Coat for anchor chain

[PMF1984]

I just got a new anchor chain and the galvanized coating looks, well sickly.

I wondered if there was a good galvanized coating that is worthwhile to paint over what I have. Either spray or paint with brush.

I did the cheap rust oleum cold galvanized spray on the anchor, but I notice they have more than one product for cold galvanizing.

John

 

[Mako]

Try some industrial IOZ coating

 

[PMF1984]

Thanks Mako, I was just wondering if there was much of a difference in performance between the Rustoleum 93% zinc product and some of the other 97% “commercial” products.

 

[Mako]

Not sure what you are referring to regarding “performance” as I would imagine they all offer excellent protection as long as the surface is unbroken. Therein lies the problem.

I found the Rustoleum CG spray to not be very abrasion resistant. However lately I have been baking my parts which helps a lot to harden enamel paint (on my CQR) although I have not tried that with the cold galv.

The inorganic zinc paints which we use are really, really tough and are single application. No primers needed.

 

[koliver]

Two years in on the Petit spray galvanizing. I did my CQR and the final 10 ft of chain at the anchor end. So far, where the anchor gets contact with the bottom wore off in the first few anchorings. The rest of the anchor and the chain part is still OK.

 

[Lepke]

Spray is better than nothing.


Or you can get zinc sticks. Wire brush the chain, use a torch to heat the links and apply the zinc like soldering. It lasts a long time if done right.
About $15 worth shown.
https://www.rotometals.com/regalv-galvanizing-repair-stick/

 

[Gdavid]

I just got a new anchor chain and the galvanized coating looks, well sickly.

I wondered if there was a good galvanized coating that is worthwhile to paint over what I have. Either spray or paint with brush.

I did the cheap rust oleum cold galvanized spray on the anchor, but I notice they have more than one product for cold galvanizing.

John

If you still have a chance to return it, now is the time to do so. Supply challenges may prevent this but you will be kicking yourself for not rejecting this chain that your instincts are telling you is sub-par for years they come as the coating makes a mess of your deck and anchor locker with every use

 

[FF]

Some folks have used tool grip to simply dunk the chain.

Its expensive , but a great lazy folks method of marking chain every so many feet to keep track of how much chain is overboard.

 

[PMF1984]

So a background on my chain issue.

Boat came with 140 feet of chain. I like to anchor with a 4:1 scope so I sleep peacefully. My bowsprit is 7 feet off the water, so that’s 28 feet right there. Then add 32 feet to deal with the 8 foot tide in Georgia, 16 feet to deal with my 4 foot draft. I can put out 76 feet to just get started.

So I saw a chance to get 160 feet for 200 bucks I leapt at it.

Anchoring for the first time this year, near Kent Island in the Chesapeake, I went to pull in the chain on the windlass.

Wash down pump wouldn’t work. OK, so not good but it is what it is.

Windlass would not work (blown fuse). OK, but not windy, and not too deep, so I managed. But got hands pretty muddy.

Replaced windlass fuse, tried the same routine off the ICW. Chain slips then jumps off windlass drum.

I research this and discovered I needed BBB chain for this to work. (Which I had in the 140 length, now back in my garage in Massachusetts)

Shopped around, seems the manufacturer choices are limited to say the least, for American made 3B mooring chain. It came down to simply choosing a retail outlet, either Defender, or a local yard, in this case Lamb’s for the same product.

Ended up at Lamb’s and it seemed to me to look like a thin electroplate version of galvanizing. I guess I was expecting more of a hot dipped look.

Anyway, I’m going to try the Rust-Oleum 1600 treatment. Yes I expect it to come off. But I have to color code the chain at different lengths anyway, and spray the anchor every year, so not that big a deal to redo.

 

[Lepke]

Properly done chain galvanizing is triple dipped. Chain is preheated to 600°F+ so the zinc co-mingles with the top surface of the steel. Chain processed this way will endure many years, maybe decades, but it costs more. Anything else won't last. Plated chain will lose it's coating in a few days, even in fresh water. My current galvanized chain is about 50 years old, but has had numerous touch ups. About due for regalvanizing.

Ships use painted chain. Whenever the ship is in drydock, the chain is lowered to the drydock floor, sandblasted, repainted and marked.