Anchor Chain Size and Grade

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FlyMeAway
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Anchor Chain Size and Grade

1/4" or 5/16"? Which grade? Breaking strength?

Seen lots of discussion around the length of chain and type of anchor, but not as much around the minimum chain to use.

5/16 is a lot more expensive than 1/4, so I'd want to get away with that if I can...

David
s/v Portmanteau
Hull #2133 -- 2003 MKII
Seattle, WA

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LCBrandt
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It is sized by the requirements of your windlass, which I don't recall. But the chain links have to fit properly into the windlass. The C36 owners manual or the windlass manual will say.

Larry Brandt
S/V High Flight #2109
Pacific Northwest, PDX-based
2002 C-36 mkII SR/FK M35B
 

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stu jackson c34
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David, in addition to yoru discussion with Larry, here is some information that may help you make your decision:

Anchor System Sizing Tables (Reply #6) [url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.0.htmlhttp://c34.org/bbs/index.p...

Of course, your chain has to fit your windlass.

The length of chain has always been suggested to be a minimum of the boat length, but as you'll see in the link, one of our skippers (who has a windlass) came up with a great idea about a longer amount of chain deployed with a short amount of rode to avoid having to add snubbers, making it essentially an "all chain" system without the hassle of snubbers.

Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)

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HowLin
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My Maxwell Freedom 800 windlass specifies 5/16 chain and 5/8" three strand.

I'd go with G-40 chain for strength also.

---- Howard & Linda Matwick ----

--- S/V "Silhouette" - Nanaimo, BC ----

--- 1999  C36 MkII  #1776 M35BC ---

FlyMeAway
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I also have the Maxwell 800. The manual specifies "up to 5/16" chain. Has anybody tried this windlass with 1/4" chain?

I plan on buying the high-strength stuff. Will 1/4" be sufficient given the displacement of our boats, and the fact that I'm unlikely to anchor in anything over 15 knots?

I should probably just bite the bullet and spent the extra $150 or so for 5/16" in the length of chain I'm buying...

David
s/v Portmanteau
Hull #2133 -- 2003 MKII
Seattle, WA

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stu jackson c34
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David, as far as strength, here are charts/tables and a discussion of the selection of the components of an anchor SYSTEM:

Anchor System Sizing Tables (Reply #6) [url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.0.htmlhttp://c34.org/bbs/index.p...

Of course, your windlass gypsy will be the determining factor. I've rarely heard of a gypsy being good for chain "...up to" a certain size, I always thought they were made for a specific size, and also important, type of chain.

Stu Jackson, C34IA Secretary, C34 #224, 1986, SR/FK, M25 engine, Rocna 10 (22#)

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plaineolde
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[QUOTE=stu jackson c34;17812]
Of course, your windlass gypsy will be the determining factor. I've rarely heard of a gypsy being good for chain "...up to" a certain size, I always thought they were made for a specific size, and also important, type of chain.[/QUOTE]

Stu; I always thought the same. But my Maxwell VW1500 manual specs say the same thing; 'for chain from 1/4" to 3/8"'. And it only lists one part number for the 'chain wheel'. Yet it also says to match the chain to the wildcat (gypsy). I'm about to go to a mostly chain rode, and I think I'm going to disassemble the windlass and take the chain wheel with me so I can be sure that 5/16" chain fits properly. The manual is definitely confusing.

Gary and Cathy Price
1997 C36 Mk II Tall Rig/Wing Keel Imagine...
Hull # 1617
Worton Creek, Md.
Northern Chesapeake Bay

BudStreet
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Posts: 1127

Gary, when we bought ours we were told it came with the 5/16 gypsy but it showed up with a 3/8 one. Maxwell emailed me a spreadsheet with all the gypsy wheels listed and told me to pick one, which they then shipped me with a return label for the 3/8 gypsy. There was an extensive list of chain wheels.

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