Will Hacksaw Cut Thru a G4 Chain Link

I have an all chain anchor rode, 5/16" of G4 chain. It is attached in the anchor locker with a length of rope in case I need to cut it loose in an emergency. My question is if I get the anchor hung up with only a 20' to 30' of chain out and need to cut it loose at that point, will a common hacksaw be able to cut thru a link of 5/16" G4 chain? Do not want to carry a big bolt cutter if I don't have to. Will not be back to the boat until May so planning ahead. Thanks and Happy Holidays!

How much time do you have?

Battery powered cutoff device might be considered.

To answer your question, Yes, a hacksaw will cut it. I've done it.
Easy, no, but doable.

Keep some good quality 14T blades with the hacksaw. No cheapies.

psneeld said:

Battery powered cutoff device might be considered.

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This^

I have a 4”-battery-powered-Dewalt grinder on board. I know where I keep it, too!

Can be done with a sawzaw with a good metal blade but much faster and a bit sloppier with a grinder.

Emergencies usually need quick solutions and cutting seems like a slow task and you likely lose anchor and a good chunk if chain.
Why not run the chain out and fasten a fender to the chain for future retrieval?

I keep a grinder and cut off wheels on the boat. Mine is not cordless, but I don’t expect to get hung up while also losing my batteries, inverter and the generator at the same time.

Not being flippant. I once had a triple electrical failure, so it’s possible, however unlikely. Just saying the corded is still worth having. They are cheap, buy two.

If using a hacksaw, spend a little coin and get a bimetal blade such as Lennox makes. Teeth are high speed steel welded to a spring steel back using an interesting welding process. These will stay sharp much longer cutting hard materials. Same goes for a sawsall. Bimetal blades are becoming more the norm than the exception, but check anyway. I've cut G4 chain with a hacksaw, it isn't that hard to do. G70 chain is much tougher.

I cut the G4 chain using as Dremel tool with an abrasive disk 3/8 chain in less than 5 minutes. A 24 inch bolt cutter did not work (plan a).

I think that a cordless grinder would be the way to go. Very fast.

With the Dremel tool, it should be easy and not time consuming in any emergency

The hard part is not cutting it , the hard part is holding it when being cut , and not damaging the boat.

A hacksaw will work eventually if you have a way to hold it tight. Every time it wiggles it will mess up your cut or bind the blade. Don’t forget you have to get through one side of a link and enough of the other side for it to fail.
On my boat the bitter end is 30 ft of floating poly line. Knife is tied to Sampson post. Also have a pair of HF bolt cutters. After that a right angle grinder with cutoff wheel but that’s going to take a few minutes to setup. I also have a Sawsall onboard but that’s buried under the vee berth. Ain’t happening fast but it will be faster than a hand hacksaw.

If I ever have to dump an anchor, I don't plan to cut the chain. Just run it out past the end of the chain and cut the attached line. Unless there's a very large amount of chain involved and a slow windlass that can't be freewheeled, that's likely to be faster than cutting the chain. And if you can buoy it, you can come back to retrieve later.

Replace the "rope" at the end tied to the boat with 50ft of floating line. If you have to cut , do so , the floating line will allow retrieval.

FF said:

The hard part is not cutting it , the hard part is holding it when being cut , and not damaging the boat.

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This.


I cut some chain with a grinder a few years back while standing on it to hold it still. It turned out OK, but let's just say that I clamp it in a vise now when I do it. Wear eye protection too. The chain can really get away from you.


Might be easier if it was held tight by the weight of the anchor, but it also might send things flying after you make the cut. You do what you have to do in an emergency, but it would not be without some associated danger to cut an anchor loose with a grinder. Possibly on a wet, pitching deck in the dark.

I've cut a lot of chain at work. One thing to keep in mind about a grinder- it will sling metal particles and cutting wheel debris a long way. And that stuff will rust and stain your boat in short order.

If you're going to use a hacksaw, buy a large pair of locking pliers to hold the chain while cutting.

In the common situation where the anchor is hung up on the bottom, you just pull in the chain tight, even to the point of dipping the bow a little. Then cut it off with whatever tool you have.

I once got my anchor stuck and was about to do the above when it finally pulled loose with a kind of muffled screech. It was hung up on a piece of metal and I finally pulled at the right angle to get it off.

David

sammy999 said:

I have an all chain anchor rode, 5/16" of G4 chain. It is attached in the anchor locker with a length of rope in case I need to cut it loose in an emergency. My question is if I get the anchor hung up with only a 20' to 30' of chain out and need to cut it loose at that point, will a common hacksaw be able to cut thru a link of 5/16" G4 chain? Do not want to carry a big bolt cutter if I don't have to. Will not be back to the boat until May so planning ahead. Thanks and Happy Holidays!

