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Anchor Chain Length Recommendation

Bayside Bert54

Bayside Bert54

Active member
Joined
Dec 25, 2009
Messages
194
Status
  1. OWNER - I own a Hatteras Yacht
Hatteras Model
80 MOTOR YACHT ( 2003 - present)
My 54 Bertram Convertible has a Galley Maid windlass that is currently being rebuilt .. it has a capstan designed to work with chain and rope ... the boat will be based in Maryland and spend summers in Maine.

I'm looking for a recommendation on chain length and rope length.

How deep do people anchor a 54 foot boat? up to 50-60 feet?
 
The length of line (chain) for anchorage is dependent on the depth of water your anchored in, ususally around a 3 to one ratio minimum. So, 25 ft of water, at least 75' of anchor line.
 
So ... if I wanted to be able to anchor in water up to 40 feet deep, how much chain and how much rope?

Is it common to anchor a boat this size in 40 or even 50 ft of water?
 
3 to 1 ?? i really hope you never anchor upwind from me... :)

i never go under 5:1 and usually use 7:1, not just water depth but depth + pulpit height (and tide)

how deep the water is has nothing to do with boat size but where you cruise and anchor. i have about 250' of chain on my 53 and about the same on the 70 footer i run. i've anchored all over teh east coast, usually in up to 20'. 40' in block island and a couple of deeper spots as comittee boat for regattas in New England and the 250' did the job.
 
a scope of 3 to 1 good for a lunch hook in settled weather, 7 to1 if you want to slept good, 10 to 1 when it gets scarey. decide the deepest you would anchor in and multiply by 10. you cant use it if you dont have it on our boat i have a chain/rope rode. the chain is long enough that 75% of my use is chain only that way i dont have to deal with the chain/rope splice too often. when figuring anchoring depth dont forget height from the water to bow
 
If you use an all chain rode you can use less, usually down to about 4 to 1. If you go with rope you may need as much as 10 to 1. It all depends on how much chain you are willing to carry. I have 200' of 3/8HT chain and 300' of rope rode for a 53' boat.
 
also depends on the anchor, if it's oversized, you may get away with 4:1 but 3 is still stretching it.

i never understand the concept of a "lunch" hook... the last thing i want when having lunch is my food to get cold because the boat is dragging :)

except in a tight / crowded anchorage, i dont' understand why woudl anyone not use more scope , 6 or 7:1.... and even bother trying to hold with less scope. it's not worth the hassle.
 
I would recomend all chain! Or at least 200 feet.

I have a 225' of 3/8 G4 and a 110# anchor and often hold a raft up of 4 and sometones more boats in place in winds of 2 knots and higher gusts.

Chain is also very unlikely to get cut or chaff through.

In a tight anchorage you may not have an oppertunity when anchroed around boats that are all chain if you are not. The popular destionations are often tight.

Good ground tackle, and enough of is allways cheaper than getting hauled off the beach not to mention the things you may bump into on the way.

JM
 
OKAY... so I need a solution here. I have 300 feet of chain with a few rusted links in the middle. I'd like to cut it in half an continue with a nylon rode from there. How do I get through the chain stopper on the deck? I know I'll need a bigger hawse pipe to run it all below, but that stopper thing bugs me. I have a chain/rope gypsy... ws

sbn2jc.jpg
 
They make a different stopper where the stopping block lifts out of a slot.
 
I keep 270 ft of chain on my 55C. I wish i would have put even more. I have another 200 ft of rope i can ad if needed. We usually anchor in 60-80'.
Hope this helps.

Mike
"Habanero"55C
 
So ... I think I'll try 250' 3/8" HT chain ... if it seems too heavy, I can reduce the amount down the road.

Should I get Hot Dipped Galvanized?

Any suggestions on where to purchase?

Thanks very much.

Mike
 
One trick I often use if I don't have enough swing room for 6 or 7 is to set the anchor with longer scope and then shorten it to 5 or 4 if really necessary

I try to warn the guybehind that I might close while setting bit will shorten scope
 
250 should be OK for most circumstances. For an all chain rode in normal conditions, 5 to 1, even 4 to 1 is fine as long as you take the time to get a good set. So that gets you to about 50 foot depths or so plus your 8 feet of freeboard. Me, if I have the swinging room, I'll let out 7 and error on the "long" side. We anchor or moor out a lot as a key part of our cruising style, in many ways it is why we have a boat in the first place. If you are going to anchor in areas with heavy rock bottoms, consider adding a trip line to your ground tackle as well.
 
SKYCHENEY said:
I bought mine from GalleyMaid. I'll take a picture of it this weekend if you'd like.
Click to expand...

That would be great pal... maybe I can modifitificate mine. That would solve a multitude of problems... ws
 
On the chain, make double sure that is the type your windlass wildcat is designed for. HT takes a different one than BBB, for instance.
 
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