How well does nylon rode self-store in locker?

[mike66]

Hi! Considering replacing my all chain rode with a rope/chain one. I have a Lewmar 1000 horizontal windlass with hawsepipe down to the locker. Does the rope normally self stow without tangles? My chain did until it got rusty and flakey, which is the reason for replacement.

Thanks for any comments.
PS: Not going to rehab the chain, so no dirt road suggestions:lol:

 

[Pete Meisinger]

I never had much luck with either chain or line. Seems like I always need to feed it through. Could just be my set up though.

pete

 

[rslifkin]

My setup feeds down into the locker just fine, both the 5/16" chain and the 5/8" 8 plait nylon. I've got quite a bit of drop from the bottom of the windlass to the top of the pile, however. It's something like 28 inches when all of the rode is in the locker.

 

[mike66]

Thanks! 1 from each camp. Any tiebreakers? I haven't measured mine. Guessing 1.5 to 2 foot drop to locker bottom.

 

[firehoser75]

On my former boat, a sailboat, I had to "handfeed" the 3 strand nylon portion of the rode into the locker. It would not 'self feed" down the "chain pipe". It was a bit of a pain, in that I would retrieve the rope portion laying it on deck. Then hand feed that down into the locker. Once the chain portion was on the gypsy it fed fine from there.

 

[Comodave]

I have all chain and it feeds very well, no piling up. If I were going to a nylon rode I would go with a plaited line. They will not hockle as easily and I think they will stow more compactly.

 

[O C Diver]

You will need a very soft lay of rope. My charter boat has a combination rode for the sand anchor. If I don't settle the rope before the chain goes in, occasionally the chain tangles in the rope and hangs on the way out. Fortunately, I seldom used the sand anchor. All chain on my trawler with about a 3' drop near full. Never a problem going in or out.

Ted

 

[Nomad Willy]

Smelly Rode

We had an Albin 25 before the Willard and after a trip to Alaska (and back) the anchor (right above our berth) got rather smelly.

So when we bought Willy I put a plastic box on the foredeck and as the anchor line comes up i pay it down into the box. There are vent holes in the bottom and it's surprising all 425' of 5/8ths nylon Brait line fits in w room to spare. One of my anchors will actually fit in too .. and w closing the lid.

Had some troubles w the box moving around in rough weather but it mended it's ways. Never have had the 1/2" dia rode out of the "anchor locker" that came w the boat.

 

[FF]

The most important part of using line is should the stowed line pile fall over it does not refuse to come back up as chain frequently can.

 

[psneeld]

On my Albin 40, the chain piles up and nearly out of the (very small, shallow) locker.....the drop becomes so little, occasionally it will stop going through to the locker and pile on the deck.

Can't imagine anything fiber working....but as suggested the softest lay you can find. Probably not 3 strand or braid.

 

[rslifkin]

The most important part of using line is should the stowed line pile fall over it does not refuse to come back up as chain frequently can.

Agreed. And in a mixed rode, having the chain on top of line seems to limit how the chain pile falls over. I've had mine fall over a few times, but always pretty gracefully and the chain still fed out fine the next time.

 

[mike66]

Looks like a combination rode might be the ticket. I like using chain, we've never broken free with our Manson Supreme and chain. We mostly anchor in 20ft or less. Thinking of a 100 or so ft of chain and a hundred feet line. I'll end up using chain most of the time. Already have a bridle and snubber with chain hooks. If I need more scope, there would be the extra line.

 

[rslifkin]

Looks like a combination rode might be the ticket. I like using chain, we've never broken free with our Manson Supreme and chain. We mostly anchor in 20ft or less. Thinking of a 100 or so ft of chain and a hundred feet line. I'll end up using chain most of the time. Already have a bridle and snubber with chain hooks. If I need more scope, there would be the extra line.

That's basically the setup I went for, being in an area without coral or other bottom chafe concerns. 90 feet of chain and 300 of line in my case. If traveling to the Bahamas or similar, I'd suck up the weight penalty and add a bit more chain to the mix (maybe up to 150 feet).

 

[mike66]

Totally Northeast cruising for us at this point.

