Anchor Chain Marking

[Jeva]

I'm about to repaint the markings on the anchor chain, but wondered what other people find to be the most practical/sensible system - red, white, red red white...............

 

[Tranona]

Don't waste effort painting, but use yellow and orange cable ties. Much more visible.

Whatever you do, choose colours that suit you - there is no "right" combination.

 

[NormanS]

Another vote for cable ties. I use a progression of red, whit, and blue.

 

[pmagowan]

I spray paint with radiator or car type spray canisters. Red, white, blue, red red, white white, blue blue. Every 10m. Has always worked for me but you need to respray every few seasons. Others use cable ties but I bring up the anchor by hand and don't fancy them cutting my numb wet hands.

 

[TQA]

Yup I anchor out year round in the Eastern Carib and cable ties work for me.

God Bless You

Green at 100ft Blue at 150ft yellow at 200ft.

 

[Jcorstorphine]

I use spray paint and only mark every 3m so that if I am in 5m, I pay out chain until I get to the 5th colour and that will be 15m being 3 times the depth of water

 

[NormanS]

If you ever need to get your chain regalvanised, paint can be a problem. If you're doing it by hand, you're better wearing gloves anyway, for jellies etc.

 

[RichardS]

I use spray paint and only mark every 3m so that if I am in 5m, I pay out chain until I get to the 5th colour and that will be 15m being 3 times the depth of water

I do the same...... But marking every 5m and using proper anchor chain markers. Guess I'm a 5:1 man rather than a 3:1

Richard

 

[vyv_cox]

I do the same...... But marking every 5m and using proper anchor chain markers. Guess I'm a 5:1 man rather than a 3:1

Richard

We used the proprietary markers for a season. Some fell out and all the rest became a standard mud colour that was almost impossible to identify. I have used cable ties ever since, 500 for £8 from B&Q in a variety of colours. For us red is 10, x2 for 20, x3 for 30, x4 for 40. Yellow for the five metres between. They go through the windlass reasonably well and last longer if we don't fully tighten them. We probably change each one once in the season on average, 5, 10 and 15 most, bigger numbers rarely. We probably anchor 2-300 times in a season.

 

[johnalison]

We've tried cable ties, bits of line, plastic markers and now we just use paint. You can see the results on the pontoon nearby.

 

[rudolph_hart]

I do the same...... But marking every 5m and using proper anchor chain markers. Guess I'm a 5:1 man rather than a 3:1

Richard

+1, using my own 'system' of markers.

In case I forget the 'system', I also have a laminated crib sheet stuck to the underside of the anchor locker lid

 

[GHA]

Bits of string

A knot every 5m the 30m 2 bits string. So 2 bits string, on has 3 knots means 45m, you can feel it in the dark. Works for me anyway.

 

[duncan99210]

Cable ties. Not cut so there's no nasty sharp bits on them. Green = 10 m, yellow = 20 m,red = 30 m, then the colours repeat until 75m when there's a glorious profusion of all colours to alert the winch person to the fact there's five metres left in the locker.....
The ties wear out but are easy to spot and easy to replace. We tried painting but it wore off before the end of the season and the paid for things go mud coloured.

 

[thinwater]

I tried cable ties, but my current gypsy cuts them off within 5-10 cycles. Pain, and re-do it every 1-2 years. Yes, the paint rubs off the outside quickly, but it stays inside the links. Re-painting takes ~ 10 minutes, with the help of a cardboard box.

 

[MM5AHO]

There's a good reason not to use paint.
When you come to getting your chain re-galvanized, the galvanizer might likely baulk at the paint, and either refuse what is otherwise a bothersome job, or charge you extra.

I use boot leather, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc Last summer I finally upgraded from fathoms to metres! (sick of the mental arithmetic between depth sounder and anchor chain.)

 

[Jeva]

Thanks for the answers. We have a big anchor at 50Kg and am concerned that the tie-wraps will suffer going through the gypsy. Yes paint wears, the problem is the chain has been marked in feet (ex american.... no comment). So paint seems the way to go. Are there better or worse codes i.e. red,red red,red red red, white, white white, white white white etc..

 

[jbweston]

I use polyester line (thin codline size) tied into the link with a tail.

A simple code. A long tail means 10m and a short one is 5m. Therefore two longs and one short is 25m etc.

These are soft to handle, don't interfere with the windlass gypsy or catch weed and have stayed in place for for six years.

The only disdvantage is that they don't help much in the dark, but neither do paint or coloured cable ties. Anyway we don't get much dark in the Baltic during the sailing season . . .

 

[Tranona]

Thanks for the answers. We have a big anchor at 50Kg and am concerned that the tie-wraps will suffer going through the gypsy. Yes paint wears, the problem is the chain has been marked in feet (ex american.... no comment). So paint seems the way to go. Are there better or worse codes i.e. red,red red,red red red, white, white white, white white white etc..

Simplest is one colour tie for 5m and another for 10m. so one of each colour is 15, 2 of the 10m colour is 20, 2+1 is 25 and so on. They tend to stand up better to the gypsy if you do not tie them too tight so they can sort of roll rather than be chopped as they go over the gypsy.

 

[NormanS]

When you're using cable ties, it's always better to have two at each mark. That way if one comes off, you don't lose the mark. Consider them consumables. They cost peanuts.

 

[rogerthebodger]

There's a good reason not to use paint.
When you come to getting your chain re-galvanized, the galvanizer might likely baulk at the paint, and either refuse what is otherwise a bothersome job, or charge you extra.

I use boot leather, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc Last summer I finally upgraded from fathoms to metres! (sick of the mental arithmetic between depth sounder and anchor chain.)

To remove paint on a chain ready to galvanizing just drag it behind your can for about 5 km down a dirt road