Recommendations for a new windlass

I know I've done rants and raves about how stupid all chain rodes are but in your case HT 1/4" chain is rated at 500 lbs more working load than 5/16" econo chain. With that weight savings you could have all chain and NO splice. Just a thought.

Good comment Eric; I'll ask about that tomorrow. What may get in the way of that is that Rocna recommends HT in any event and I'm not sure if 1/4' chain will work in the windlass. But we'll see. Good to ask these questions before commiting for sure.

Well there isn't just HT and LT chain and of course there's the matching chain and gypsy sprocket. But to build your system changing the sprocket shouldn't be that much of a deal. Here's what I just snatched off West Marine's specs.

Proof Coil***** 1/4"***** SWL 1250**** Breaking strength 3000

Grade 40 HT* 1/4"***** SWL 2600**** BS** 7750

Grade 70****** 1/4"***** SWL 3150**** BS** 9450

Do you think you could experience more than 3 or 4000lbs tension on your rode?
I'm not nuts about the splice rig either. Your boat is probably lighter than mine
but w more windage. Should require about the same and I think 1/4" proof coil is not strong enough but I would feel fine w the HT.

Conrad wrote:

...and I'm not sure if 1/4' chain will work in the windlass.

Click to expand...

If you're going to be buying chain one thing that might be worth doing is ask the supplier to whack off a short length of whatever chain it is that you want to buy. Then take that short length and make sure it fits correctly into the wildcat on the windlass.* Or you can bring the wildcat (or the whole windlass if you haven't mounted it yet) to the chain supplier.*

There have been times--- this happened to Carey of this forum-- that even though the chain was of x-size, and the wildcat on the windlass was stamped for x-size, the chain did not, in fact, fit the wildcat properly.* It was close, but under strain it would hop or slip in the wildcat.

When we replaced the old rusted chain that came with our boat the supplier on his own cut off a short length of what we were proposing to buy and told us to go check it on the boat's*windlass and report back what we found.* It fit so we went ahead with the purchase.* Had it not fit, the supplier would have helped us determine the solution.*

-- Edited by Marin on Wednesday 16th of February 2011 10:56:58 PM

Marin wrote:

*
Conrad wrote:

...and I'm not sure if 1/4' chain will work in the windlass.

Click to expand...

If you're going to be buying chain one thing that might be worth doing is ask the supplier to whack off a short length of whatever chain it is that you want to buy. Then take that short length and make sure it fits correctly into the wildcat on the windlass.* Or you can bring the wildcat (or the whole windlass if you haven't mounted it yet) to the chain supplier.*

There have been times--- this happened to Carey of this forum-- that even though the chain was of x-size, and the wildcat on the windlass was stamped for x-size, the chain did not, in fact, fit the wildcat properly.* It was close, but under strain it would hop or slip in the wildcat.

When we replaced the old rusted chain that came with our boat the supplier on his own cut off a short length of what we were proposing to buy and told us to go check it on the boat's*windlass and report back what we found.* It fit so we went ahead with the purchase.* Had it not fit, the supplier would have helped us determine the solution.*

-- Edited by Marin on Wednesday 16th of February 2011 10:56:58 PMWhat Marin says is correct. Take your wildcat to the store. If the chain doesn't lay perfectly for one full revolution, it will likely slip. Your manual should indicate what chain to buy, but just to be sure... I bought chain for mine, and it was correctly sized, but it was of foreign manufacture. My gypsy must have domestic chain. So much for standardization.

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Carey wrote:

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Marin wrote:

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Conrad wrote:

...and I'm not sure if 1/4' chain will work in the windlass.

Click to expand...

If you're going to be buying chain one thing that might be worth doing is ask the supplier to whack off a short length of whatever chain it is that you want to buy. Then take that short length and make sure it fits correctly into the wildcat on the windlass.* Or you can bring the wildcat (or the whole windlass if you haven't mounted it yet) to the chain supplier.*

There have been times--- this happened to Carey of this forum-- that even though the chain was of x-size, and the wildcat on the windlass was stamped for x-size, the chain did not, in fact, fit the wildcat properly.* It was close, but under strain it would hop or slip in the wildcat.

