How much chain is too much?

[jprezor]

30' Chaparral Express Cruiser power boat on Lake Ontario. Almost exclusively fair weather coastal cruising.

Stock gypsy (Lewmar RC0860 on Horizon windlass) accepts 5/16" BBB and 5/8" 3-strand said to work best by Lewmar.

I'm not exactly sure what size line is on there now: this gypsy supports both 5/8 and 9/16" line.

Have an option to switch to a gypsy that supports H/T instead of BB.

Want more chain because chain seems to retract more reliably than line (which jams up by not releasing from the gypsy as it retracts), but worried about putting too much weight in the anchor box which is glassed into the bow - worried the anchor box might tear and leak.

Would be nice to anchor in 10' of water with all chain. Is 50' of 5/16 BBB chain (5:1) too much weight for the anchor box?

Or, is there some trick to prevent the line from sticking to the gypsy? I do think it still as the plastic finger (but I should check).

 

[Horigan]

One consideration is the load rating of the windlass. It should be rated three times the weight of the entire rode; line, chain, and anchor. I have 200' of chain in my 30'. At your depths you could use much less. Make sure to have at least some line so you can cut it off if needed.

I would check with Chaparral in the load capability of the anchor locker, but I doubt that would be a limiting concern if you throw 100' of chain in there, which is more than you need for those depths.