Advise on anchor/tow line

[magna 6882]

I was following another thread regarding getting a tow and it got me thinking about a tow line. I have dock lines and a 3/8 x 200 line on the spool. I have a max well windlass with 300ft of 5/16 chain.

I was thinking it might be an idea to get a 5/8 x 300 plait nylon anchor line that would be compatible with the windlass and i do have a spare anchor.
Could i then use that line for a tow?
Do you guys ever need to set two anchors?
If you set two how does that work?

 

[jimdavi]

I have 150 ft of 3/4 line set aside for towing/misc.

 

[rslifkin]

I'd tend towards double braid for a tow line, as it's a bit less stretchy. I've been considering putting together a dedicated to bridle and line rig, but currently I'd use a few dock lines to make a bridle (or 2, depending on the other boat involved), and then if I needed a tow leg longer than my longest dock line (50' 5/8" double braid), I'd pull out the 200 foot (also 5/8" double braid) second anchor line.



If I went for a dedicated tow line, I might go up to 3/4" and let the bridle legs do more of the shock absorption to avoid excessive stretch with a lot of line out. On something the size of an NP45, I'd definitely plan 3/4" for a tow line, although 5/8" bridle legs should be adequate.

 

[psneeld]

Unless short towing or an extremely heavy tow, in rougher conditions, a couple hundred feet of 3/4 double braided nylon will have enough catenary from wet weight to absorb shock loads.. The rhythm of lifting it (with a bit of stretching) and its weight pulled the tow well.

After some years where I worked,, we switched to polyester towline that had little stretch, but by using the wet catenary, avoided shock loading. What was nice was that it would shed water quick enough, it didn't weigh so much to retrieve by hand. Plus, much less to no snap back if something failed.

 

[magna 6882]

What are you guys thoughts about a spare anchor line.

 

[fgarriso]

200-300' of nylon with 50' of chain

 

[psneeld]

Anchor lines and towing hawsers are 2 different things...

My reference to using an anchor line for towing is an example of using what is at hand versus a preferred line.

 

[O C Diver]

Do you guys ever need to set two anchors?
If you set two how does that work?

Setting 2 anchors isn't as easy as it sounds. If you plan to do it, read some articles and practice before you need it. Had a boat this fall coming drifting by me when his attempt failed and he fouled both anchors together. I've never encountered a situation where one wasn't sufficient.

Ted

 

[trawlercap]

When called to tow another vessel, we always used their anchor, with our line attached attached just above it the anchor stock. Let out as much chain as the towed boat had, then adjusted with line from our boat. Often I had them rig a bridle on the towed boat to prevent yawing. The weight of anchor and chain, combined with the solid tow point made for a survivable set up. Adjust the length of the tow line to make boats vessels rise and drop in rhythm. You will snap anything if you get out of sync bad enough. We did this in most any conditions (Bering Sea) all 100+ foot boats.
As usual I'm going off bad conditions, if its flat, just throw them a line...

 

[rgano]

Unlike the 2-inch plow steel wire I used on the salvage tug which was equipped with a MASSIVE towing engine (winch) which maintained a constant tension, when I set up to tow anything with my private vessel, I know three things. 1) The towed vessel with not outweigh my boat. 2) The tow with last no more than a couple of hours or I'm not hooking up - I will stand by and let the crew swim to me if necessary (really unlikely with our boating). 3) I will risk neither my wife nor my boat. We do not boat in adverse conditions and our tows tend to be light vessels with inexperienced crew who get themselves in over their heads. So the line we use tends to be in the fifty-foot range and 5/8" or less. I do keep a bridle aboard. To be towed I take the line TowBoatUS tosses me - don't ask.

 

[magna 6882]

Thanks for the input. Being new to Puget sound boating i am still trying to figure out what items i should have on board. The covid has limited my ability to socialize with the boating community.

 

[rgano]

Thanks for the input. Being new to Puget sound boating i am still trying to figure out what items i should have on board. The covid has limited my ability to socialize with the boating community.

