Anchor rode and chain

32carv

32carv

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I have a Lewmar v700 windlass and need to replace my anchor rode and chain. The owners manual says that it takes 1/2 inch rope and 1/4 inch chain. It also says that it can use 3 strand or 8 pleat. What brand and type of rope do you recommend.
Jim
 
I have no recommendation as to brand but on my last boat I bought it used it had 8 pleated line and I loved the way it looked however I never could get it to work well I always seemed to slip I replaced it with 3 strand and suddenly everything worked great.
 
Make sure you use the proper type of chain as specified in your owners manual. More than likely it will call for Hight Test (HT) chain. Proof Coil chain will not work in the windlass.

Roy
 
I have the Lewmar H700. I have 100' chain with 50' rope on the bitter end. Only once have I actually gotten to the rope which is 8 pleat.
Chain (I am in fresh water) does not deteriorate. Learned my lesson many years ago while anchoring at the beach. Damn near lost the boat.
 
What roy said, the chain gypsy will only work with the exact size link, length as well as wire size. BBB links are common choices because they jam less.
 
It calls for 1/4 inch g4 or bbb Cain and 1/2 rope. More chain is obviously better than rope but concerned about the weight. Boat is a Monterey 298ss with twin Volvo’s. Boat on freshwater lake. Anchoring depth usually only 10 to 20 feet. Max depth of lake is 40 feet. What is the proper combined length of chain / rope and what is the preferred ratio?
Jim
 
I looked into this some time ago - seems the most solid recommendations for combined chain/rope rode is from the boating Bible - Chapman's - which, if I recall, recommends chain length equal to boat LOA, at a minimum. An all-chain rode would be preferred, but most recreational boats would permanently ride bow down!
 
Before you go nuts with a big length of chain, consider how your current rode acts. Is there a problem you need to solve? If not, buy whatever you're running now. You could add some chain, but remember that if the windlass fails or something jams or starts to slip, you'll need to haul it all up by hand. Bear in mind too that your rode length is also dependent on your 'locker'. Make it too long for the depth of the locker and it will pile up and jam on you. I started with 200 feet of rope and had to whittle away at it 20' at a time until it stopped jamming up when I deployed more than 100 feet.

I anchor in salt water in depths similar to yours. I have 150' of rope and 20' of chain. I have an 18 lb Danforth that holds well in the mud and sand bottom here. I normally deploy about 100 feet of rode and the rig holds fine in 20-25 mph winds.

My .02
 
I am on my second Lewmar windless and only use New England Premium 3 strand nylon. That was recommended by Lewmar if you do not use their rode.
 
Anyone know a good vendor to a custom length made?
Jim
 
I'd encourage you to call Lewmar tech support for advice on brand of rope. The last time I spoke to them, they recommended New England Ropes or Samson. As for a custom length, West Marine and Defender both have custom rigging services (https://www.westmarine.com/RiggingServices/Rigging-Shop-Home; https://www.defender.com/rigging_form.jsp). But splicing anchor rode to chain is pretty easy and gratifying (once you get past the first two tucks, that is).

Nancy
 
Jim, From my experiences over the years, as an example: Have used the V700 on 34' sedan bridge and a 25' Rosborough. I've used both 3 strand and 8 plait line. Both worked fine with the Lewmars. Big advantage with the 8 plait is way way fewer hockles to contend with. That and a good swivel makes retrieving the anchor a much more efficient operation. I also used the rule of thumb for rode length, that is 4 or 5 to 1 if a calm night expected and 7:1 ratio for wind conditions on Lake Champlain.
I also favored the CQR anchor, but that of course is my opinion. So if you anchor in max of 12'of water, then add 5' (to be on the conservative side)from bow to water it seems that about 125 - 135 feet of rode would work out. I also like the old rule of thumb of having a boat length of chain. I assume you have a 30' boat?
Enjoy your time on the water.
Ron
 
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