Floating line for anchor warp?

[Tim Good]

I have 120m of 3 strand floating polyprop for a shoreline. I don't really want to go out and buy another load of warp for my kedge.

If I use say 10m of chain with a floating line would it make any difference if the line was floating or not?

 

[dunedin]

Not until it wraps round the keel, rudder and/or sail drive

 

[RupertW]

Not until it wraps round the keel, rudder and/or sail drive

...of your boat and the same plus propellor of anything passing

 

[sarabande]

say 10mm chain, that's 23kg. Say 18mm rope, at a density of 0.94, that's an upthrust of about 3kg., so the rope could lift up about one metre, but that is going to depend on the depth of water and the profile of the catenary.

 

[Yngmar]

That sounds like a terrible idea. It'll all sink nicely to the ground as long as it is under tension, the weight of the chain and anchor make sure of that. But if the warp ever goes slack, the floaty line will drift up and wrap around important bits under the boat, like the propeller, keel or rudder and potentially leave you in a very nasty situation where you'll have neither engine/steering nor ground tackle available.

The line can go slack because the wind or tide have turned and your boat is sailing over her anchor or because you weren't fast enough hauling the warp in when retrieving the anchor and motoring forward. You might think you can avoid this, but shit usually happens when you're already distracted with something else (e.g. avoiding another boat dragging onto you while at anchor) and quickly hauling up the floaty line was not your top priority.

 

[Sailorsam101]

It's not just the anchor that does the work...the total weight of chain/rope does most of the work.

If you are going to remove about half the weight of the total setup then expect half the holding.

For me i'd rather have more heavy gear in the water holding me than skimp and use light gear.

 

[prv]

It can happen even with notionally-sinking polyester line - I had quite an "exciting" night with the warp round the keel in a strong tide last summer. I've since put on board a small weight with a carbine hook and a measured length of line, to slide down the warp and hold it below the keel when slack. Floating line for an anchor warp would make the problem worse, plus add the possibility of catching other people as well.

That said, a lot of ways that you might use a kedge won't involve drifting over the anchor with the warp slack. So it might be ok for that purpose. Just remember the risk of tangling if you ever have to use the kedge as a spare bower, and consider weighting the line with whatever's handy.

Pete

 

[lw395]

I bought a boat with such an anchor warp.
Anchored sideways by the keel was no fun at 3AM.
A lead weight every few metres sorted it out until I bought a new warp.
It doesn't need very much lead IIRC.
A few inches of lead pipe split and crimped on?

 

[Kelpie]

A weight positioned so that it is below the lowest part of your boat, but not on the seabed, should help out a lot. Still not ideal really.
I've used strips of old lead flashing to weight lines before- a few inches twisted through the layup of the rope. It doesn't take much weight to help it to sink.

 

[johnphilip]

I bought a boat with such an anchor warp.
Anchored sideways by the keel was no fun at 3AM.
A lead weight every few metres sorted it out until I bought a new warp.
It doesn't need very much lead IIRC.
A few inches of lead pipe split and crimped on?

Been there, done that, woken in the small hours by the gurgle of the tide rushing around the hull. Releasing piano wire tight warp holding the boat across the tide was a little too challenging to enjoy.

 

[PCUK]

It is an unwritten rule never to use floating line for the anchor warp for the reasons already stated.:nonchalance:

 

[RupertW]

It's not just the anchor that does the work...the total weight of chain/rope does most of the work.

If you are going to remove about half the weight of the total setup then expect half the holding.

For me i'd rather have more heavy gear in the water holding me than skimp and use light gear.

Sorry but none of that is true. Floating line is a bad idea because it can wrap up you and passing boats, but rope and even chain have no impact on holding except in the lightest of winds and no tide. A longer length allows for a better angle for the anchor to hold but the holding power would be the same (in any wind or tide) even if the rode was the size and weight f a thread - we use thicker stuff for breaking strain and resilience to chafe, not its weight.

 

[lw395]

I think it depends whatthe OP wants to use the kedge for.
For what racers call kedging, i..e anchoring to stop the tide taking you backwards in a race, it would be fine. (we had a 220m roll of polyprop for that purpose...)
For kedging off when aground or similar, it would be fine.
As a general purpose spare/alternative anchor, not ideal. But if it's only there just in case rather than definitely going to be used many times a year, it might be fine.
It's not strong winds where a floaty rode catches you out, it's light wind or changing tide.
For me as a beginner, it was a severely embarrassing gotcha, but these days it wouldn't catch me out. I'd just slap a weight or two on it if there was any chance of the rode going slack.

 

[macd]

Sorry but none of that is true. ... we use thicker stuff for breaking strain and resilience to chafe, not its weight.

+1
In F8, it's all dead straight, whatever the weight and material (within realistic limits).

 

[Yngmar]

The problem with attaching weights to the Polysteel rope is that it makes it less useful for its primary purpose, as long shoreline, where floating line is desirable.

 

[salar]

Two more reasons not to use polyprop. Firstly it doesn't knot very well and is prone to slipping, and secondly if you snag up and have to cut or it breaks, you are leaving a nice hazard for every passing boat as the rope will float to the surface.

 

[Len Ingalls]

Lobster fishermen over here use a "short" length of floating rope from pot to a spliced length of sinking (leaded) rope attached to buoy.
The purpose of floating rope is to keep from chafing on bottom. The purpose of the sinking rope from buoy is to keep line from fouling props,etc.
Same system is used for anchored nets.
It could be done for your boat.
Floating rope from chain up to 5+m below the surface at slack low tide. Sinking rope from there to boat/mooring ball.
Works well in deep water.

/Len

 

[prv]

Floating rope from chain up to 5+m below the surface at slack low tide. Sinking rope from there to boat/mooring ball.

That's fine for a mooring, where the depth of water is known, but the OP is talking about an anchor warp.

I still think it's adequate, if not ideal, for a kedge.

Pete

 

[lw395]

The problem with attaching weights to the Polysteel rope is that it makes it less useful for its primary purpose, as long shoreline, where floating line is desirable.

Just tie the weights on when needed. Two or three 1 kg dive weights tied on with a few turns of thin cord will do it.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Two more reasons not to use polyprop. Firstly it doesn't knot very well and is prone to slipping, and secondly if you snag up and have to cut or it breaks, you are leaving a nice hazard for every passing boat as the rope will float to the surface.

Under stress it also melts from the inside. Not a good material if you want safety. Also appalling chafe resistance. If you are using your kedge to more bows to a quay, then you do not want to have ANY stretch in the line at all, otherwise you will be bashing the stone quay with your bows on every gust of wind - not good! Get proper non stretch anchor plait for ease of handling and stowage. For a kedge, I repeat - non stretch line is essential.