All Chain vs Chain and Line Anchor Rode

We need to replace our anchor rode on our 34' Mainship Pilot with a V700 Lewmar windlass. We are trying to decide between an all chain rode, 250' of 1/4" G4 chain, vs a 30' chain and 200' of 8 plait 1/2" line. Will be boating the inland rivers, Great Lakes, East Coast and Bahamas. Would appreciate hearing pros and cons and experiences you may have encountered. Thanks!!

Given the varied holding grounds, I think I'd go with 250' (for example) of chain... and back that up with another 100' (or maybe 200') of 8-plait. The extra rope would be about "what if" situations.

Around here, we just use a short 25' chain leader and 300' of 8-plait, but that's because of the mud here in the Chesapeake... and the time it takes to clean mud out of the chain... and there's aren't all that many rocks and so forth to saw against rope.

-Cris

I agree, but I would increase the chain to 50'

I'd go all chain. It can be a hassle handling different rodes on the windlass. That is, if weight isn't a major factor and a very long rode isn't needed. My boat is bow "light" so never see the need for a mixed rode.

Are you flying a black ball when anchored, if so good on you.

FWIW I owned a Pilot 34 for five years. But no matter, my comments are applicable to anyone who cruises in varied waters:


Chain has several big advantages:


1. The chain feeds easily into the windlass and down in the chain locker. I have yet to see a chain to rope splice that retrieved without human intervention.


2. Chain provides more weight to keep the shank of the anchor parallel with the bottom for better holding power.


3. Chain does not break if you wrap it around a rock and tug and pull on it all night long.


Some cons:


1. Chain is heavy. But your boat will be fine with 250' or so of 1/4" G4.


2. Chain costs more.


So go with the chain. Maybe only 200' backed with 150' of nylon for the really deep anchorages.



David

On the other hand, if you don't have a windlass and must recover the anchor by hand, I'd go with a boat-length of chain and the remainder of the rode in rope.

I did the Great Loop including Lake Superior, the inland rivers to the gulf, the AICW numerous times, but not the Bahamas. Don't think I've anchored in more than 50' of water and 95% of the time <30'. It's extremely rare for me to exceed 200' of chain.

All chain to 250' and add 100' of rope which adds no weight. If it doesn't effect the trim of the boat, can't beat all chain. The 100' of rope is your ace in the hole in case Mr. Murphy shows up.

Ted

Oh Lordie!!!!!

Let the fun begin.....

I’m with the 200’ chain plus 100’ of rope minimum camp. Unless you don’t have a windlass, then i’m In the 30’ chain and 250’ rope camp.

Boat length of chain camp.

David,
No “con” for chain pile falling over?

If you want to read about and learn from hundreds of experienced boaters about this - I strongly recommend utilizing TF's "Search" feature!

We have 300’ of chain with a bit of small stuff on the end so I can let go of the anchor in an emergency. We usuall anchor in 20 to 30’ so we don’t let out that much chain. But out anchor rode locker is deep enough that we don’t really have a pile that falls over.

First question you should be asking yourself...

Does your current windlass pull line rode under tension without excessive slipping in the same gypsy the chain goes in??

The answer to that question will drive your decision.

Art said:

If you want to read about and learn from hundreds of experienced boaters about this - I strongly recommend utilizing TF's "Search" feature!

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100%

ksanders said:

First question you should be asking yourself...

Does your current windlass pull line rode under tension without excessive slipping in the same gypsy the chain goes in??

The answer to that question will drive your decision.

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Good point Kevin...

ksanders said:

First question you should be asking yourself...



Does your current windlass pull line rode under tension without excessive slipping in the same gypsy the chain goes in??



The answer to that question will drive your decision.

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Agreed. If the gypsy will handle both line and chain, I’d go with a mixed rode.

dhays said:

Agreed. If the gypsy will handle both line and chain, I’d go with a mixed rode.

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I would do the same. The stretch of a line rode is nice in a gusty anchorage.

The challenge we have as boats get larger is finding a windlass that will handle both in the same gypsy.

One other thing to consider: I did have 100' of chain, mostly anchoring in less than 10' of water. Well, the chain rusted, and because of the depth of water it rusted out at about 60-75' -- thus rendering the entire length junk.

So, this time I bought 150' of chain (G4 1/4") and figure that when this one gets damaged I'll swap end for end, and pitch the rusty stuff.

I don't re-galvanize. I know some have had good luck with that. I'd rather budget for chain replacement. This is my home. I cannot afford for her to have a weak link.

Add a three-strand snubber, and buy the chain grabber made by Mantus. It is Superior. And yes, I did tie the rolling hitch for years. This chain grabber holds better/is easier to deploy. It was well worth the $$. Frankly their stainless gear is impressive.