 

[rslifkin]

Totally Northeast cruising for us at this point.

In that case, I'd say the 100 feet of chain should be plenty. Beyond that, I'd add as much line as the locker will reasonably hold. 200 feet of total rode is enough in most of the northeast, but occasionally having more is nice for the options it gives, especially if you're in deep water and want to stop for a while to watch some sailing races or something.

 

[FF]

With no coral, a few ft of heavy chain that will still fit in the bow roller ( 1/2 or 3/4) that is short enough to lay on deck before the windlass works fine.

Not much mud to wash off the chain & no dead stuff stink below.

 

[rslifkin]

With no coral, a few ft of heavy chain that will still fit in the bow roller ( 1/2 or 3/4) that is short enough to lay on deck before the windlass works fine.

Not much mud to wash off the chain & no dead stuff stink below.

Personally, I hated the chain stored on deck setup when I had that. It led to chain sliding around, banging around, etc. if the water got a bit rough. And as far as mud / smell, a good washdown spray as the chain comes up with an occasional pause to knock a chunk off gets rid of all but a thin film of mud (which dries pretty quickly in the locker and doesn't smell). The nylon holds a bit of grime even when rinsed and stays wet for weeks. But as long as the locker has some ventilation to outside, is reasonably sealed from the cabin and doesn't drain to the bilge, smell is generally not an issue. Occasionally rinsing out the locker and rode thoroughly with fresh water helps too.

 

[syjos]

The best self storing line for anchor rode is plaited rope. Yale Nylon Brait is very soft and lays flat in rode lockers and takes up less space. Because of it's plaited construction the rope doesnt twist, tangle, kink or get hockles. Plus it's superior to three strand in energy absorption.

I use Yale Nylon Brait for the back up rode. 400' of 1/2" fits in a 7 gallon bucket. Also used for shore tie.

Nylon Brait combines braiding technology with plaited rope optimizing the best of both rope styles. Nylon Brait’s most outstanding feature is its high energy absorption, which comes from a combination of the very long yarn path and stranditure developed especially to maximize energy absorption.

Nylon Brait can absorb (or mitigate) greater amounts of dynamic energy than 3-stranded or braided rope structures with less damage. Brait’s energy absorption also keeps the corresponding loads on attachment points smaller since the rope does more work internally. Brait is easily spliced and the spliced rope delivers 100% of the ropes advertised strength.

 

[sunchaser]

I've found that in a muddy anchorage a dirty chain on top of rope creates a smelly locker. Generally OK though if locker sealed from boat interior.

The best all line setup I had was on a SeaRay with a Good windlass and their soft anchor line. Dropped and retrieved perfectly. Only 10 feet of chain though.

 

[FF]

For coastal cruising many folks will simply flake the anchor line on deck in a figure 8 pattern.

A hunk of shock cordkjeeps it together and as it dries it gets lighter.

Stuffing it down into the chain locker may be needed were a wave will climb aboard , but seldom inshore.

 

[mike66]

For coastal cruising many folks will simply flake the anchor line on deck in a figure 8 pattern.

A hunk of shock cordkjeeps it together and as it dries it gets lighter.

Stuffing it down into the chain locker may be needed were a wave will climb aboard , but seldom inshore.

Sounds good, but with a combo rode I would want the line to store in the locker ahead of the chain, so nothing is on deck.

 

[rslifkin]

I don't get the desire to store rode on deck either. Personally, I hate having crap on deck when it doesn't need to be. And unless you're using a manually tailed capstan to haul the line in, storing it on deck is probably more work than getting a windlass to feed it into the locker.

 

[FF]

." And unless you're using a manually tailed capstan to haul the line in, storing it on deck is probably more work than getting a windlass to feed it into the locker."


This is true, but it seems many will not feed the line to be stored with reliability.

 

[Nepidae]

I won't get into the chain/line rode. Different cruising locations, different requirements.

What I will say is, with your new chain, take better care of it.

We have @ 150' of chain and 200' of 8plait behind it. Every winter I wash my chain. No not soap & water, I use anti-corrosive spray. The chain is spliced to the line so as I pull the chain from the locker and as I put it in a bucket I spray it with the anti-corrosive. I then let it sit for the winter.