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Hung up in shallow water? easier to let it all out and cut the rope, tie on a bouy and come back with a mask and snorkel to recover the lot.

Thank you all for all the replies. When I get back to the boat will have to go thru all the options. Looks like a bolt cutter is not a preferred option. Happy Holidays!!

sammy999 said:

Thank you all for all the replies. When I get back to the boat will have to go thru all the options. Looks like a bolt cutter is not a preferred option. Happy Holidays!!

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Not unless your name is Arnold…

a right angle (90 degree) drill with a grinder attachment will suffice. I bought a Ryobi (not my favorite brand by a long chalk but for this singular purpose I thought it would suffice) to cut through my SS rigging. That was 2006. And a sailboat. I still have the drill and it proves its worth monthly with getting into small spaces where most drills will not.

I have replaced the battery about 3 years ago. This is an amazing tool, cheap, lasts, battery lasted 10+ years with light usage. Put one on your boat and you will be able to cut through chain, rigging (if a sailboat) and more likely find it extremely useful drilling holes in floors between studs (domestic remodels).
~A

I helped a friend untangle a mess of old chain fouling the FX37 Fortress I had leant him to anchor the boat out for Hurricane Michael in 2018. Hurricane was gone, and it was time to pull anchors, but this old mooring chain was tangling the anchor, and we could simply not get enough slack in the old 3/8" chain to retrieve my anchor. It was not an emergency requiring fast action; so, I motored back to my house about a quarter mile away and came back with my angle grinder. Handed it to him after firing up my generator, and we were done in a minute. Made me think about maybe carrying it all the time, but a fairly small bolt cutter can handle my small 1/4 G4 chain, and is easier the carry and care for and "run." Still thinking it over...

A bolt cutter takes up little room as does a hack saw.

The hassle with using a grinding tool to cut the chain is the hot melted chain material removed is HOT !!! enough to mar wood work, or weld itself to SS fittings.

The hardened pieces of chain will not respond to polishing out.

i keep a small welding blanket (6x8) with my tools. they're cheap enough at the favorite discount tool store and will protect your boat from molten debris from a grinder. you just need to aim the shower of sparks at it.
these have their own issues though as they tend to release a lot of glass fibers. better than trying to de-rust though.

I keep a 24" Bolt Cutter just for this same situation. It's not exactly like cutting through butter but a lot easier than a hack saw. one time trip for trip for the bolt cutter.

Emergency chain or cable cutting is a problem we had to solve when routinely towing heavy gear near or on the bottom where it could hang up under tension with personnel on deck. Fast postive action that is safe to operate is key. A fouled anchor and other things going wrong may come under the same urgency.

Grinders are OK if you can stabilize the chain without using your or anyone else's hands or feet. I carry the scars from a grider binding and kicking back at me. You don't need to add personal injury to the problem of getting clear of the fouled anchor. Consider perhaps a wood block with the right sized slot to stabilize the chain. And you need to consider maintaining the battery charge.

Manually lever operated bolt cutters will do the job but unless you have a lot of upper body strength it will require big cutters with very long handles. If you're going to rely on manual bolt cutters pracitce with a lengh of scrap chain.

Hacksaw can work. But relatively slow and stabilizing the chain is critical. I would carry a hacksaw and fresh bi-metal blades but not count in it unless I had to as last resort.

I would go with something like this http://www.mmhtools.com/YQ-16B-hydraulic-bolt-cutter-p53.html. Easy to use, quick to use and unless you stick a finger in the cutter very safe to use.

I carry a grinder and hacksaw because they have so many uses and can serve as back up to the bolt cutter. Just make sure the jaws are big enough to do the job. I am no specifically recommending that bolt cutter. It's simply an easily found link for general info.

Bolt cutters are very handy...like pickup trucks...if you have them....your circle of friends in need expands exponentially.


Big, inexpensive ones are usually good enough. Buy a pair, cut a link and see how it goes. Return if too wimpy.


I got mine because someone let them get dull, bent a handle and tossed them. I rescued them, straightened the handle and sharpened them. Work like a champ on all kinds of chain, locks without keys, etc....



The bigger the chain, usually the bigger the boat and the bigger ones storage areas.


Yes some body strength is necessary, but oversized one are still pretty easy so go big up front.

All great information! Will experiment with a few options in the spring before we take off. Thanks everyone!