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Anchor Chain and Rode

David Grimm

E38-200
On my 38-200 I just pulled out all the anchor chain and rode. Reason being that I had no idea how much was in there and the rode had a mildew stink. In the three years of ownership I have anchored at least a dozen times and have never seen the rode come up the windless because theres 105 feet of chain before it. 300 feet of rode.

The rode was just haphazardly thrown in the bottom of the v-birth and was a nightmare getting out on the hard. It would have been impossible at sea.

My question is how much is too much? Will I ever need the full 400 feet?
 

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Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Half of that ought to do, don't you think? I can't imagine a popular anchorage where you could swing to 500 feet of ground tackle.
 

racushman

O34 - Los Angeles
I suppose you might need less chain and rode, but at the same time that setup would give you the ability to anchor just about anywhere, and have the ability to put out 10:1 or more in storm conditions.

Out here on the west coast my standard setup is 300' of rode and 60' of chain so I can comfortably anchor in water that is 50+ feet deep.

Unless you have a good windlass I'd be tempted to have less chain, but when it comes to ground tackle it's hard to go wrong having more options.

But comes down to personal preference.
 

1911tex

Sustaining Member
I can't imagine the weight of all that chain at the bow...plus the weight of the anchor.
 
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Frank Langer

1984 Ericson 30+, Nanaimo, BC
I have seen anchored boats have a windlass problem, which makes me think I would not want more anchor/chain/rope down than I can retrieve manually if necessary.
Frank
 

nquigley

Sustaining Member
I have seen anchored boats have a windlass problem, which makes me think I would not want more anchor/chain/rope down than I can retrieve manually if necessary.
Frank
Eventually, as the boat gets big enough, the gauge of the chain and the size of the anchor starts to be a challenge to haul up manually, even with minimal rode out - you eventually must have a windlass of some kind. It's a case of 'horses for courses'.
 

David Grimm

E38-200
Yes, I have a windlass that is setup for the chain. Yes Frank, any rode out would have to be hauled in by hard manual labor.

Christian, The rode was stuffed into the forward most compartment of the v-birth in a hap hazard manner. I think I will loose 200 feet of rode like you suggested and wrap the rest around a plastic wire spool setup.
 

G Kiba

Sustaining Member
Last year I was on a boat anchored on the north east side of Santa Rosa Island after rounding Point Conception. It was dark and really blowing hard. I was very happy knowing the owner of the Cal 39 i was on took pride in his 300 feet of chain and an extra sized anchor. After that night, we all slept well on the hook the rest of the trip.
 

u079721

Contributing Partner
Unless you are anchoring in coral I would cut the chain down to 1 "shot", or 90 feet, and 200 to 250 feet or rode. Your present rig seems like a LOT of weight for the fine bow of a 38.
 

Sean Engle

Your Friendly Administrator
Administrator
Founder
On my 38-200 I just pulled out all the anchor chain and rode. Reason being that I had no idea how much was in there and the rode had a mildew stink. In the three years of ownership I have anchored at least a dozen times and have never seen the rode come up the windless because theres 105 feet of chain before it. 300 feet of rode.

The rode was just haphazardly thrown in the bottom of the v-birth and was a nightmare getting out on the hard. It would have been impossible at sea.

My question is how much is too much? Will I ever need the full 400 feet?
100' of chain seems like a lot to me...I think my boat had about 40' or 50' on it, plus 300' or 350' of rode. I think the length of the tackle you carry really depends on local conditions. Here in Puget Sound, I routinely anchored in 25'-30' of water because of the tides, currents (and the depth sounder often falls off to just "deep" in lots of locations up north), and rocks. I think I would have trouble sleeping in shallower water. I know when I was in college in Florida we used to anchor in much shallower water...but there's sand there, so it all just depends...

As an aside, when I visited my dad in Charleston, SC I laughed at him because we ran out to Fort Sumter and the harbor was about 40' deep!
 
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