Frayed Knot
Well-Known Member
How about nail varnish? If you’re sneaky enough there may be a ready supply, in many colours, very close to home…
Anchor chain paint for marking
- Thread starter dewshi
- Start date
lustyd
Well-Known Member
Cotton is one of the most biodegradable fabrics we have, so aside from virtue signalling on forums would be a fairly poor choice as it will be gone in about 5 months if it gets wet or sees sunlight. Sometimes plastics are a good solution.
Porthandbuoy
Well-Known Member
How about a Crosby link every 5m?
Only kidding.
My chain has a strip of ribbon at 15m (I’ve never let out <15m so why mark at 5 & 10?)
2 strips @ 20.
3 @ 30.
4 @ 40.
A length of cord @ 50 as that’s approaching the bitter end.
Only kidding.
My chain has a strip of ribbon at 15m (I’ve never let out <15m so why mark at 5 & 10?)
2 strips @ 20.
3 @ 30.
4 @ 40.
A length of cord @ 50 as that’s approaching the bitter end.
Neeves
Well-Known Member
I too thought of nail varnish - a sort of extension of idea from Refueler's 'enamel'. But I thought a bit further and confess my knowledge of nail varnish is limited, I've never actually tried it. But I wondered about UV cured nail varnish, is it tougher - why use UV curing when evaporation of the acetone works so well....? Anyone out there with UV cured nail varnish? What are its advantages.
And you mark at 5 to indicate on a dark night when you have forgotten a torch and you are moving in something of a hurry that the mark at 5m is just before the anchor comes clanging aboard and rather than stress the windlass you know to slow down, or be cautious. You already have another at the bitter end - or the windlass will stress your anchoring point in the locker, unnecessarily.
Jonathan
How about a Crosby link every 5m?
Only kidding.
My chain has a strip of ribbon at 15m (I’ve never let out <15m so why mark at 5 & 10?)
2 strips @ 20.
3 @ 30.
4 @ 40.
A length of cord @ 50 as that’s approaching the bitter end.
And you mark at 5 to indicate on a dark night when you have forgotten a torch and you are moving in something of a hurry that the mark at 5m is just before the anchor comes clanging aboard and rather than stress the windlass you know to slow down, or be cautious. You already have another at the bitter end - or the windlass will stress your anchoring point in the locker, unnecessarily.
Jonathan
lustyd
Well-Known Member
Having observed my other half using it, yes it's massively tougher but no it doesn't stick better. As such it doesn't chip but falls off as a single piece. For your purposes drying time isn't a problem and toughness is probably a bad thing so standard cheap stuff would be superior.
Refueler
Well-Known Member
Why ?? Its enamel paint ...
Is it a generic term as you imply ?? I look along paint shelves in the store and I see lines of tins labelled as Enamel. Then another line as Acrylic ... then another as Lacquer ... another as 'stain' .... emulsion ... etc.
Me ? I buy the cheapest spray cans of colour enamel I want ..... white for 0 - 9 .... red for 10's .....
Plum
Well-Known Member
Don't know why yours only lasted 5 months. My cotton ribbon is still on the chain after 2 years and there is no sign of it causing the chain to corrode. I use 40cm lengths of ribbon, folded in half and cow-hitched to one chain link so leaving two short tails. No problem with the gypsy.
www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
thinwater
Well-Known Member
The trick with painting is to find and easy way to do it.
Get a big, shallow cardboard box and drape the chain across, notching the edge for the chain. The sections to be marked hang inside the box and are easily marked on both sides. The mess stays in the box, throw the box away when dry. Easily done on deck with no mess.
The other trick is not to over-mark. There is no need for marks closer than 10-20 meters and no need for the first mark before 20 meters. You should only have a few spots to mark.
----
Fabric and plastic seems to vary with the windlass. I had one that like fabric fine and they really lasted, and the next would jam on anything in a heartbeat. some bottoms abraid paint, some don't. Some power down and really don't need marks, assuming they can count. Experiences are not universal, so do what works with your equipment.
Get a big, shallow cardboard box and drape the chain across, notching the edge for the chain. The sections to be marked hang inside the box and are easily marked on both sides. The mess stays in the box, throw the box away when dry. Easily done on deck with no mess.
The other trick is not to over-mark. There is no need for marks closer than 10-20 meters and no need for the first mark before 20 meters. You should only have a few spots to mark.
----
Fabric and plastic seems to vary with the windlass. I had one that like fabric fine and they really lasted, and the next would jam on anything in a heartbeat. some bottoms abraid paint, some don't. Some power down and really don't need marks, assuming they can count. Experiences are not universal, so do what works with your equipment.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
If you Google cotton biodegradable all the info is there. Natural fibres biodegrade, it's one of the good things about them when you don't want them to last forever. Chain markers are more useful if they don't biodegrade, same reason we don't often see natural fibre sails or ropes these days.
If you keep your boat dry and indoors then cotton will obviously last as long as your underpants do.
Spirit (of Glenans)
Well-Known Member
Here is a link to the blog of someone who favours webbing tabs, but interestingly, one of the replies reports corrosion to their chain under fabric tabs:
Marking anchor chain — Sailing Totem
Spirit (of Glenans)
Well-Known Member
How do you know he keeps his underpants dry and indoors?
lustyd
Well-Known Member
I don't even know he's a he!How do you know he keeps his underpants dry and indoors?
peter gibbs
Well-Known Member
And have the advantage you can feel them passing out at night. Ties go through the winch no probs. Leave the tails on.
thinwater
Well-Known Member
Running your hand along a chain running into a windlass at night is really not very safe. In fact it is plain careless and thoughtless and I would NEVER suggest it. Use a head lamp, for heavens sake.
phanakapan
Well-Known Member
I’m another ribbon fan- bright synthetic satin ribbon; the colours (snooker ball potting system) haven’t faded after 4 years. No sign of corrosion. Plus I had a free packet of those plastic inserts that I popped in at 5m as a ‘slow down get ready’ warning.
Mister E
Well-Known Member
That is what I use, although I don't anchor as much as others it has stayed on the chain for 4 years . It has not flaked off yet.
PhillM
Well-Known Member
Why mark it when you can hand over hand knowing that each length is about 1.5m
Refueler
Well-Known Member
Considering that I usually let mine 'run' when anchoring ..... ???????
1.5m is a big hand over hand length ..... I just 'simulated' H o H and I reckoned about 0.5m ....
MM5AHO
Well-Known Member
I use leather boots strings. every 5m with 1, 2, 3, etc They last several seasons, go round the windlass easily and do the job.
dewshi
Member
2-Tone Hammerlite all the way
