How long is your achor chain?

[ffiill]

I pose this question as I must admit to not having known the exact answer myself.
I do know that I once inadvertently released the windlass brake too quickly and dropped the whole lot on the bottom(the bitter end was still secured to my boat.)
Anyway today at Arisaig after having endured a snow storm whilst trying to do some rigging work the sun came out and I decided that the time had come to lay out the chain and measure it.-100metres from waterline down!.
Which is great to know except again I had to then haul it back up and arrange it in the chain locker without the benefit of an electric windlass(I now remember why I was looking for one)The chains not too bad and of course the anchor was on the hard several feet below the keel but with the anchor weighing in at over 20 kg even allowing for apparent weigh loss due to buoyant effect of water its pretty horrendous man hauling over 300 feet of 8 mm chain plus the anchor off the bottom and the manual windlass is slow.
(Yes I have left n out of anchor and cannot edit it)

 

[prv]

Mine's 40 metres. Never had any trouble snaking it from one place to another, but moving it all in one go when poured into a big garden bucket is a bit of a job. Can do it on my own, but much better with two.

Pete

 

[Tradewinds]

100 metres 10mm (I bought a drum load & measured it out) .

& yes I have used virtually all of it (barring the last 5 metres inc bitter end) .

Electric windlass helps.


Didn't drag

CQR

 

[VO5]

I carry 225 feet of 5/16 " chain and a 45 lb CQR.
It is marked every 20 feet. The last 5 Feet are marked in red.
I have another 4 anchors in lockers.
My windlass is manual.
I have no difficulty in hauling in by hand.
When I get croaky and rusty I will probably get an electric windlass.

 

[Tradewinds]

Are you implying I am croaky & rusty?

You're probably right

 

[ffiill]

I carry 225 feet of 5/16 " chain and a 45 lb CQR.
It is marked every 20 feet. The last 5 Feet are marked in red.
I have another 4 anchors in lockers.
My windlass is manual.
I have no difficulty in hauling in by hand.
When I get croaky and rusty I will probably get an electric windlass.

That would account for red paint on end of mine-out again methinks to try to work out a previous owners colour code.

 

[TQA]

200 feet of 3/8th chain twice. Both backed up with 200 feet rope rodes.

OK 44 footer on the hook about 350 days pa in the Caribbean. Lots of coral and other junk in anchorages so all chain is the norm.

 

[Stu Jackson]

It would be really helpful if you included the size of your boat when you describe your chain size and length.

I have 35 feet of 1/4 inch chain with 100 feet of 1/2 inch line on our 34 foot boat of 16,000 lbs.

I determined it here: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.msg30400.html#msg30400

 

[temptress]

110m on main anchor, 30m chain plus 100m rope on second anchor, 5m chain and 70m reel for kedge.

 

[charles_reed]

65m of 8mm + 40m of 16mm Octoplait on bower (25lb CQR), 25m 7mm chain and 50m 12mm Octoplait on each of two kedges (5kg Delta and 5kg Danforth), 10m 7mm chain and 25m braid-on-braid for grapnel (usually used for the dinghy)

Boat design weight 3000kg, all up weight c3800kg, 9.28 wll, 9.45oal.

Usually in Med, anchoring overnight 110/200 pa, last drag Vis 2007.

 

[Poignard]

65 m

 

[cmedsailor]

Boat 36ft, sloop, 6500-7000kg (reasonably loaded).
60 meters of 10mm chain with 16kg Britany anchor. Electric windlass.

 

[DJE]

Getting an inferiority complex here I've only got 30m of 8mm chain and 30m of 16mm rope on the 10kg Delta main anchor. Various bits of chain totalling about 15m and a 50m warp for the kedge. No windlass and the one time I had to haul it in deep water I used one of the genoa sheet winches.
Solent based 29 footer.

 

[[70521]]

even allowing for apparent weigh loss due to buoyant effect of water its pretty horrendous man hauling over 300 feet of 8 mm chain plus the anchor off the bottom and the manual windlass is slow.
(Yes I have left n out of anchor and cannot edit it)

You need more porrage in the morning.

 

[tom_sail]

Don't think I'll ever win the "who is longest competition?"

15 metre chain and 30 metre rope.

Not ideal for a 5-6 metre tidal range but that's all that fits in the locker. Hunter horizon 26.

 

[Billjratt]

70metres of 10mm with 30m octoplait to a 40lb plough. 30ft 6-1/2 ton motor-sailer with a lofrans cobra.

 

[Kelpie]

Just using what came with the boat, namely- 30m of 3/8, marked by fabric tabs every 5m.
27ft boat, 2.5t, 10kg Bruce-alike.

In practise I use all of it every time I anchor, and in deeper water or stronger conditions add up to 20m warp.

Anybody want to p/ex for a longer, thinner, length of chain??

 

[nevis]

I have 150ft 8mm chain connected to a 25lb CQR
300 FT 12mm nylon connected to 15ft 8mm chain connected to a 10lb Fortress
150 ft 12mm nylon connected to a 15lb Fisherman
Boat is 25ft Tomahawk

This season i intend to use the Fortess as a bower anchor as i dont have a windlass
The CQR can be deployed if necessary

 

[AngusMcDoon]

10m chain.
40m warp.
Aluminum anchor.
I can hear the teeth gnashing as I write.

 

[BAtoo]

30ft'er. 30m + 30m rode.

East Coast - don't think this boats been in >20m depth in the last 2 yrs.....