In the spring I remove the chain, feed it back into the locker, attach it to the anchor swivel and I'm ready for another season. No rust or corrosion on the chain. IF I could figure out how to attach a picture I'd send you 1 of our rode, the chain on top of the line and all is happy.

IF you are talking of 3 strand nylon, you'll always have a hocking issue with the 3 strand twisting up.

BTW, chain is used as a weight, not necessarily just for rocks or coral. The more parallel to the bottom your anchor shank is the better it will hold. That is 1 reason some use a kellet to hold the rode to the bottom. So you might want to revisit your lack of chain in your rode makeup.

Good luck.

 

[donpjr]

Fully agree with Syjos. 8 part nylon rope is excellent for anchor rode, used it for years. Below quote from a supplier is exactly what you want. And it's all true.

"The difference between 3 Strand Nylon and 8 Strand Nylon is most apparent when its hauled on deck. Because of it's construction, the 8 Strand Nylon will take up far less space than 3 Strand. It lays more compactly in your locker or bag and will use about half the space of the same amount of 3 Strand."

 

[backinblue]

8 plait nylon is the way to go. Very flexible and falls neatly. You don't need that much chain in the Northeast. Suggest you save some weight and money and go with about a boat length's of chain and the rest 8 plait nylon twice the size if the chain. 200-250' total should be fine for most.

 

[dhays]

Fully agree with Syjos. 8 part nylon rope is excellent for anchor rode, used it for years. Below quote from a supplier is exactly what you want. And it's all true.

"The difference between 3 Strand Nylon and 8 Strand Nylon is most apparent when its hauled on deck. Because of it's construction, the 8 Strand Nylon will take up far less space than 3 Strand. It lays more compactly in your locker or bag and will use about half the space of the same amount of 3 Strand."

They don't mention the biggest different between 3-strand and plait. $$$


I can get a lot of 3 strand nylon pretty inexpensively. Every time I've checked, 8 strand plait is LOT more expensive.


However, since I sold my sailboat I've not used a combo rode. I currently have all chain as that is how the boat was set when I bought it. I like all chain but if I were starting from scratch, I would probably do 100' of chain followed by 200-300' feet of nylon. 8 plait if I felt flush.

 

[backinblue]

I won't get into the chain/line rode. Different cruising locations, different requirements.

What I will say is, with your new chain, take better care of it.

We have @ 150' of chain and 200' of 8plait behind it. Every winter I wash my chain. No not soap & water, I use anti-corrosive spray. The chain is spliced to the line so as I pull the chain from the locker and as I put it in a bucket I spray it with the anti-corrosive. I then let it sit for the winter.

In the spring I remove the chain, feed it back into the locker, attach it to the anchor swivel and I'm ready for another season. No rust or corrosion on the chain. IF I could figure out how to attach a picture I'd send you 1 of our rode, the chain on top of the line and all is happy.

IF you are talking of 3 strand nylon, you'll always have a hocking issue with the 3 strand twisting up.

BTW, chain is used as a weight, not necessarily just for rocks or coral. The more parallel to the bottom your anchor shank is the better it will hold. That is 1 reason some use a kellet to hold the rode to the bottom. So you might want to revisit your lack of chain in your rode makeup.

Good luck.

Sorry but I have had this conversation before and yes chain weight is helpful in some situations but not a substitute for a properly sized anchor. Same goes for a kellet. In a situation where you are in danger of breaking loose because of a gale, neither is going to make a difference. It may give you some help and peace of mind in lesser conditions, but is that how you want to spec your ground tackle?

 

[donpjr]

Yes, dhays, good point on the price. I run with all chain rode these days. The 8 plait was on a 30' Mainship I used to have and it was on the boat when I got it. I flipped it end for end once and learned how to splice it to the 20 foot of chain but I never had to buy any so wasn't aware of the price difference. Always a compromise somewhere with a boat.

 

[rslifkin]

8 plait is a bit pricey, but still a lot cheaper than chain!