how much chain to carry

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colvic987

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i have 15m of chain on board, and feel that it is not enough for anchoring, what is the concenus on the amount of chain needed for the main anchor.

28 ft boat, with 10kg bruce, 8mm chain, sailing mainly north wales coast,iom, west coast scotland.

personally, i think that 50metres should be plenty.
 
Offical Bruce website HERE sez 5Kg working 7.5Kg storm for 8.5m LOA and 10Kg storm 5Kg working for 9.8m, so 10Kg is plenty for your boat.

The Bruce is a clumsy anchor on the foredeck, I certainly wouldn't want to go up to 15Kg on a 28 footer. 10Kg is more than enough if you take time to make sure it is set. The Bruce was originally designed as an oil rig anchor though, and some people have expressed the opinion that it doesn't scale down as well as might be hoped.

50Kg chain is probably realistically all you can stow, and should be plenty for the areas you are anchoring in.

- Nick
 
You dont say how much warp you have.

50m chain will start to dip the nose in, and affect performance on the move. It has a big effect on my Jeanneau.
I have 50m in bow, 30m in Starboard locker on kedge and 20m in Port locker on Fortress.
Who is going to be out in a hoolie anchoring? Once every 20 years maybe.
 
8.2 metre sailing boat, set out on voyage from UK to Spain with eighty metres of eight mm chain. After two years cut off forty metres and sold it off as always used up to thirty metres, mostly fifteen/twenty. Bows now visible above water line. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
I use a ten kg CQR which is fine if carefully bedded in and watched but has dragged several times.
I do have a seven metre length of chain on forty-five metres of anchorplait rope on a five kilo danforth which is very useful.
Also carry a ten kilo fishermans anchor.
 
<I got the imoression that he meant 15 m total>
Yep, I agree.

I have that much because I am planning stuff. Most of it never gets wet on my boat.

Thata why I asked the warp question.
In fact I am going to practice the 10kg Aluminium Fortress this year.
 
Carry 70M, 8mm for Scotland west coast with a spade anchor and for kedge 45M 12mm multiplate spliced to 10M 8mm chain. HR29
 
on the main anchor chain i have 150ft of warp, not anchor plait, 14/16mm not sure what sort, have not used it as i try to just use chain with a chain hook and warp to take the slack, kedge is 7.5 bruce with 8mtr 8mm chain spliced with anchorplait (25mtrs). (and a fishermans for visits to scotland.left at home for most of year).

The bruce is chocked on deck and fitted to bowroller before leaving mooring, i have a swinging mooring and prefer to have the bruce away from the mooring chain as it can get very rough where we are.

thanks for all your prompt replies, maybe looking on getting 30-35 metres of chain and a suitable length of anchorplait, say 40 mtrs.
 
[ QUOTE ]

thanks for all your prompt replies, maybe looking on getting 30-35 metres of chain and a suitable length of anchorplait, say 40 mtrs.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I have on a 27 footer in the Bristol Channel...more than about 35-40m of chain is a hell of a lot of weight on a small boat.
 
I agree, 50m would be enough. If the boat is light displacement you might want to carry less in the bow locker, say 30m which would give you all chain in 6 to 8m depth. You could carry additional chain in the bilge or aft lockers. On a three year USA/Caribbean cruise I carried 50m of hi-test 1/4" (6.5 mm) rather than 8mm proof coil to save weight but get at least the same safe working load.
 
>>Who is going to be out in a hoolie anchoring? Once every 20 years maybe.<<

Jim, if you're cruising, it happens a lot more often than that!! It isn't just a question of wind, more of the 'fetch' and therefore wave height/pattern that affects the holding and comfort.

For example, we carry two 35lb CQRs on 50m chain and 50m Anchorplait. We use the second CQR, not just for additional holding, but often just to steady the boat against swinging or to dampen the motion in an exposed situation. We anchor far, far more often than we 'marina', so are relaxed in most situations.

In addition, we carry an FX16 Fortress as a backup with it's own chain/warp and a 15lb Bruce kedge on 15m chain and 50m Anchorplait. We've never had to use the Fortress in anger - yet, but it's good to know it's there!

In short Colvic987, I think the general advice to go for 50m chain is right, though I'd definitely have a substantial length of Anchorplait (or similar) to extend the scope if anchoring in deeper water or to act as shock-absorber in lumpier weather!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
15m 8mm is all you need on that boat - add warp to the rode (14mm anchorplait) to give you 3:1 on the greatest depth you plan to anchor.

[/ QUOTE ]

Most would say 3:1 is a minimum for all-chain rode. For heavier conditions and certainly with part rope, 5:1 would be safer.
 
I have 30m chain on 25lb CQR plus 30m multiplait. Have dragged several times in shallow water (ie under 1m uner the keel) to all of the chain out - caused by snatching to a virtually straight chain. What you need in shallow water is some spring from the multiplait.
5:1 in deep water with plenty of chain in the system is over-kill, but in shallow water the length can be irrelevant - especially if the anchor is not in soft mud and cannot get really dug in deep.
The answer to the question really lies in how deep (and shallow) you are anchoring, and what the conditions of the bottom, and of the water. It may be that a slightly larger anchor and more rope is more useful.
 
[ QUOTE ]
The Bruce is a clumsy anchor on the foredeck

[/ QUOTE ] Funny how folk see things differently. I bought a Bruce because it is the easiest and neatest anchor to stow - not on the deck of couse but in the bow roller. I have a 20kg Bruce on my Voyager 35. Its shape wraps around the stem whilst it is in the bow roller so that it locks in solidly without any need for a pin. (I did not want to weaken the shank by drilling a hole for a pin which so many folk do) So solidly in fact that I use it as a step when moored bows to. Vive la difference!
 
On a 28fter I'd use 20-25 mts of 7mm chain with some nice 12 or 14mm rope behind it.
A saving of 0.4kg a metre over 8mm and plenty strong enuff.
 
I also sail west coast scotland. I carry 30m chain spliced to a further 50m warp and we anchor almost all the time. Generally we can get in to anchor in about 4 to 5 metres so 30m is fine. Had this setup now for several seasons and to date we have not yet had to use the warp.

Hope this helps
 
I carry almost exactly the same as Pye_End above, 30m chain, and 30m anchorplait on a 25lb CQR, and too have dragged in very shallow water when laying out just the chain........ however, drop out a further 10m of the anchorplait to let the chain lay flat, and all dragging ceases......

Agree, 3:1 is on the short side... we normally try to lay out at least 5:1, and if we have the room, we just let loads out, up to about 10:1..... the anchorplait is so easy to pull in, that you may as well let it out and ensure that the chain is laying out straight and working at its best.....
 
Yes, the Bruce does stow on the bow roller very neatly on most larger boats - but we were talking about a 15Kg anchor ona 28ft boat if I recallhte start of this thread, so the anchor would almost certainly need to be stowed on hte foredeck.


I like the idea of using the anchor as a step - very useful when moored bows-to.

- Nick
 
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