I also have their swivel, which I like too. This is my first swivel and it seems much more robust than others I've seen.

Picture:

Chain will be needed for the Bahamas because of the coral.

Otherwise a few ft of heavy chain (need not go thru the windlass ) and all line does not need to be scrubbed clean daily before going below.

The stench of stuff dying in the mud left on the chain does not add to the cruise pleasure.

You can get away with mostly line and some chain in most places. On the northern Mississippi/Alabama/Florida gulf coast, that was all we used. Once I got to the Bahamas though, I realized you really needed all chain. All you have to do is walk barefoot across some coral, to see what it can do to line.

Your only alternative, is to anchor very carefully, with no coral heads anywhere near that your line can foul on.

Thank you all for your comments!! Decided to go all chain this time around. My backup anchor will have the combination chain rode. Thanks for reminding me about the muddy chain. Will have to figure out how to deal with that. Sammy

FF said:

Chain will be needed for the Bahamas because of the coral.

Otherwise a few ft of heavy chain (need not go thru the windlass ) and all line does not need to be scrubbed clean daily before going below.

The stench of stuff dying in the mud left on the chain does not add to the cruise pleasure.

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Well put!

Group9 said:

You can get away with mostly line and some chain in most places.
Once I got to the Bahamas though, I realized you really needed all chain. All you have to do is walk barefoot across some coral, to see what it can do to line.
Your only alternative, is to anchor very carefully, with no coral heads anywhere near that your line can foul on.

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I realize that the OP has already decided to go all-chain, but just to comment on above statement. I still think that if this Bahamas trip were an occasional, or one-time trip, then an alternative would be to anchor with floating line. Get the line OFF the bottom. Likely he'll be anchoring away from the crowds anyway. Polyprop won't rot in the sun in a couple of months. Or use some LuggerLine, which is superior to PP and still floats.

I won't tell you what to do but I'll say what I did.

I have a Lewmar 1000 with 120 ft of 5/16 chain and 240 ft of 5/8 Brait. The good folks at Defender recommended the 5/8 Brait over the 1/2 Brait to get a better bite on the line in the gypsy. I'm glad I did!

For anchoring in 30 ft or less, I essentially have an all chain rode. When I want more, I let out some of the line rode to get the length I need. It works great and the bow handles the load just fine.

My anchor system has been battle tested in real world conditions with regular anchoring for sturgeon fishing and even held my 34 LRC with a 60 Hatt stuck on the bow during a SF Fleet Week allision. I'm sold on its performance and strength.

sammy999 said:

Thank you all for your comments!! Decided to go all chain this time around. My backup anchor will have the combination chain rode. Thanks for reminding me about the muddy chain. Will have to figure out how to deal with that. Sammy

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Time to invest in a raw water washdown pump and spray wand. Regardless of whether you use rope or chain, there is always chain and an anchor that need to be demudded.

Ted

"Thanks for reminding me about the muddy chain. Will have to figure out how to deal with that. "

"Time to invest in a raw water wash down pump and spray wand."

Yes but what setup?

A 1 1/2 or better 2 inch Jabsco belted on the engine or noisemaker makes the pressure and volume to make short work of even sticky mud.

Second choice might be a 120v house well pump (inverter or noisemaker powered).
Either , with a few valves could function as bilge pump or fire pump.

Most boat deck wash pumps are puny and expensive.

I've got a freshwater spigot in a bow locker and 100 gallons of wateer on-board. It's ok for light chain washing, but for a few days worth of anchoring on the Chesapeake... I'm starting to want a raw water setup for it.

wkearney99 said:

I've got a freshwater spigot in a bow locker and 100 gallons of wateer on-board. It's ok for light chain washing, but for a few days worth of anchoring on the Chesapeake... I'm starting to want a raw water setup for it.

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When we bought it, our boat was also set up with fresh water wash down at the bow. But this is a horrible waste of precious fresh water. A couple of years ago I installed a 6gpm 60 psi pump just for anchor wash down and it's a godsend. In fact, I'll be using it later this morning as we weigh anchor to head home. We are anchored in 60' of water that has a very sticky mud bottom. It takes a lot of water at decent pressure to get all the mud from the chain.

Ken

I installed a 7 GPM 60 psi 12 VDC pump and added a pressure wand that works well on mud. Mine was a long run from the engine room to the windlass. Using 1" hose ensured no loss in pressure or volume.

Keep thinking about an inexpensive pressure washer. The water flow is a lot less, but the pressure would be spectacular. Pretty sure it would run off the inveter. Hmmm...

Ted