Anchor line maintenance?

O

oldgrowth

New member
I have 300’ of 3/8” 3 strand line with 6’ of 3/8” chain for my anchor line. When I pull anchor, I clean off the seaweed and or mud and feed it into my rode locker. Does it help the line if I were to flush it with clean water when I get back home? I am talking about flushing it in the rode locker by spraying water into the anchor pipe. I don’t want to pull 300’ of line out each time and flush/clean the line, then dry it before putting it back. Or am I better off not doing anything?
 
I have 250 ft of 1/2" and 28 ft of chain. My line gets too stiff after a season or so (saltwater). I pull the line and chain out and put in a 5 gal bucket with fresh water and about 1/3 cup Cheer, let it soak overnight. Then I flush thoroughly with a couple of fresh water soaks and rinses. Works for me.
 
An annual (ok every two years, sometimes) maintenance that works very well is to put the line in a nylon mesh bag. Then put it in the washing machine with a small amount of detergent and a good dose of liquid fabric softener. Comes out like new.
 
We use a raw water wash down pump (now offered on some of the C Dories as an option)--and wash most of the mud etc off. Even then, we do pull the line every six months to a year and wash it on the deck/concrete. If it is really bad, we use a pressure washer.

The line will last longer and you will be much happier if you keep it clean.
 
Thank you gentlemen for your responses.

I think I will continue flushing the line, in the locker with fresh water, to remove excess salt and dirt after using it in salt water.

I will pull the line once a year for cleaning and inspection.
 
When we were in Deer Harbor last week, we watched the 185' vessel "Flying Eagle" weigh anchor. As the anchor rode (chain) was being retrieved a waterfall of water gushed downward washing the chain and anchor. (There must have been several thousand gallons of water used during the process). Perhaps someone (ie: Sea Wolf) wants to develop a similar system for the C-Dory?).... :roll:
 
Raw water wash down is being offered on the Tom Cat 255, and I think the C Dory25 and C Ranger. One can just use the hose with nozel on the wash down pump hose to wash the anchor rode. We had a hose bib on the fore deck on the cruising boats--and may eventually put one in on the Tom Cat.

It is very easy to put in a wash down pump--put in a thru hull, strainer, high pressure pump, with pressure switch, and plumb it to a spigot on the fore deck. For the classic C Dory, one would either use a transom pick up, or if drilling a hole in the bottom, one would have to route out the core and fill it with epoxy. then sand and put in the thru hull with a bedding compound.
 
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