Anchor rode: Chain or line

Knot Waiting · Apr 16, 2009

I know the purpose of chain on the end of the anchor rode but; wouldnt it be just as effective to have a heavy sentinel installed on line fastened directly to the anchor?

Reason being, all that chain is a pain to store on a boat without a dedicated locker. With line and an sentinel there is alot less unsecured mass to fly around.

Boatist · Apr 16, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

Why not just use proper 7 to 1 scope and forget the chain.
Chain is only needed for two thing.

1: To prevent sharp rocks an coral form cutting the Anchor Road when rubbing on the bottom.

2: To allow you to anchor with a shorter scope when wind and current are light. Like a 3 to 1 scope.

I have many anchors but the one I use digs in faster and holds better than any anchor I have had in 45 years.
It weighs 4 pounds and has 2 feet of stainless steel chain.

22E6441 · Apr 17, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

Boatist said:
Why not just use proper 7 to 1 scope and forget the chain.

Call me a noob, but I have no idea what that means. Google didn't help either.

What is 7 to 1 scope, and why is that proper?

QC · Apr 17, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

7 times the length of rode vs. depth of water. 10 ft deep needs 70 feet rode as an example . . . Best when weather is severe. 5:1 OK, 3:1 is dangerous without a very good hook and some chain IMHO . . . I often go less than 3:1 due to deep coves and very tight surroundings. I just have to be very diligent . . .

salty87 · Apr 17, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

7:1 helps ensure that the angle of the rope pulling on the anchor is flatter, pulling the flukes into the bottom rather than up from it.

chain helps to keep the line weighted and helps keep the angle lower when the rope is tugging the anchor from above. heavy chain rode also acts as a shock absorber...pulling on the anchor rope will lift the chain before pulling against the anchor.

i'm lost at sentinel?

Knot Waiting · Apr 17, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

salty87 said:
i'm lost at sentinel?

A sentinel is a weight that is tied into the rode a few feet from the anchor. Keeps the rode weighed down without the excess of chain.

ex: http://www.anchorbuddy.co.nz/index.html

capt sam · Apr 18, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

alot of guys here don't even use chain when fishing the flats because they make too much noise, offshore though I would.

ebry710 · Apr 18, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

Great explanations. Sometime I wish there was a nautical term forum on iboats for reference. Rode, sentinel and 1 to 7 are not things talked about at the dock.

Knot Waiting · Apr 18, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

ebry710 said:
Great explanations. Sometime I wish there was a nautical term forum on iboats for reference. Rode, sentinel and 1 to 7 are not things talked about at the dock.

Not a bad idea. Too many proper terms go by the wayside, kinda good to keep the nautical world connected to its roots and individuality.

puddle jumper · Apr 18, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

I think a term appendix would be great. There are lots of terms that come up that i have never herd of.

ebry710 · Apr 18, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

I think it would be fun.

Boatist · Apr 18, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

A term index is not a bad idea but if take a boating and saftey class you will learn all the terms and how to anchor.

I had been boating since I was 5 and got my first boat when I was 16 but when I went from a 14 foot boat to a 21 foot boat I decided to take Class and I learned so much in the first class.

Before the class I could not tell your what a Buoy ment or how much line I need to make sure the anchor holds.

The class will tell you what a buoy means. Is it a center chanel buoy or a hassard buoy or which side of the buoy you should pass on. What the light patterns mean and how to identify the buoy from a distance by the light.

I have taken the Coast Guard Aux boating skills and Seamenship 3 times and the US Power Squardons class twice. I learned something in each class. My entire crew has passed the Coast Guard class.

I have attend with friends a couple of times just for a refesher. Every class has been fun and very low cost.

Nandy · Apr 19, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

I took the class too. But there is much terminology that I never used so I forget. I think and index is a great idea...

As far as the OP question... I use a 4 feet, 5/16 i believe chain. The chain made a difference when anchoring in tight quarters as you cant put much line out there and you often go 3:1 or less. I guess you can get the chain and only use it when you have high winds or bad weather. That is true specially if you are moving much. Makes it lighter and less chance to mess up your boat finish. I leave mine all the time... I got a second smaller anchor for free so I will get a longer chain and swap chains, the 4 for the small anchor and a 6 or 7 for the largest anchor.

Frank Acampora · Apr 19, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

7 to 1 also includes the height of the line above the water where it contacts the hull. So if you are in 10 feet of water and the deck is two feet above the water where the anchor line comes off it, you need 7 X 12 or about 85 feet of rode for best holding power.---with a fluke type anchor.

cbavier · Apr 19, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

I hear all this 7-1 rode to anchor and wonder . So if I am fishing an inland lake and am fishing in 30 ft of water. Your saying I need 210 ft of Anchor line. I DON"T THINK SO!

If I was fishing in 50 ft of water I would need 350 ft of anchor line. You get the drift. The lake I often fish has holes 110 ft deep Nobody carries 770 ft of anchor line. NOBODY!

True you do have to have some extra line out but 7-1 ratio is ridiculous. The Chain is a must.

Just my .02

puddle jumper · Apr 19, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

I did some asking and on line searching and this is what I came up with. Note when anchoring on a shallow water with very little currant or wind you don,t need the 7-1 ratio. This is what you need minimum for a 17-23 foot boat in large bodies of water.

1- 8 to 9 lb anchor
2- 1/4 galvanized chain at least the length of your boat.
3- 200 feet of 3/8 nylon anchor rode in light weather 1/2 if in heavy weather.

The big reason for the 7-1 ratio is to keep your anchor set in heavy weather. Think of the anchor as a safety when your broke down not as a way to hold your boat in one place wile your having lunch.

ps many old timers and professional boaters recommend that you have two on board.

puddle jumper · Apr 19, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

Just to add to above. Take anchoring serious and learn about it as it may mean the difference between life and death. Even myself didn't think of it as
a big deal on till I started talking to people who have been in really nasty situations and the anchor was the only thing that saved them.

cbavier · Apr 19, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

I carry an 8 LB Navy Anchor with 100 Ft of 3/8 in rode attached to 4 ft of heavy chain and a 8 LB Danforth Anchor with 100 ft of 1/2 rode attached to 4 ft of heavy chain. If they won't hold me I'm heading to shore cause it isn't going to be any fun being out there anyway. I only boat on Inland lakes.

salty87 · Apr 20, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

cbavier said:
I hear all this 7-1 rode to anchor and wonder . So if I am fishing an inland lake and am fishing in 30 ft of water. Your saying I need 210 ft of Anchor line. I DON"T THINK SO!

If I was fishing in 50 ft of water I would need 350 ft of anchor line. You get the drift. The lake I often fish has holes 110 ft deep Nobody carries 770 ft of anchor line. NOBODY!

True you do have to have some extra line out but 7-1 ratio is ridiculous. The Chain is a must.

Just my .02

7:1 is so you can sleep at night on the hook, not necessarily if you're just stopping to drown a worm or have lunch. adjust shorter if the conditions allow.

QC · Apr 20, 2009

Re: Anchor rode: Chain or line

puddle jumper said:
s many old timers and professional boaters recommend that you have two on board.

I don't consider this a recommendation or a nice to have. I consider it MANDATORY, but I am neither an old timer or a professional boater

I actually carry three. Primary for the bow with the most rode and chain, secondary for the stern or other situations. A third for our home cove which I might leave in with a buoy or fender attached so I can easily tie up when returning to the beach etc. Orrrrrrrrrr, it is the backup for the friend that only carry's one and he lost it on the bottom . . .

Anchor rode: Chain or line

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