How to prevent anchor chain from scratching?

B

berryst

New member
I am switching the old sea hook (by Seadog) anchor (20) to a Danforth because I'm told its better for most salt water cruising.


The Danforth has a lot of chain...well 20' or so. How do I keep the chain from scratching the deck. I don't have a winch so the chain locker is not in use.

I see some blue plastic coating on some anchors...is this something I can do. A friend suggested using old fire hose.

Thankyou for your thoughts on the matter.

Chris
 
if the chain locker is not in use where are you storing the chain and line? I once used a plastic milk crate to shore a fishing anchor set up on the bow. I strapped the crate to the deck with a bungee and then pilled the chain rode and float in the crate. worked very well.
 
I put a couple of feet of inch and a half sanitation hose above the anchor shank and leave a half piece of dri deck at the roller. The two work well to keep scratches away
 
Do you have a haws pipe? If not, consider one, into a chain locker in the bow forward of the berth. You can keep the chain tight with either a chain tensioner (Hyfield lever type) or a bungee cord. The chain goes right into the haws pipe after the tensioner or bungee, and should not scratch the deck. You can put carpet on the deck--or use the short piece of fire hose.

Many feel that the Delta Quick set is a better all around anchor. Hard to beat the Danforth High Test (the only one I recommend) in sand or perhaps some muds. But in most other bottoms, the Delta is a better anchor. Also the Manson Supreme is an excellent anchor.
 
Thankyou all
These are all very practical suggestions. I like the milk/plastic container idea and the scratch proof covering ideas. A haws pipe seems pretty cool too. I have not seen one. It seems like a haws pipe might bring a lot of moisture into the sleeping area even if there is a spot for the chain/rope storage.
Chris
 
Before I had a windlass I just cut open a piece of rubber hose about 2 inches in diameter and put it around the chain between the anchor shank and the hawse pipe. No problem with extra moisture in the berth in my experience and odor was never really an issue either.
 
I have a 16 ft cruiser where it is suicide to handle an anchor on the bow deck in almost any sea. I keep the anchor and chain in the cockpit and just run the rode (line) up through the pulpit and back to the cockpit. I secure the line to a rear cleat, and have rollers on the bow deck and side of the cabin to prevent the rope from damaging the fiberglass. The anchor is now easy to drop. In fact, I often have two lines and two anchors for overnight anchorage, and a mushroom job for fishing. Really easy to retrieve too. You power the boat around the line and use a long boat hook to grab it. You can run the line through a sliding ring attached to a ball buoy to make it easy to see and grab the line on a retrieve. Believe me, with that heavy chain and anchor, you're a lot safer fighting the beast from the cockpit than on the bow deck. I bet you have biceps like Popeye... and can win an arm wrestle contest with any C-Dory owner using a windless !

Keith
C-Pup
 
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