organized anchor locker

Jim Lucas · March 10, 2020, 01:53:14 PM

Hi all,
Again, I'm a new 34 MKII owner and looking at replacing an aged anchor chain/rode after having added a new Rocna.
I have to check the guage of chain and length of what's there now and the length of rode. Thought I'd see what is ideal on length's but it does appear to be subjective....
The previous owner had used a bucket to load the rode into and set that on top of the chain. Seems to make it fairly easy to keep the rode from sitting wet in the bottom of the locker.
Just wondering if others had suggestions on length of chain and rode and/or organization tips of their lockers?

Jim Hardesty · March 10, 2020, 02:23:56 PM

Welcome Jim,
Just a suggestion, add your boat information to your signature, it helps getting the best reply. Do you have a windless with a chain gypsy? If so that sizes the chain. I have 50' of chain and 150' of nylon, works for me and where I anchor. I don't do anything special, let the rode pile up on the bottom of the locker, have a canvas bucket that I keep a couple of propane bottles for the grill. That and a trusty 1 gal gas can for dinghy gas.
Hope you enjoy your 34 as much as I do.
Jim

Stu Jackson · March 10, 2020, 04:05:59 PM

Jim, Jim's right, where you sail makes a big difference, and windlass will usually dictate chain size.

Here are two from the "101 Topics":

Anchor System Sizing Tables (Reply #6) & Swivels http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.msg30400.html#msg30400

Steve's Anchoring 101

The Rocna. All 20kg of it 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 - 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...)

This was our best upgrade.

Jim Lucas · March 11, 2020, 09:58:31 AM

Coming from a big power yacht, I'm used to using all chain.
With the smaller/lighter Cat 34, I get the general want to reduce weight especially if it's over-kill. I believe I currently have 100' chain now and do appreciate the added security. As I'm not a racer and am an avid anchor(er), here in the PNW I often anchor in 30-40', it sounds best to stick with these ratios.

Stu Jackson · March 11, 2020, 11:17:05 AM

My PO installed a simple garden hose hanger on the aft face of the anchor locker. We use this to hold our rope rode and drop the chain to the bottom. We have an '86 boat, with no windlass, so our locker is bigger than some other later boats that have the windlass platform inside the locker whether they have a windlass or not. The port side of the locker could also be used if the aft side isn't available.

Ron Hill · March 11, 2020, 02:37:16 PM

Jim : If you have a windlass it dictates the size of the chain. I have 50' of 1/4"HT chain and 200' of nylon braid on braid rode. I found the B on B rode to be stronger, but more important it will NOT get stiff over the years!!!

Look in the Mainsheet Tech notes and you'll find a number of articles I wrote on separating the anchor well, power, windlass installation, extra anchor storage, etc.

A few thoughts

skyward · November 22, 2020, 07:44:05 AM

Quote from: Jim Lucas on March 10, 2020, 01:53:14 PM
The previous owner had used a bucket to load the rode into and set that on top of the chain. Seems to make it fairly easy to keep the rode from sitting wet in the bottom of the locker.

My PO also used a square kitty litter bucket that is about 9.5x9.5x13. It holds 15' of 5/16" chain and another about 150' of rode. I like it, but I've upgraded the anchor to a 35# Mantus and looking for storage options for 15' of 5/16" and 200' of rode.

Like you, I don't want to put the rode on the basin of the locker. Can you share a picture of what you settled on?

waughoo · November 22, 2020, 07:43:11 PM

Stu,

How well does your setup work now that you're in BC? Of the many things I need to upgrade on my boat, the ground tackle is one. I might as well not have anything right now as it is a bent up off brand danforth with some 25' of chain and a rope rode beyond that (no windlass). I suspect this boat was anchored in much shallower water than my location when it was set up with ground tackle.

Stu Jackson · November 23, 2020, 02:54:59 PM

Alex,

It's working just fine. Just to review for folks who aren't familiar with my setup (and save links to Anchoring 101 material): no windlass, 50 feet 1/4" chain, shackles to anchor and thimble on 5/8" rode (oversized when we lost our rode on our trip up here and WM didn't have 1/2") 200 feet, left the big center cleat added smaller one to port, Rocna 10 tied off to Johnson cleat on bow pulpit, toy OEM bow rollers, use chain hook on line to port cleat (when raising anchor to keep chain on deck), hose holder in anchor locker to handle rode.

I can usually anchor in 20-30 feet of water. Anything more regularly and I'd get more chain. And many other reasons.

But this works for me because I have control over where I go because of how and where I cruise.

scgunner · November 24, 2020, 07:52:23 AM

Stu,

Great idea, I may have to steal that one then claim it as my own. Do you carry just one anchor up front?

Stu Jackson · November 24, 2020, 10:06:08 AM

Quote from: scgunner on November 24, 2020, 07:52:23 AM
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Do you carry just one anchor up front?

Steal away!

Yes, just the Rocna, have an old lighter 16# Bruce down below.

scgunner · November 25, 2020, 07:41:44 AM

Stu,

Just an FYI, I carry two Danforths(yes I know low tech but they work for me), a main and a smaller one, with the big one on the bottom, smaller on top. My reasoning there is if I need an anchor in a hurry it would be faster and easier to deploy the smaller anchor.

Jim Lucas · November 25, 2020, 09:12:36 AM

Quote from: scgunner on November 25, 2020, 07:41:44 AM
Stu,

Just an FYI, I carry two Danforths(yes I know low tech but they work for me), a main and a smaller one, with the big one on the bottom, smaller on top. My reasoning there is if I need an anchor in a hurry it would be faster and easier to deploy the smaller anchor.

I have a Rocna on the bow and love it. I have a spare Bruce I keep in the rear cockpit locker. It would take me a bit to get it rigged and deployed but I wasn't thinking of many cases of being in a hurry. Should I be planning otherwise? I guess in the middle of the night, if I lost the primary anchor, I thought I'd be under power and have the time...

Ron Hill · November 25, 2020, 02:44:16 PM

Kevin & Guys : In my Mainsheet articles I show how to split the anchor well as I carry two anchors for different bottoms - in case holding is a problem.
Both have 200 ft. braid on braid nylon rode. The Bruce has 50' of chain and the Danforth has 30' of chain. The Bruce is in the longer bow roller as primary anchor, while the Danforth is stored in a socket attached to the port (outside) of the bow pulpit. Both are ready to be deployed.

There are pictures with those articles.

A few thoughts

scgunner · November 25, 2020, 03:28:58 PM

Jim,

It's something that probably will never happen, hopefully. I hadn't thought about it either until it happened to me. Making a trip to Avalon there was no wind and motor due to a vacuum problem kept cutting out, it'd run for about 10min the cutout and it would take about 45min to restart, run another 10 and so on. After 9hrs+ for a trip which normally takes 4hrs we ghosted into the moorings, while I was down below tapping on the fuel pump which seemed to help. My former partner at the wheel got to close to the rocks, despite an earlier warning by me! As I came up, BANG, we hit a rock. I went forward to see how bad, then my brilliant partner further compounded our problem by backing on the dinghy painter and wrapping the prop. At this point, on a rock, no motor and being washed shoreward, it occurred to me to toss an anchor seaward to stabilize the boat until the cavalry arrived. One thing I learned is you can throw a smaller anchor farther than a large one. It never happens until it happens.