New Anchor Chain Issue

[Jdornick]

Hello All,
We just got 400 feet of new galvanized chain put on and we noticed that when we bring it into the locker it’s sticking to itself and piling up to the point it blocks the hausehole. Any tips or tricks to prevent this from happening?
Thanks,
Joy

 

[rgano]

Quality new chain should not do that. Maybe you could carefully run it in and out a number of times to wear it in knocking off the galvanizing which has obviously clumped up.

 

[bayview]

Long link chain will do that. BBB shape links are designed to not kink up.

 

[rslifkin]

Depending on the shape and height of the locker, even without bad galvanizing or long links, chain can still pile tall enough to be a problem. A photo of the locker in question and how the chain falls into it would probably be helpful.

 

[DavidM]

If you have the room, you can try putting a piece of plywood or preferably Starboard to form a ramp to let the chain slide back towards the bulkhead. That might give you enough room without piling up.

David

 

[caltexflanc]

If you have the room, you can try putting a piece of plywood or preferably Starboard to form a ramp to let the chain slide back towards the bulkhead. That might give you enough room without piling up.

David

I did something like this with an angled piece of PVC pipe. Worked great. Apparently we had a little more chain than the boat was originally designed for, according to an old Hatteras hand who helped me with a few projects; he'd seen this before.

 

[O C Diver]

Sounds like you didn't have the problem before with the old chain. Is the length of the new chain equal to the old?

I regalvanized some chain and had some sticky areas. To free them up, I laid the chain out on a concrete floor. Picking the chain up every 5 to 10', I would raise it and snap it down like you were trying to send a wave down a piece of rope. Watching the chain as it flexed, it was easy to spot the sticky areas. Usually a few snaps loosened up the sticky spots. Galvanize is softer than you might think and smooths out with manipulation of the chain.

Ted

 

[sunchaser]

What size chain? Did you have 400' before? Anything else in the locker taking up space?

Assuming 3/8 BBB, 400' is a lot for a DF locker unless well distributed. Open your anchor locker door to see if the chain is building up enough to block the hole. If so, take the first 100' or so and distribute it carefully on the very bottom of the otherwise empty locker.