Am I missing something.....

[mrgrumpy2]

My previous boats have had just chain attached to the anchor. My current boat has chain and a rode which I guess is more the norm. This evening we went out for a blast and I dropped anchor for the first time. When we decided to leave it became clear that the rode was not being pulled in by the windlass. The spool would not grip the rode when there was any tension on the line and consequently I had to pull it by hand until I could slot the chain onto the spool. Am I doing something wrong? I've had a good look and i cant see how there can ever be enough bite on the rode to pull it up. Thanks in advance....This one has me perplexed.

 

[SpottyDog5]

Is there a gypsy on he top of the windlass you can use?
Maybe the rope is the wrong size?

 

[hlb]

It's one of those things thats supposed to work, but rarely does. Bite the bullet and get all chain, before it drives you nuts.

 

[whisper]

Our chain and anchorline setup works fine.

 

[mrgrumpy2]

I think the rode and chain were factory supplied by lewmar 2 years ago. Is it possible that the rope could dry out and become smaller in diameter and therefore slips in the gypsy? I assume I am right in thinking that it should operate in the same way as you operate an all chain setup?

 

[whisper]

Ours does.

 

[hlb]

Theres nothing competes with 50/60 meters of chain anyway. The rest is just a compromise. If the rope goes round the gypsey, I could never get it to go down the hole.

 

[petem]

Surely the point of a bit of rope is that you can cut it in an emergency?

 

[whisper]

There's no answer to that. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[AHoy2]

[ QUOTE ]
..... it became clear that the rode was not being pulled in by the windlass. The spool would not grip the rode when there was any tension on the line ...

[/ QUOTE ]

How much tension? Are you just trying to lift the anchor/rode having taken the load off by motoring up to the anchor or are you pulling the boat to the anchor using the windlass? The former is what it is intended to do but the latter seems to be common practice.

 

[hlb]

I'm surprised at you. You need six inch of rope to cut, not umpteen meters.

 

[ccscott49]

You normnally tie the end of the chain (bitter end) to a reniforced bit of the boat, to allow cutting this free to drop the lot or to the end of the rope for the same reason. The rope sounds to me, to be too small for the gypsy, it should grab it by dropping down to the bottom of the gypsy groove, where there should be grippers.

 

[stefan_r]

Get another few dozen metres of chain up forward...and then watch your top speed drop and fuel consumption increase!!!

Rode should work through the windlass...

 

[mrgrumpy2]

I always ensure that the strain is taken off the line by keeping the boat slightly advanced but even so the line will not grab..... guess another trip to the chandlers is required.

 

[ccscott49]

I guess this post was not meant for me?

 

[pissativlypossed]

I have both, 50m chain and 80m 20mm rode, take 2 turns of the rode around the gypsy and it works fine.