Ha! It's pretty unlimited here!

 

[magna 6882]

I know . Thats whats been so nice about this forum.

 

[Spinner]

Second anchor line question, unless you are always within range of a dock, I would carry a complete second ground tackle set-up. Anchor, chain and line. How that’s configured will probably depend on your boat configuration and windlass.

My windlass has a chain-only gypsy on one side that dumps straight into the starboard anchor locker.

The port side has a deck opening and a rope drum. So my port side locker has about 325 feet of brait spliced to 40 feet of chain. The second anchor is ready to attach once the end of the chain is pulled up on deck. I can either (wince) try and run the short chain over the rope drum or pull it by hand until I get to the brait.

It’s not ideal but I figure it will do...

 

[rsn48]

Some suggest you purchase line that floats for towing so that line doesn't sink into the area of your boats prop.

 

[fgarriso]

Some suggest you purchase line that floats for towing so that line doesn't sink into the area of your boats prop.

Yes if I was rigging a bridal or tow line for a 50' boat I would use 1" braided nylon YELLOW line. The yellow so it would be visible and the nylon so it would float.

 

[rgano]

I know . Thats whats been so nice about this forum.

In 2000 my wife told me I was going to be a lost soul with nobody to talk to about boats when I moved the trawler out of the marina and into its brand new covered slip behind the house we had just bought. But she was discounting the Trawlers and Trawlering email list which evolved into this forum and other boating interests like FB, which I just don't like for a format, and the now defunct Yahoo group for Mainship when I bought this boat.

 

[Moby Nick]

I ALWAYS use Polypropylene line for towing our dinghy. It floats if I let the line go slack and so it won't be caught in the prop.

 

[jgwinks]

Commercial towers or the CG will not use a disabled boat's tow line, they don't trust it. If you get a tow from Joe Boater, you should furnish all the gear for the same reason. So if you have a towing subscription and their coverage is good in your area, it's less important to carry your own. As mentioned above the CG doesn't do much towing anymore, they're legally prohibited from competing with any commercial service and they apply this to volunteers as well. In life threatening situations they will respond but most likely will just take you off the boat and let commercial tow it in later. They do rescue, not salvage.
As for a second anchor, setting a stern anchor can help when wind and current tend to hold the boat beam to the seas so it's worthwhile carrying one. If that rode all rope then it can easily be used for towing if necessary. And in some areas like Lake Huron's North Channel it's common to set a bow anchor and a stern line ashore to a tree or something. Another use for a second anchor line.

 

[koliver]

Some suggest you purchase line that floats for towing so that line doesn't sink into the area of your boats prop.

When new to boating, I joined a small cruising/sailing club. We had an annual prizegiving. The most frequent cause of prizewinning for the "bent prop" prize was so-called "Floating painters" that inevitably were caught in the prop of the mother ship.

Poly also fails early if left out in the sun.

That said, I keep a poly towline aboard. 3/4" with a bridle spliced into one end that will fit my stern and a single 12" eye in the other.

 

[FlyWright]

Thanks for the input. Being new to Puget sound boating i am still trying to figure out what items i should have on board. The covid has limited my ability to socialize with the boating community.

Using the Search feature on this forum can yield many discussions about onboard equipment. Enjoy the hunt!!

 

[C lectric]

I've towed a few boats, always smaller than ours, smaller more by happenstance than plan.

I carry a dedicated 125' line for that of polypropylene,, bright orange and white stripes so it hopefully is visible. ALso with a white fender secured about midway again for visibility. It lives in the lazarette so except when in use it never sees daylight.

I use the polypro because it won't stretch so if it breaks there is no or very little absorbed energy. I've never seen it but have read enough about the stretch in nylon being dangerous if the line breaks. I don't want to test for that possibility.

I have been thinking about one or two of the rubber shock absorbers to absorb some shock but so far all my towing has been in relatively good conditions.

I have not set up a bridle but this thread started me thinking about doing that to spread the towing load between two cleats rather than just one.

