Stainless steel anchor chain

[vas]

Something like this perhaps? http://www.force4.co.uk/force-4-chain-boy.html?sqr=chain&#.WA0rPiRS1YA

No idea if it works as advertised and seems rather pricey for what it is, but no doubt substantially lower cost than SS chain. Of course it could also be useless, in which case the price is even more ridiculous.

ah,

that's what I call mushroom, which I'll hopefully be testing next w/e. Will let you know how it behaves.
I wont be making it from SS though, will be etalon and a M12 bolt to regulate height with

 

[Neeves]

People suggest traffic cones - they tend to be quite cheap. But the only person whom I know who tried one did not have success - but then maybe he used it incorrectly.

You need either a small cone or a large locker.

 

[Magnum]

Sorry to say this, again - but going down in size and buying a higher tensile product, so same strength, but much smaller volume will reduce weight (not an issue you say - try knocking a tower of 8mm chain over rather than 10mm or 12mm and you will notice a difference - or your wife will). If you go down in size but up in tensile strength you can reduce the volume of chain and still increase length. You then have a smaller volume of chain, its the same strength, its lighter so easier to knock the tower over and because it has a smaller volume it will only need de-towering about half the frequency of the larger chain.

The main reason for going up in size from 10mm to 12mm is weight of chain on the seabed. Staying with 10mm, however high tensile, isn't going to achieve that.

Stainless chain looks pretty, but I'm really not concerned about that. It was recommended because of its better flow, that's all.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

would it help a boat with a galv chain stacking problem to have a stainless cone or sides in the anchor locker ? That might reduce the natural angle of repose, at least initially.

I've had various boats and chain stacking has been an occasional problem on some boats but not others. I can't exactly explain why but before the OP goes to the trouble and expense of lining his anchor locker or fitting a cone, he should find out first whether he actually has a problem. Entirely FWIW and IMHO it seems to me that its more of a problem with an anchor locker with no floor that goes into the V of the hull whereas an anchor locker in which the builder has moulded a flat floor as a base doesn't give that problem. But as I say this may be bollox

 

[BartW]

ah,

that's what I call mushroom, which I'll hopefully be testing next w/e. Will let you know how it behaves.
I wont be making it from SS though, will be etalon and a M12 bolt to regulate height with

we have used such a "chain boy" with a gavanised chain, and for us it was NO solution to the problem of the stacking chain,
the chain did still stack, on the side of the mushroom. (we tried to reposition the mushroom a few times...)
I still have the unit, Vas you can have it if you like, but imho it is not wordth the hassle of the shipping, and the unit needs to be adapted to the hight of the chain locker.

our chain locker has a flat bottom (a big flat surface) and is about 1m below the deck floor, and we had alway's problems with a stacking chain when dropping +40m of 12mm galva chain (what we did mostly)
the new SS steel 12mm chain has completely cured the stacking problem as it flows like cream on the bottom of the locker,

 

[vas]

I've had various boats and chain stacking has been an occasional problem on some boats but not others. I can't exactly explain why but before the OP goes to the trouble and expense of lining his anchor locker or fitting a cone, he should find out first whether he actually has a problem. Entirely FWIW and IMHO it seems to me that its more of a problem with an anchor locker with no floor that goes into the V of the hull whereas an anchor locker in which the builder has moulded a flat floor as a base doesn't give that problem. But as I say this may be bollox

Mike,

with all respect it probably is

If you have an 80cm high anchor locker and rather narrow and triangular as per the pointy bit of the bow, it's unlikely you'll be able to stack 70m of 8mm chain (that's my case)
If you have a 2m high locker and 1m wide I'm sure you'll get 150m of 10mm easily.

I cannot understand how flat floors can help (other than being a massive locker and the floor is there to make it more manageable- and maybe use the lower part for something else from the bow cabin side)
The first 10-15m of chain will flatten the v and will make it behave the way a flat bottomed locker does.

Mine also has the extra problem of the chain dropping 10cm from the rear bulkhead of the locker, not smart...
In many cases you have "wasted" space on the port and stbrd aft sides of the locker. In that case a cone or this mushroom thing will probably help spreading the chain more and occupy the space nicely avoiding stacking up in a 30degree side angle pile!

Of course all IMHO

cheers

V.

 

[Portofino]

Also a wide flat floor so it naturally spreads side ways uninhibited before climbing and a deep locker so,s when it starts to climb its miles off the windlass and any accociated potential snagging structures .
Also I suspect a faster more rapid windlass that winds it in so fast that the shear mass speads ---as opposed to a slow windlass that allows it to in a bake a cake balancing type of way - slowly kinda by link as it builds a tower .

So a combo of big locker + rapid windlass ----- keeps knocking its own tower down into the space it has

 

[Zing]

The main reason for going up in size from 10mm to 12mm is weight of chain on the seabed. Staying with 10mm, however high tensile, isn't going to achieve that.

Stainless chain looks pretty, but I'm really not concerned about that. It was recommended because of its better flow, that's all.

