Anchor retrieval woes

Andy Cox

Andy Cox

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9 Oct 2018
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166
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Falmouth, Cornwall
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When retrieving the anchor we frequently end up with the chain bunching up under the deck, causing the chain to foul inside the hawse pipe, preventing further chain from coming up.

Invariably, this happens after the anchor has broken free of the bottom and we're now drifting around with a load of chain and anchor still in the water whilst crew - SWMBO - tries to stuff the chain back in the ole!

When looking in the chain locker it seems the chain just piles up in a sort of pyramid shape until it comes up under the deck. There's plenty of room in the locker and sometimes the pyramid collapses and all is ok but if notthen it a right royal PITA.

Apart from throwing out a load of chain I wonder if there are any thoughts from the collective?

Andy
 
I have had this on a couple of boats where the chain caught on something to start bunching up, in one case it was the nuts for the bow U bolt.
I fixed the problem by making a shute from curved plastic (in my case a traffic cone) so that the chain was deflected to the deeper part of the locker
 
As my chain has got a bit older and when the locker and chain becomes a bit dirty (in need of a wash out) I found the chain doesn't slide over itself and settle as well as it used to requiring a manual intervention half way along to help it settle. I'm going for chain replacement. You may be experiencing similar.
 
should have another video retrieving the anchor but cannot find it now...
have a look at this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-_nMkrA1AA&t=2s

I had a few pics on the construction of the thing, probably in the main rebuilt thread but cannot find it now easily.
Search for chain boy that's what these devices are called, or use a traffic cone as dpb says :D

V.
 
This usually happens when you go up a chain size say 10-12.

The solution is stainless chain which stops this happening. It of course costs.

Have you or a prior owner fitted larger chain ? If not I am sure a litre of Castrol poured over it will solve the issue.
 
jrudge said:
This usually happens when you go up a chain size say 10-12.

The solution is stainless chain which stops this happening. It of course costs.

Have you or a prior owner fitted larger chain ? If not I am sure a litre of Castrol poured over it will solve the issue.
Click to expand...

went from 70m of 8mm to 90m of 10mm and now I have this, but really all that chain has trouble fitting in the anchor locker. Planning to cut 15m and see how it goes.
Will avoid the oil treatmet tbh :p
 
We have had this problem on all our boats, motor or sail.

A while ago I was watching one of the liveaboard You Tube videos which might have been Follow the Boat. I noticed that they had an old golf club for spreading the pile of chain around whilst the windlass was doing it's stuff. Might try that as a safe way to move the chain around without getting too close the dangerous rotating bits.
 
asteven221 said:
We have had this problem on all our boats, motor or sail.

A while ago I was watching one of the liveaboard You Tube videos which might have been Follow the Boat. I noticed that they had an old golf club for spreading the pile of chain around whilst the windlass was doing it's stuff. Might try that as a safe way to move the chain around without getting too close the dangerous rotating bits.
Click to expand...

As jrudge suggested stainles steel is the solution to this problem. I know what kind of complications that this may create...
 
Thanks all for your contributions.

Vas, the chain boy video helps a lot and I think the answer would be to screw a traffic cone down under the hawse pipe so it deflects the chain around the locker.

I don't want loose any chain and I can't say I'm overly keen on oiling it, although I can see how that might help.

Now, where were those road works........................:D

Andy
 
I have this problem too.

I use a 4 ft length of 12 mm stainless poked down through the hawse hole to redirect the chain.

IMPORTANT Start by directing the chain to the back then the sides then the last bit goes forward. Do it the other way means that the chain can fall back on itself and jam. Ask me how I know this.
 
Andy Cox said:
I'll try the cone idea, see what happens and report back.

I can see how stainless would solve the problem, but if I can save myself a couple of grand using a plastic cone I'll feel quite pleased with myself:encouragement:
Click to expand...

some years ago we installed a "chain boy", but this didn't really cure the problem:
what happens is that the boat is never 100% level in the water,
or the chainboy is never 100% symetric under the opening,
so the chain has a preferred side, where it falls off, so creating a pile on that side, and giving more or less the same result as before
so we swapped to 130m 12mm shiny stainless steel chain !
 
I have a similar problem with my (stainless steel) 12mm chain piling up underneath the windlass motor and this has three times resulted in the chain punching the motor up and busting a couple of threaded bolts which hold the windlass assembly in place. With stainless steel it's thankfully easy enough to have someone on the foredeck kicking over the pile as it builds up and I now do this religiously whenever I've let out more than about 20 meters of chain (I have 120m in total). But it's annoying to have to remember to do this, let alone for the poor sod who ends up on his hands and knees pushing over the pile! So I like the cone idea and next time I'm on board will investigate what size cone I'd need...
 
you guys think you have problems. :p

Md9st4a.png
 
Andy Cox said:
Hmmm. I wonder just how fast he was going astern when he threw the hook out the front? :confused:
Click to expand...

looks like his brakes failed and he crushed into something big and rather hard...
look at the railings squashed to stbrd.
Anyway, should be v.happy that it's still floating tbh!

V.
 
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