've mentioned this before, but it won't hurt to repeat our experience with either a double or single snubber. We have used a double on a KK42 that has a tendency to swing more than other trawlers. With the anchor chain hanging down in a loop between the bow and the chain hook when the boat swings the chain loop fetches up against the snubber. Trying to sleep while the chain links go bong, bong, bong on a taught snubber is only for the dead. After three days of that experience we never used a double snubber setup again. Perhaps if the snubber line had been of larger diameter the noise would have been less but then that defeats the purpose of an "elastic" snubber. YMMV.

FF said:

Another l preferred way is to attach the snubber to a bow eye , just above the WL tpo increase the scope.

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Preferred by whom?? You? So that in an emergency it can't be reached from deck? This is a horrible idea and one I've never seen anyone use.

If you start dragging, your %$%@#@

Shrew said:

Preferred by whom?? You? So that in an emergency it can't be reached from deck? This is a horrible idea and one I've never seen anyone use.

If you start dragging, your %$%@#@

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Here's a 40' Nordhavn with one. I think it's more common than you think.

Shrew said:

Preferred by whom?? You? So that in an emergency it can't be reached from deck? This is a horrible idea and one I've never seen anyone use.

If you start dragging, your %$%@#@

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Why??

CamanoFolks said:

With the anchor chain hanging down in a loop between the bow and the chain hook when the boat swings the chain loop fetches up against the snubber. .

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We let our chain grab plate down on our V-bridle snubber about ten feet or more under the water. We then feed out a long loop of chain that we let hang down to perhaps 15 or 20 feet under the water. The chain hangs straight down from the pulpit and then comes back up to the chain grab.

Even when the boat yaws back and forth, no chain gets near the two lines of the V-bridle because the only part of the chain loop that is between the bridle legs is the first section, the one dropping straight down from the pulpit.

As the boat moves around, the relative positions of the chain dropping down from the pulpit and the two legs of the bridle never change no matter which direction the boat is pointing. So they never come in contact with each other and I'm not sure that they ever even could.

But perhaps the positioning situation is different on other bow configurations.

Larry M said:

Here's a 40' Nordhavn with one. I think it's more common than you think.

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It's not even remotely "common". Just look around most any anchorage. You very rarely see it.

Shrew said:

Preferred by whom?? You? So that in an emergency it can't be reached from deck? This is a horrible idea and one I've never seen anyone use.

If you start dragging, your %$%@#@

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No, if done correctly you don't have any of those problems.

We run a 3 strand snubber through the bow eye then back up, so when deployed its pulling the boat from the eye, but is adjustable from the bow.

Capt.Bill11 said:

It's not even remotely "common". Just look around most any anchorage. You very rarely see it.

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Looking out the pilot house window yesterday afternoon.

I like the looks of this and have one on order along with our new Mantus anchor:

Mantus Anchors | Mantus Chain Hook - Mantus Anchors

Larry M said:

Looking out the pilot house window yesterday afternoon.

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Note, I didn't say you never see it. But you know as well as I that that you rarely see it compared to the standard set up.

Don't think I mentioned a bow eye, just the loop of chaining hanging down from the bow pulpit to the chain snubber. That said I have seen numerous boats with a bow eye. On some I noticed that they had a loop of line that ran from cleats on either side of the bow pulpit. To deploy the chain snubber one leg of the loop attached to the anchor chain the other was kept tied off to the boat. Would be easy to adjust and retrieve. Never used one but seemed like a useful idea. Don't think it would be any more of a problem if you drag than casting off a double snubber arraignment. Besides, if one had the choice, who would anchor where dragging would put the boat in danger?

jlenord and boatpoker,
I've been thinking of trying this and now certianly will.
Thanks

CamanoFolks said:

Besides, if one had the choice, who would anchor where dragging would put the boat in danger?

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And in a perfect world, the wind would never clock 180, all your anchorages would be empty ones, no one would anchor to close or down wind of you, etc., etc.