The weight of chain on the seabed is not an advantage. When the wind picks up to only moderate winds, say 15kt then all the chain is off the seabed anyway. The anchor needs to hold the boat in a blow, maybe an unexpected one and in a blow the chain is straight, so chain on the seabed does nothing and even the much touted catenary does virtually nothing to help.

That said, the thicker chain will make the chain stronger, safer and more resistant to the weaknesses of stainless. The weight will slow you down a tiny bit and increase pitching a theoretical amount.

Stainless does flow well and that can only be an advantage, though not indispensable.

 

[Portofino]

The weight of chain on the seabed is not an advantage. When the wind picks up to only moderate winds, say 15kt then all the chain is off the seabed anyway. The anchor needs to hold the boat in a blow, maybe an unexpected one and in a blow the chain is straight, so chain on the seabed does nothing and even the much touted catenary does virtually nothing to help.

.

I would have thought a heavier by that 1/2 as or 2x as much would need a hell of a lot more force to straighten ,Ie catenary effect worth having .
But the windlass needs to be up to it as well ( not for holding -just beefy enough to last ) -so correct speced windlass .
In shallow anchorages I think you have less catenary say 4 M --- so boat moves back in a blow and this happens

I notice snorkelling in deep anchorages say 20 M -25 M the chain hangs almost vertical and hardley lifts

 

[Neeves]

Portofino

That's a great image - if I interpret correctly the chain is moving up and down - and so is the anchor shank - the idea is to keep the anchor stationary and not thrashing about (and the best way to do that is to bury the anchor as deeply as possible - along with as much chain as is possible..

 

[Magnum]

The weight of chain on the seabed is not an advantage. When the wind picks up to only moderate winds, say 15kt then all the chain is off the seabed anyway. .

That's simply not true, as witnessed by yours truly using 12mm chain. The chain only straightened a couple of times and that was at 30 knots +.

 

[RupertW]

That's simply not true, as witnessed by yours truly using 12mm chain. The chain only straightened a couple of times and that was at 30 knots +.

Interesting and that experience is against all the maths and much widely discussed threads on the catenary effect which is a marginal light wind effect at best. If it wasn't for chafe then the logical position is thinnest lightest chain for any size boat or anchor provided that strength exceeds the other components in the combination such as windlass fixing, cleats etc. All best done with an elastic snubber to reduce shock loads.

Next chain for us will be to replace 10mm with 8mm (possibly stainless as we stack) so we can fit more chain for less weight and easier storage - theoretically even 6mm would do as far as strength and chafe is concerned, but not for S/S and our windlass doesn't have a gypsy that small.

 

[Zing]

That's simply not true, as witnessed by yours truly using 12mm chain. The chain only straightened a couple of times and that was at 30 knots +.

Well it does depend on how much chain is out, how deep you are anchored and how much windage your boat has. I snorkel and dive a lot and can honestly say my 12mm chain is never on the bottom in moderate winds of say above 15kt. By the way, I didn't say the chain would be straight at 15 kt. At 30kt and above, like you say it is straight anyway.

But my point really is, what's the point of having chain on the seabed? Compared to the force resisted by a good anchor, the extra help a section of chain dragging over sand is going to be negligible, or maybe a bit less.

 

[Magnum]

I'm pretty sure Hurricane said he noticed a huge difference in holding when upgrading from 10mm to 12mm chain.

 

[Bouba]

I also think that the weight of chain is vital. And my experience in the past with small boats is that it's better to upsize the chain before you upsize the anchor

 

[Magnum]

This is the P68 anchor chain locker with 60m of 10mm chain. We will be replacing it with 80m of 12mm chain.

 

[Portofino]

But there ,s no stacking on those pics or seems likely !
I thought that was the first and formost reason for SS ---creamy flow ,cos of stacking issues potentially with Galv ?
How ever a bucket of 12 @ 80 M may occupy 2x the vol ? -even so the locker seems roomy enough and the hydraulic winch fast enough to mitigate stacking ?

 

[Magnum]

Indeed. Only just been sent these pics!

 

[Portofino]

Here's a pic from 2014 by the broker to show the new chain fitted as agreed .Old was rusty so I negotiated 70M of 10 mm
I've since cleaned up old rust marks on the floor and hameritted the motor btw .
It's up to ones shoulders when standing in .so 1.5 M to 1.6 est .
We get no stacking .The motor is real fast though .Chain seems to sit in a flat ish pile .

there's a safety chain to prevent inadvertent deployment
I got rid of that spare anchor as well -the bins either side are fender stowage ,tied off to those x struts .-never thus far had any issues

 

[vas]

Magnum,

this is really massive!

If that's indeed 60m of 10mm down there, I bet you would easily fit 200m of 12mm rusty ugly galv chain and still wouldn't cause any problems!
Measured mine and it's 40X40cm and only 60cm high. And that's the limit for around 50m of 8mm galv chain.

cheers

V.