Anchor chain piling up tipping over and jamming

[philmarks]

After a bumpy passage my anchor chain pile has usually tipped over and will not run out freely through the hawse pipe when I next drop the hook. I know received wisdom is to manually lay chain out on deck before anchoring, but the problem is still the same - I have to go down below and sort out the pile, which can be heavy work.

I was just wondering if there are any clever ideas out there to prevent this happening other than manually laying it flat in the locker when hauling in the anchor?

 

[JKay]

I use an upside down traffic cone in the locker But I suspect you may have a lot more and heavier chain
The princible works.Over to the others

cheers Joe

 

[webcraft]

[ QUOTE ]
an upside down traffic cone

[/ QUOTE ] Upside down? How does that work then? I always assumed you used it pointed end up.

- W

 

[JKay]

Nick It must be a southern hemisphere thing /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
my chain would pile on a ledge in the locker coming in and collect fenders,rope etc on the way out just seemed logical
to put cone upside down.Works for my Little setup
Cheers Joe

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

How do you keep the traffic cone upside down?

They are well designed to stand upright.

Photo would explain.

 

[JKay]

jammed in the anchor locker wiv the pointy end at the bottom

hence "upside down"

Cheers Joe

 

[alan17]

I suppose it is much the same but I have a plastic bucket in the chain locker into which the chain falls. I have had no problems with the chain being deployed and the chain all stays confined within the bucket.
There are holes in the bucket to allow water to escape.

 

[webcraft]

How much chain does a traffic cone hold? Why is it better than just a chain locker, which is a bit traffic cone shaped anyway?

- W

 

[JKay]

How dare you describe my anchor lockers shape on an open

forum /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gifI'm bored with this now and /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

ttfn Joe

 

[JKay]

Very much the same the length/height of the cone stops the
chain piling up on an inner ledge I've got or I'd use a bucket

Cheers Joe

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day PhliM,

We had this problem on a small tug boat some tears back and that chain was very work.

Wed welded a single spike to the floor of the locker and never had another hang up.

Perhaps you could make up a base that fits your existing locker floor with a single spike located under the drop point, the chain will get a few turns around the spike and prevent the heap from slipping on falling on top of lower turns, well worth a try I think.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[GMac]

Ahh cone pointy end up I think you'll find works a pile better. The point directly where the chain comes down and hits it.

Before cars start driving into things all over the EU may I suggest a road cone, while good, is not as good as a glass with kevlar on the top cone. But a road cone makes a damn handy mould, if you catch my drift /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Obviously if you have the chance to play with heights and widths of the cone you can get damn good results.

 

[MacMan]

We have just brought some B&Q plastic "tuff" buckets - often bright yellow to help organise our Anchor locker. (But it is quite big and store fenders, leccy cable as well as Rode)

 

[Salty John]

The object is to get the chain to work on a first in, last out basis. A tall narrow locker, smaller at the bottom than at the top, is ideal because the chain never gets to fall over on itself. That's why the traffic cone trick works; it creates a tall narrow space, smaller at the base than at the top. An inverted cone only works if you pour the chain into the cone, of course.
You can also divide the locker into two, as I did, so the chain fills one half first and then overflows into the second tall narrow section.
It's all to do with the angle of repose of the stowed chain; chain can build up to quite an impressive height but then the motion of the boats causes it to collapse, trapping the newly arriving chain under previously stowed chain - and that's the problem.
The tall narrow locker doesn't allow the stack of chain to capsize, maintaining the first in, last out situation.

 

[davies]

An inverted plastic bucket does the job in my chain locker.

 

[philmarks]

Thanks all for some great ideas and couple of laughs!

I have 80m of 10mm chain so the cone and bucket are out for me on grounds of volume. I think OldSaltz idea of a spike might work for me, though my locker is a grp tray, but I could glass in a spike or cone a la motor sailing cone.

Excellent, may the next bottle of wine you open be the best ever...if not just keep trying...

 

[knuterikt]

This looks like a solution

found it in an old thread

 

[LittleSister]

An inverted cone only works if you pour the chain into the cone, of course.

No, I think it's usually used right way (pointy end) up, but with the chain arranging itself around it, in a cheapie version of the thing in Knuterikt's post. The point being (usually) to spread the chain so a tall pile doesn't build up to reach the top and jam everything up (or fall over and create the OP's problem).

 

[NormanS]

No, I think it's usually used right way (pointy end) up, but with the chain arranging itself around it, in a cheapie version of the thing in Knuterikt's post. The point being (usually) to spread the chain so a tall pile doesn't build up to reach the top and jam everything up (or fall over and create the OP's problem).

I expect that the OP has found a solution to his problem, as this thread started 9 years ago.

 

[LittleSister]

I expect that the OP has found a solution to his problem, as this thread started 9 years ago.

We would hope so, but there are many others with similar or related problems who might find the various suggestions and experience of value.