Anchor problem

J

jkswor

New member
Have a 22 ft c dory with a 11lb burce anchor and a piveting roller with 12 ft of chain and 500 ft of rode and a Lamer windless 700 pro.
Was out sunday and used it for the first time. When i hit the release switch the anchor piveted and just sit there. I had to crawl out through the hatch to pull on the chain in order to release it.
Any ideas as to why it will not release without help. When I bought the boat it had 4 ft of chain and released no problem. I added another 8 ft with more rode for the depth of Alaska water .
 
I'm a little confused by what you mean when you say you had to pull on the chain to release it. Was the anchor just sitting on the roller with the chain paying out of the windlass OR was no chain emerging from the windlass?

We have a Delta "self launching" anchor on our boat and it often doesn't drop when the chain pays out of the windlass. The anchor needs a little shove forward to get it going. That's a hassle but normal.
 
Flip the switch to release , anchor roller drops or pivets down, anchor does not drop, chain does not come out.
I crawl out, pull forward on chain, anchor drops, chain follows.
I thought the idea was to not have to crawl out with the self release system. Does not sound normal to me. Thought it might be the light anchor and longer chain.
 
A couple of issues may be at play. The 700 Pro Fisher has two modes of "down" one is automatic, when you bump it and the line free falls. (or is supposed to). The other is power down. In your case, you will want to use the power down, if it is not going easily. You may need to adjust the mechanism which can get salt in it, or even find the clutch is too tight etc. I had one of these, and didn't like it, so the other 3 have been the all manual.

Is the chain you are using 1/4" G4? This is the only chain which works properly with this windlass. BBB and Proof Coil will bind.

When you added the extra 8 feet, how did you add it? Was it a split link? This can work--but the split link is BBB. It is a little less tensile strength than the G4 chain. I have used it, plus J B Weld to make it stronger…so far, not had a problem. But if this connecting link, was near the anchor, it can hang up.

The 11 lb is on the light side for the C Dory 22--it may work OK, but not sure of the dynamics on the roller. The 16.5 "Claw " is probably a better anchor, and the weight distribution may make for a better self launch. It is very unusual to see a "genuine Bruce" any more. They have not been made for some time.

I suspect that with a little tweaking of the winless release mechanism (see t he manual), looking at the chain, and the anchor will cure the problem.
 
Have you checked the connection where you added the new chain? There may be just enough added bulk there to inhibit auto-deployment. You might try launching the anchor at home with the boat on the trailer, you can analyze the problem easier there than on a deck.
 
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