When we replaced the old rusted chain that came with our boat the supplier on his own cut off a short length of what we were proposing to buy and told us to go check it on the boat's*windlass and report back what we found.* It fit so we went ahead with the purchase.* Had it not fit, the supplier would have helped us determine the solution.*

-- Edited by Marin on Wednesday 16th of February 2011 10:56:58 PMWhat Marin says is correct. Take your wildcat to the store. If the chain doesn't lay perfectly for one full revolution, it will likely slip. Your manual should indicate what chain to buy, but just to be sure... I bought chain for mine, and it was correctly sized, but it was of foreign manufacture. My gypsy must have domestic chain. So much for standardization.

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Hi folks; the deed is done after discussing it with my supplier today. The windlass, 5/16 HT chain, and rode c/w splice are all coming from the same supplier, Western Marine, so I expect that they will match. *I hope. I do like the suggestion of getting a sample of the cahin and trying it on the gypsy though.*We discussed the idea of going with the 1/4 HT but in the end decided, before we even got to the point of determining if it was possible, that we preferred the 5/16th for the extra weight it would provide at anchor. (I.e., caternary/catenary, however you spell it!)*

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Windage does matter , but its the shock loads that part the chain.

When the boat is being tossed back HARD against the anchor , the loads go way! up.

A rode rider (or a better anchorage ) is one cure.

A thin stretchy extra line with the chain hanging* also works , and can be rigged quickly .

-- Edited by FF on Thursday 17th of February 2011 06:04:18 AM

Conrad wrote:(I.e., caternary/catenary, however you spell it!

Click to expand...

" catenary"...* See the little "ABC with a check mark " & a box around it, click on
it and it will show you* all your misspelled words by underlining those words
with a red wavy line. Now if you click on the red wavy lines & select the word
you want, the words will be spelled correctly.

Please don't take this as an "affront" to your spelling but rather as something I
discovered quite awhile ago and am really impressed with.




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FF wrote:

Windage does matter , but its the shock loads that part the chain.

When the boat is being tossed back HARD against the anchor , the loads go way! up.

A rode rider (or a better anchorage ) is one cure.

A thin stretchy extra line with the chain hanging* also works , and can be rigged quickly .

-- Edited by FF on Thursday 17th of February 2011 06:04:18 AM

Click to expand...

Thanks FF. Not sure what a rode rider is, but part our anchoring approach will be the routine use of a snubber for noise elimination and, as you say, shock reduction on the chain. As this will be our first regular experience with "all chain", we still have some fine tuning to do. Will not be using a chain stopper.

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SeaHorse II wrote:

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Conrad wrote:(I.e., caternary/catenary, however you spell it!

Click to expand...

" catenary"...* See the little "ABC with a check mark " & a box around it, click on
it and it will show you* all your misspelled words by underlining those words
with a red wavy line. Now if you click on the red wavy lines & select the word
you want, the words will be spelled correctly.

Please don't take this as an "affront" to your spelling but rather as something I
discovered quite awhile ago and am really impressed with.




*




*

Thanks Seahorse - no affront taken! I appreciate the tip. Whether I remember to use it the future is another story!*

catenary... yup it works, which I wouldn't have guessed, given the rather rare use of the word.

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A rode rider is a nice 2 part bronze shoe that is clipped over the anchor line and fitted with a 20-40 lb of weight (lead usually) .

It has a thin line to lower it down on the anchor line , almost to the bottom.

As the vessel is blown back in a gust , the weight on the line is lifted and causes the shock loads to be much lower, as to go taut out the anchor line has to support the 40lbs .

Defender Industries should have it in their catalog.

Is that the same as a Sentiniel or Kellet? I've been looking for one ....thanks.

Yes it is Eric, and the 'anchor buddy' Rex told you about is also one of those, but it has a grooved pulley wheel which runs down the rode, and a version for all chain. Not to be confused with a type of stretchy anchor rode in the US also called an anchor buddy, I noticed in one of the links from the dinghy anchor thread.