Yes, Gary, they work just fine. Either DIY or have a yard do it.

I cut this splice and watch a video on YouTube and reattached it. Works just fine. The only improvement one can make is to wrap tape around the strands where it goes through the chin to make it more wear resistance. I also wrap the weaved strands with a wiping line.

I have renewed my rope/chain splice using 5/8 inch 3-strand nylon several times and it always looks fine. It is not a difficult splice at all.

Of course, if you really don't feel confident with your splicing, it is worth the peace of mind to have a good professional do it. Remember that not everyone that earns money in the marine business is necessarily 'good.'

Hi Gary,
I do most of my cruising in the North Channel of Lake Huron where the 180 feet of chain we carry makes enogh rode for a good angle. There are a couple harbors where we like the better angle given by the 50 feet pigtail of three strand nylon. I did my own splice and it runs through the windlass with no problem. We use that additional rode so rarely that I find the wear concern acceptable. How often you would be counting on that tail of nylon would be a question you would have to weigh. Good luck
Chuck Sonquist Sun Quest Mk I #375

Gary, We have the same Maxwell 500 windlass, and I have no problems with it handling 5/16 chain spliced directly to three ply 5/8 rode.

Jack F stewart
1993 C36 #1233 "Windancer"
Port Clinton, OH

Gary,
For your replacement chain, you might want to consider using more than 30'. The PO of Julandra had put on about 25' of chain, and I sometimes had a hard time holding. Switching to 50' of chain made a huge difference. I wouldn't have thought so, but it did. Just a thought.

A nod to all comments. I have done several rope/chain splices. Now-a-days the amount of information and graphical displays on the net make doing the splice easy if you feel at all confident with rope work.
I have 180' chain and admittedly the splice does not run through the Maxwell 800 as often as when I first got the boat with only 50' of chain. (which caused some chafe over time)
I agree with Tom; for this 36' boat even 50 ft of chain is a bare minimum IMHO.

Either way will work. I have spliced rode into chain and used a thimble. I prefer the latter as I end-to-end my rode at least once a year as well as my chain (120') so I get even wear. This means I get to check the entire anchoring system on a regular basis which is a good thing.

How long do these splices last? I would think the wear must be phenomenal and you would have to redo them every year for peace of mind. We probably anchor about 70 nights a season and most anchorages are fairly active for wind and waves, I would really expect a lot of wear on that splice as the chain is pretty coarse stuff. Around a thimble the wear is pretty minimal due to the large surface area involved.

I have never used a rope/chain splice, it might be handy when bringing in the anchor, though I don't have that much issue getting the rope off the capstan and the chain onto the gypsy at the transition.

This whole thing could have been avoided if I had bought 150' of chain instead of 100', but too late for that now. I don't trust chain links to join chain ends either, unless they are welded by an extremely good welder.

[QUOTE=bstreet;21770]

1. How long do these splices last?

2. This whole thing could have been avoided if I had bought 150' of chain instead of 100', but too late for that now. I don't trust chain links to join chain ends either, unless they are welded by an extremely good welder.[/QUOTE]

Bud,

1. A loong time. I've had one on what is now our backup hook and used it weekly for over 10 years, it's still in great condition.

2. Maybe NOT such a bad idea. One of our skippers sailed from Vancouver, BC down to Mexico. Here's his "take" on chain and rode, which i find very illuminating.

[I][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]...with 100ft of chain. The rest of the world can debate all they like. When I pull into a place like Bodega Bay at midnight and the fog is so thick I can't see the jetty 50 feet away to make an entrance, I drop my hook in the rolling ocean swells with the surf crashing (Foster says it's like staying in a cheap Best Western beside the highway), and I sleep. And in the morning I have a windlass to pull the beast up and I wouldn't trade it for anything. (I also wouldn't add more chain - this works perfectly in 25 to 30 feet of water - [SIZE="5"][B][U]you let all the chain out and you tie off nylon at the preferred scope and don't bother with snubbers and chain hooks and all that stuff...[/U][/B][/SIZE])[/COLOR][/I]

I also like the stretch you get from 30-50 feet or so of 5/8" double braid, the loads get taken up very slowly when a gust hits. First the chain slowly comes up off the bottom and once it straightens the double braid slowly starts to stretch and by then the gust is gone and everything goes back down. I've been surprised by how many times after windy nights we have pulled anchor and the last 10-15 feet of chain has been in the mud all night despite the wind gusts.

I'm wrestling with this chain length question myself. One one hand, I'd like to ease the work on my aging back by having all chain. On the other, I like the idea of putting out a dozen or so feet of rope, to avoid having to get a chain hook/snubber on there.

However, for my cruising area, I'm most often anchoring in under 8 feet, sometimes closer to 5. So even 50 feet of chain becomes 10 to 1 (forgetting the height of the bow) so I'd need the the snubber. Then again, I could anchor the next night in 12 feet, where I'd want to put out 80+ feet if the wind is going to be up. That would mean 30 feet or so of line plus the chain. So half the time I'd be using a snubber anyway (shallow anchorages). So may as well go with 75 feet or so???

Still trying to work it out.

Gay,

Have you considered when anchoring in shallower water to simply let more out?

I guess it wouldn't work if there is a tight anchorage.

Yeah Stu, I usually try to err on the side of too much line vs. too little. And that usually works out OK since I tend to avoid weekends now that I'm retired. So crowds aren't usually an issue. Letting out 50 ft of chain plus 10 ft of three strand in 5 foot of water isn't a problem in that situation. But I've found that even in a wide open anchorage, with plenty of room, someone comes in and anchors right on top of me. Maybe they like company. If they let out their usual 15 ft of rode, we might have a problem :-)

Still thinking this one through.

Gary, I hear you. That "herd" mentality is simply amazing. On every boating forum I read, there are the same danged stories. The best answer I ever read was a suggestion to simply row over with some beer or other suitable libation and discuss the "here first, please move" idea, and armed with some printouts of anchoring etiquette. If that doesn't work, "you" end up moving. If the idiot follows you...I leave it up to your imagination. :eek: