Connecting anchor chain lengths...

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zaragozo

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I have two lengths (each 30m) of 8mm calibrated chain and an electric windlass. A fellow at the boat show sold me a very shiny split link that apparently joins two lengths by tapping the two halves together so that some spiky things bind the whole thing together - like a cold rivet. Local folk look at it and hiss like a plumber.
Does this 'link' work? Or should I get the local smithy to cut 'n' weld?
 
I have several of these things that came with the boat. They are lying in a box of junk somewhere. I do not trust them as I estimate that their maximum strength to be no better than half that of the chain. That is if they were made of the same forged steel as the chain, but they look like castings and a brittle casting is not what I want in a chain.

Having said all that, I have used them in the past, on my last boat. I joined the existing 25 metres of chain to an added 20 metres using one, but I used araldite as well as clenching over the pins.

On my current boat the orininal 30 metres of chain (why are boats always sold with such short lengths of chain?) is joined to the extra 25 metres using a shackle. Yes, the pin occasionally gets caught in the hause pipe but has always been easy to release. I know that you can get shackles with non-protruding pins and one of these would be a better idea.
 
If the gypsy is open I would use two 10mm D shackles end to end with the pins through the links and ease them over the gypsy when needed. Depending on where you anchor most of the time its unlikely that there will be a great load on the chain with 30m out as its usual to use the engine to minimise windlass load anyway. If you have an enclosed gypsy you will need a proper chain joining shackle without lugs - not usually available in 8 mm size though there are ss shackles on the market that use hex keys and just may work.
I bought one of those joining links by mail order many years ago - one look at it was enough to convince me that I was not going to trust it to hold the boat and myself on a windy night.
 
I'm sure one of the mags did tests on them some time ago and the one that was Ok was a Kong? - a well known make apparently but not sure if well known over here.
Just checked and the Plastimo 8mm joining link as you describe has a SWL of 150kg - not a lot in my opinion.
 
M33 said:
I'm sure one of the mags did tests on them some time ago and the one that was Ok was a Kong? - a well known make apparently but not sure if well known over here.
Just checked and the Plastimo 8mm joining link as you describe has a SWL of 150kg - not a lot in my opinion.
Click to expand...
YM did a test a couple of years ago. The strength varied enormously but none of them came close to the strength of the chain.
 
Mixed chain/rope rode

I usually anchor in 5 to 6 meters of water height, using a 5/1 scope and… 30 meters of chain...

If I need more rode, for deeper anchorage or to have more scope, why not using a mixed rode/chain- rope??

The « best » anchor rode is a mixed chain/rope rode (see http://alain.fraysse.free.fr/sail/rode/rode.htm)

Then you don’t need to have more chain but a longer mixed anchor rode!

João
 
Thanks for that folks.
Just a final thought - the idea of cutting and rewelding a link on the connecting chain seems a good idea - but what would happen to the galvanisation where the weld would be? Would it rust and then become the weakest link (so to speak)?
 
Cruiser2B - this was the site I got the SWL - if you scroll down it has a 'Plastimo' flag in the picture thttp://www.duncanyacht.co.uk/showcategory.asp?CategoryID=2357ure so I assumed it was Plastimo....... aplogies if it's wrong.
 
zaragozo said:
Thanks for that folks.
Just a final thought - the idea of cutting and rewelding a link on the connecting chain seems a good idea - but what would happen to the galvanisation where the weld would be? Would it rust and then become the weakest link (so to speak)?
Click to expand...

I did this, I'm a very amateur welder with a MIG set, but it turned out fine, very much better than a split link of unknown quality IMHO. As for the galvanising, obviously the weld is uncoated, but the heat had surprisingly little effect on the rest of the link. Zinc galvanising protects the nearby steel anyway, even if the coating is incomplete, but I put some galvafroid paint on it just for good measure. After a couple of seasons, it's giving me no cause for concern.
 
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