Windlass questions..

[seachicken]

Thanks everyone. I'm down in vancouver for the weekend and have found a couple different options to buy slightly used...

Which would be better?

15 feet of chain and 250 feet or rope
Vs
100 feet of chain and 170 feet of rope

I'm inexperienced with this but from what I know I don't think 15' of chain isn't enough for any length of boat. The more chain you put on the bottom the better as it is part of the holding force and as it comes up off the bottom it dampens things out.

 

[Brando]

100’ and 170’ combo. cut 40-50’ of the chain off and re sell it if it’s too heavy in your bow locker. 50-60’ of chain and 170’ of rode will work just fine for your setup. Don’t forget to attach the bitter end in your locker

 

[Bill 310]

This thread inspired me to look up what chain and rode length we have on the boat . I am going to make a label with these lengths and put it on the dash

We ordered what was recommended by the manufacturer 25 feet of 8MM chain and 425 feet of 8mm line with their 8KG Anchor

Robert will only install the Lone Star Anchors. We ordered it and then delivered it up to him ( saving shipping costs) and we were going up on a regular basis

Anchors - Lone Star Marine

Hammer Claw and MMX Series boat anchors are the most trusted and reliable anchors on the market - Lone Star Marine

www.lonestarmarine.com.au

My email from LoneStar

For your boat I recommend the same setup each time and the same setup my Alaskan dealers install on boats similar to yours. I recommend the GX3 winch, wide hawse pipe if you will be mounting below deck, CX 415 bowsprit and MMX3 anchor. For rope it’s all about scope needed where you anchor. If you don’t anchor over 150’ I recommend the double braid nylon 8mm x 130m ( 425ft ) plus 25 ft of 5/16” (8mm) chain and chain guard. If anchoring deeper we have a 650’ and 1000’ synthetic rope option and I recommend the same chain. Anchor swivels are optional but always recommended, smaller size would work great!

With our full setup there will never be a need to go to the bow of the boat, never tie off, just simply hit the switch! The MMX anchor holds incredibly well in most all bottoms and can handle your specified needs perfectly. The anchor seats perfectly in our bow sprit so you will never have to fasten it.

There will be no sales tax or shipping costs to WA. I’ve attached a copy of the installation paperwork which comes with a wiring diagram. All wire looms are custom made to order so we just need the measurements

 

[Sharphooks]

100’ and 170’ combo. cut 40-50’ of the chain off and re sell it if it’s too heavy in your bow locker. 50-60’ of chain and 170’ of rode will work just fine for your setup. Don’t forget to attach the bitter end in your locker

^^^^^^^^ this^^^^^^^^^^

36- 50 feet of chain is plenty —- that boat will be bow- heavy with 100 feet of chain… And stick with a Rocna

 

[smp747]

^^^^^^^^ this^^^^^^^^^^

36- 50 feet of chain is plenty —- that boat will be bow- heavy with 100 feet of chain… And stick with a Rocna

@Sharphooks how big of rocna for a 24' skagit orca? Thanks

 

[Sharphooks]

I had a 24 ft Skagit Orca a number of years ago and did 30 day boat camping trips….I used 36 feet of chain and a Rocna 6 (13 lbs) which worked out quite well. I was in some big blows, totally exposed, on numerous occasions and that Rocna never let me down

I’m in a Seasport 28 footer now and moved up to the Rocna 10 but I still have the Rocna 6 as my back up anchor and would still feel safe using it despite the bigger boat

Good luck

 

[Fixit]

Anchor Sizing Guide

rocna.com

10kg would be good

 

[Fixit]

also READ the users guide.

Rocna Anchors User’s Guide (English)

rocna.com

there's some excellent advise above, and some incorrect comments. but the users guide will show you that.

im going to weigh in here too. there's a lot of variables. what works for some won't be acceptable for others. if your day anchoring then short chain and light anchors will "never let you down". If your sleeping overnight then you should be using more than just adequate gear. because one night it will blow up hard from a bad direction and then you will be let down.
if you have a good sized anchor locker then 100ft of chain /170ft of rope will allow you to anchor in (38-54-90ft) of water (7:1/5:1/3:1)- storm/night/day/s scope). you will like the way "all chain" feeds in the gypsey when your 33ft deep or less during the day.

