New Rode

[DarthOccam]

It's almost like second Xmas!  The boat fund hit a target and I was able to finally replace the rode on the bow anchor.  When we purchased the boat a little over a year ago, the PO had installed 200' of 1/2" 3 strand and 24' of chain.  That now becomes the rode for the stern anchor.  We've already upgraded the bow anchor to a 35# Manson Supreme last year.

The new rode is 300' of 1/2" plait spliced to 50' of G4 1/4" chain (size limited by windlass) with the biggest shackle I could get to pass through the link, 3/8".  The rode is marked at 50' distances to give a sense of how much scope is out.


Question for the group:  What's the collective experience/opinion on titanium shackles?  I've found a few places that carry a ~ $60 3/8" shackle with a WLL of about 2.5 times that of the steel.  Worth it or am I overthinking things?

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[Stu Jackson]

Question for the group:  What's the collective experience/opinion on titanium shackles?  I've found a few places that carry a ~ $60 3/8" shackle with a WLL of about 2.5 times that of the steel.  Worth it or am I overthinking things?

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Nice new rode.

You size the anchoring SYSTEM based on the strength of the individual components.  If the steel shackle is adequate, you simply don't need anything stronger.

This is discussed in the Anchoring System Sizing  topic, here:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.msg30400.html#msg30400

[Ron Hill]

Darth : If you want to mark the lengths on your braided rode I found that you can insert a depth strip marker by making a "hole" in the braided rode with a splicing fid and sliding the marker in.

If you use colored wire ties on the chain you can mark differant lengths.  The windless doesn't seem to bother the wire ties - for some unknown reason!!

On your question - buy a shackle the strength that matches your G4 Hi tensile 1/4" chain!!

A few thoughts

[Ted Pounds]

I don't see any point in buying a shackle that's much stronger than the chain it is connected to.  JMHO; YMMV. 

[Jim Hardesty]

My thoughts, and what I do.  Buy a spare shackle, exactly what you have.  Then at the first sign of wear, rust or damage change it and get another spare.   Ground tackle is never a get it and forget it.
Jim

[Ralph Masters]

Darth,
The best thing you could do for your rode would not be to buy a high price schakle, but put a wire seizing on the schakle pin you have.  No matter how expensive it might be or it's breaking load, if the pin comes unscrewed, you're screwed.

Ralph

[DarthOccam]

Thanks for the feedback.  Yes, I've read the many good threads on sizing anchor systems, and put together a spreadsheet to size the components to a target load within my constraints.  (Incidentally, the load limit data is also codified in 49 CFR 393.108.)  And, now that the road is out of the living room and attached to the anchor, the shackle pin is moused.

I was mainly interested in whether anyone has experience in using titanium components such as shackles.  I mean it's shiny!  That's got to be worth something, right? 

Michael

[Stu Jackson]

I was mainly interested in whether anyone has experience in using titanium components such as shackles.  I mean it's shiny!  That's got to be worth something, right? 

Only to the guy who sold it to you, unnecessarily?

[DarthOccam]

You size the anchoring SYSTEM based on the strength of the individual components.  If the steel shackle is adequate, you simply don't need anything stronger.

This is discussed in the Anchoring System Sizing  topic, here:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.msg30400.html#msg30400

Stu, I found that thread (and others on the forum) very helpful when I started to research the new rode.  Below is a cleaned up version of the spreadsheet I used to evaluate options, based in large part on the data you posted.

http://www.decamp.org/pub/downloads/Anchor-Rode-WLL-Worksheet.xlsx

Thanks,

Michael

[Stu Jackson]

Michael, that is one neat spreadsheet.  Well presented and easy to understand.  I'll add a link to it in the "Anchoring 101" topic.  Thanks so much.