 

[Shrew]

I was following another thread regarding getting a tow and it got me thinking about a tow line. I have dock lines and a 3/8 x 200 line on the spool. I have a max well windlass with 300ft of 5/16 chain.

I was thinking it might be an idea to get a 5/8 x 300 plait nylon anchor line that would be compatible with the windlass and i do have a spare anchor.
Could i then use that line for a tow?

You have a lot of unrelated moving parts here. I'm going to tackle just this part with a series of questions for clarification.

You have a vessel with a manufacturers published weight (dry) of 34,000lbs and an LOA of 45' 8". What in the world would you need so much 3/8" line. That seems very small.

Even 5/8" 8-plait seems to small for anchor line, though it does fall within the scope of many manufacturers guidelines. However, anchoring doesn't place nearly as much force on the line as towing.

For towing I'd be looking at 3/4". If I could get 1" on my cleat, I'd try it.

 

[psneeld]

One thing about polypropylene line...I have seen a 3 inch diameter one part, melted right through in a Cub Scout tug of war contest.


I would never trust any polypro line beyond light use based on my experiences with it...unless it was from a company that specifically manufactures it for certain uses.

 

[magna 6882]

You have a lot of unrelated moving parts here. I'm going to tackle just this part with a series of questions for clarification.

You have a vessel with a manufacturers published weight (dry) of 34,000lbs and an LOA of 45' 8". What in the world would you need so much 3/8" line. That seems very small.

Even 5/8" 8-plait seems to small for anchor line, though it does fall within the scope of many manufacturers guidelines. However, anchoring doesn't place nearly as much force on the line as towing.

For towing I'd be looking at 3/4". If I could get 1" on my cleat, I'd try it.

The 3/8 i had around and only made mention as the only long line on board.
The 5/8 8-plait is what is specified for the Maxwell windlass. I have chain now but was thinking about a plan b if i lost the chain or anchor.
The tow line thought was if i needed a tow what would i use. I have towboat but could find a need for a short pull or am i overthinking?

 

[Group9]

What are you guys thoughts about a spare anchor line.

We carry 250 feet of chain, and 350 feet of 5/8" nylon as a back up if we ever have to drop the chain and come back for it (which we had to do once).

 

[rslifkin]

Anchor line wise, my primary is a combo (90 feet of chain, 300 of 5/8" 8 plait). Secondary rode (kept shackled to a Fortress in the forward bilge storage) is a few feet of heavy chain and 200 feet of 5/8" double braid. That rode has the chain and line shackled together rather than spliced like the primary. It doesn't need to go through a windlass and that way it's easier to separate if I need either the chain or line for a different purpose (such as using the line as part of a towing rig).

 

[tdomenech]

Towing

I use a bridle for towing. I've towed a 16 5' flats boat to KW and to the Bahamas a couple of times. Also towed a 20' boat to Tortugas (keys) from Key West and back. Bridle was made by https://mooringlines.com/. They also made me a snubber for my 3/8" BBB anchor chain. Bridle was, I think, 5/8". I've also gotten 250' of 3/4" anchor line (which lays VERY nicely in the anchor locker) for my spare anchor. Only had to use it once. I don't move with my main anchor.

 

[CarlF]

I carry 200' of 3/4" Lugger Line made by Yale Cordage in Maine. It's designed for towing. 3/4" has a breaking strength of 13,000lbs. Very light. It floats. Can also be used to extend an anchor line. Cut up into more dock lines for a big storm. Or whatever. Very inexpensive.

Another option is to carry 200ft of 5/16" dyneema. No stretch but when used with a nylon bridle there's plenty of shock absorption. Stores in almost no space.

https://shop.hamiltonmarine.com/products/rope-tow-lugger-line-12-strand-co-polymer-42744.html

 

[Mike Negley]

Don't give away your boat.

If you use the towing boat's line you may have given him salvage rights - use your owe line. Most of the time the towing boat will use a hip connection requiring little line, but prepare to have plenty of fendering.