 

[Sharphooks]

Skagit Orcas are squirrely enough without sticking the equivalent weight of a full grown adult on the bow (which is what you’d be doing with 100 feet of chain)

A chain length one and one half the length of the boat with a good quality anchor is more then sufficient…. If the OP wants to do over-kill, then he should consider a Rocna 10 instead of a Rocna 6 though the Rocna sizing sheet indicates the Rocna 6 is appropriate for the length and weight of a 24 Orca… I ran that set up for 5 seasons on a 3:1 scope… it if blew, I’d bump it up to 5:1

In a lot of anchorages in BC a 7:1 will put you on the rocks on a tide change or you’ll play bumper boats with your neighbors

 

[Sir Reel]

100 feet of 1/4” chain is 75 pounds

 

[BC Coast Pilot]

The more chain the better, it doesn’t chafe and the intent is to use it's weight to give the rode catenary as opposed to a direct pull that would occur with rope. The anchor works best when the pull is horizontal to the sea floor then arcs up. I also have the Lewmar 1000, you won't regret it. If weight forward is an issue you can shift some weight aft with fuel or gear, I find I can never get enough weight forward. Familiarize yourself with the clutch/brake on that unit so you can free fall the anchor in an emergency. I'm running 100ft 8mm chain and 300ft of 5/8 nylon 3 strand. The nylon 3 strand works best and coils nicely in the locker. As someone else said, secure the bitter end.

 

[Brando]

Lots of good experiences, start with the full load of chain and remove some if you find the need to.

Rocna makes a great reliable anchor and would be on the top of my list but there are other good options if you’re shopping used. Delta,mantus,Manson supreme would all be good if sized properly. I would stay away from a danforth style or Bruce personally but they are widely used and have their place.

In a strong wind I have used a cannonball to help keep the anchor set put it about 20’ up the chain not advisable in a rocky bottom but it’s an option if you find yourself in a ****** situation.

 

[Rain City]

I run a Rocna 10 and 250' of chain.

 

[Fixit]

http://svamanda.dk/anchor/simple

here's a really good calculator that you can play with to show you how your ground tackle will act with different variables. you can add weights, change chain length etc.... also give you the angle of the rode at the anchor.
It gives you an idea of what your gear is capable of at max depth and wind

 

[VWT3]

I am looking at a lonestar GX3-HS5 right now, not cheap @ 3750 US plus duties and taxes into BC of another 470US.
Is there another option that is as good in Canada?
They have a great youtube comparison with other competitors. FYI

 

[Bill 310]

The one addition I would make to the excellent information above: either purchase (or fabricate your own) a high quality snubber

A few years ago, I bought myself a birthday present—- a Mantus snubber made out of dyneema….its one of the best pieces of kit I’ve ever brought on my boat…. As mentioned above don’t ever use your windlass as a cleat

View attachment 105561

This one?

Snubber Pendant - Mantus Marine

Mantus Snubber Pendant is designed to attach the snubber line to chain/or line rode. It is made from UHMWPE fiber (Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber) material known to be size for size as strong as steel. Use as Snubber attachement: While many sailors use chainhooks to attach...

www.mantusmarine.com

 

[Brando]

You can use climbing slings instead of paying the “marine price” for a snubber, they’re rated around 5:1. I use one on my 18K# trawler with no issues and carry a spare in case that one goes swimming.

 

[Gong Show]

I use nylon braid and a chain hook for my snubber.
It is on a full chain rode for a Canoe Cove, so I love the elasticity it provides.
It is also much quieter when the boat swings on the hook, as opposed to the chain grating on the anchor roller

 

[23Hourston]

I made an impulse buy without any research on a Lewmar Profish 1000 windlass. After purchasing I came to realize the gypsy is oversized for my boat (skagit orca 24xlc). The gypsy requires 5/16" g4 chain and 9/16"-5/8th 3 strand rode.

I'm looking to purchase a chain and rode for it but I'm wondering If prior it is worth downsizing my gypsy to accomadate 1/4" chain and 1/2"rode for capacity reasons? Or am I overthinking this?

Also I'm aware of at least a boat length of chain but I'm curious what the amount of rode is appropriate for my boat? Ive read a bit and it seems like 200' plus is required, with varying scope ratios, I just have no idea what the capacity of my anchor locker.
I intend to get a Rocna anchor for it and will get a separate anchoring system for halibut.

Thanks for the help.

I had the same issue changing to a different gypsy was spendy, no issue with the g4 5/16 and the 9/16… base length off your deepest anchor area. One thing I keep forgetting to do is mark it off every 25 feet or so. Try Using an anchor watch app if leaving the boat.