Rope through hawsepipe

[Slow_boat]

Here's an idea;

How about having the octiplait with a hard eye in the end kept separate. If I need it, shackle it on and mouse with a cable tie (chances are I'll only be anchored for a night or two).

When leaving, haul in the octiplait, unshackle, tie bitter end onto the chain and carry on.

I would assume that the shortened anchor chain would hold long enough for the procedure.

Any thoughts?

Including what type of shackle to use.

The windlass is not electric and there will be no load on the cable as we would motor up to the anchor anyway.

 

[SteveSarabande]

Here's an idea;

How about having the octiplait with a hard eye in the end kept separate. If I need it, shackle it on and mouse with a cable tie (chances are I'll only be anchored for a night or two).

When leaving, haul in the octiplait, unshackle, tie bitter end onto the chain and carry on.

I would assume that the shortened anchor chain would hold long enough for the procedure.

Any thoughts?

Including what type of shackle to use.


The windlass is not electric and there will be no load on the cable as we would motor up to the anchor anyway.

To save loosing the chain amend that to

Tie bitter end to chain
Unshackled the octiplait

 

[vyv_cox]

My kedge has a rode comprised of about 5 metres of chain and 50 metres of 16 mm Octoplait. Flaking the rope into a bag that is about 2ft x 2ft is a pain, so pushing it down a pipe, whatever its name, strikes me as a tedious exercise.

Attaching the Octoplait to the chain on deck seems a far easier method but, as already pointed out, it could prove easy to lose the chain and anchor overboard. Something along the lines suggested by SteveSarabande would appear to be the answer, although you would need to be religious about swapping the two over, an action that might be difficult under testing conditions.

 

[Slow_boat]

I could easily leave on the gypsy, or cleat it off, while I made the swap.

The link will only take a 10mm shackle. Would that be big enough?

 

[DaveS]

To save loosing the chain amend that to

Tie bitter end to chain
Unshackled the octiplait

That's the system I would intend to use if I had to extend the rode. (So far, 40m of chain has been adequate for the west coast, but one day... ) To make this easier I have tied the lashing for the bitter end through the second last link, leaving the last link clear to take a shackle.

 

[Slow_boat]

Good point well made.

Is a 10mm shackle strong enough?

 

[vyv_cox]

I could easily leave on the gypsy, or cleat it off, while I made the swap.

The link will only take a 10mm shackle. Would that be big enough?

Very approximately, and assuming a good quality shackle, one of 10 mm has the strength of 8 mm chain. I have not tested a size up but I would think a 12 mm shackle would have about the UTS of a 10 mm chain.

I have been in situations several times when the last thibg I would have wanted was to go forward and shackle or unshackle a rope from my half hauled-in anchor chain, hence my reservations. However, it would be little worse than trying to push the rope through a pipe, so I expect you will cope:encouragement:

 

[Slow_boat]

I've measured the link and I don't think a 12mm shackle will fit.

 

[vyv_cox]

I've measured the link and I don't think a 12mm shackle will fit.

I don't think you have told us what size chain you have, unless I have missed it amongst the heated exchanges.

 

[SteveSarabande]

I have 8 mm chain, what size shackle would I need. Anyone got a link to what they think is suitable.

Mind you if I get my windlass fixed it might roll off that into the hole a bit easier than it does hand over hand

 

[vyv_cox]

I have 8 mm chain, what size shackle would I need. Anyone got a link to what they think is suitable.

The pin of a 10 mm shackle will fit an 8 mm chain link. There is a page about destructive testing of shackles (connectors) on my website, and one on chain, and one on C-links, all under Anchoring.

 

[Slow_boat]

I don't think you have told us what size chain you have, unless I have missed it amongst the heated exchanges.

10mm

 

[VicS]

10mm

My anchor chain has large end links. These allow larger shackles than the chain size to be used

 

[Slow_boat]

I wish mine did!

One of the websites recommends 14mm octiplait for a 10m 6.5 ton boat. Sounds a bit small to me or is octiplait stronger than 3 strand?

 

[vyv_cox]

I wish mine did!

One of the websites recommends 14mm octiplait for a 10m 6.5 ton boat. Sounds a bit small to me or is octiplait stronger than 3 strand?

Plenty strong enough but the issue with rope is more the handleability. Same size boat, I use 8 mm chain, 60 metres for the bower, 5 metres plus 50 metres 16 mm Anchorplait for kedge.

 

[Babylon]

Does octiplait fall through the pipe (whatever it's called) and into the chain locker under its own weight? If not, I could have an awful lot of chain piling up on deck.

Maybe keep the octiplait separate, to be shackled on when needed and off when the chain is shortened up?

I wouldn't go for the faff of a shackle.

I have 16mm octoplait spliced onto 8mm chain, and it does indeed feed into into the chain locker under its own weight. 28m of chain plus 50m of octoplait.

The only difference is that you have a windlass, whereas I have none. On recovering the anchor, my rope and chain is easily fed down by hand through a short deck-mounted pipe about 50mm diameter which is curved over 90 degrees (what I've always understood to be a 'hawse-pipe'), which would theoretically present more friction than a straight down pipe, yet it doesn't seem to hinder the octoplait's fall. The chain which follows it however falls easier still, as it has its own weight pulling it down from below deck.

As I also single-hand, if the anchorage is tight, then I motor up and feed as much of the cable down the hawse-pipe as I can before weighing anchor. The remaining few meters of chain can be left on the foredeck until I'm clear of other boats/hazards.

Re tying the bitter end of the rope to a secure point (a U-bolt) in the chain-locker, I'd suggest that you do this with lighter line, so that you can easily cut it if you have to leave an anchorage in a great hurry. (Of course, you'd buoy the end of the octoplait for later recovery.)

 

[PhillM]

How easy or difficult must depend on the geometry (rather than the terminology!).

E.g. can the shackle connecting the chain and rope be fed down the pipe, together of course with a bit of both? If so, and the weight carries the rope down into the locker, can it then be pulled through from below?

If answers are "no" I do not see how it can be done...

Mike.

Splice instead of shackle.

 

[mjcoon]

Re tying the bitter end of the rope to a secure point (a U-bolt) in the chain-locker, I'd suggest that you do this with lighter line, so that you can easily cut it if you have to leave an anchorage in a great hurry. (Of course, you'd buoy the end of the octoplait for later recovery.)

If buoying the end in a "great hurry", it would be useful to have a fender on the foredeck already fitted with a snap shackle to put in the soft eye that is no doubt spliced in the bitter end of the cable.

[Un]Fortunately the nearest I've been to this circumstance is the classic case of all-chain, not fastened in the locker, that shot out over the roller in benign conditions, and disappeared...

(BTW My spelling checker thinks "octoplait" should be "ectoplasm"!)

Mike.

 

[prr]

I would be reluctant to stow chain ontop of what would be lightly piled rope. The chain could work its way into the rope coils and you may end up with a bunch of *******s stuck up the pipe next time you try to get it out....