Anchor Rope Storage Suggestions

Dave 205

Dave 205

New Member
Mar 15, 2011
449
Omaha, NE
Boat Info
2006 205 Sport, Shorelander Trailer. Towed by 2012 Ford F-150 Supercrew 5.0 with factory tow package
Engines
Mercruiser 5.0 220 HP Carb w/ Alpha 1 Drive
My new to me 205 Sport came with a nice anchor and probably 100 feet of new nylon anchor line, still tied with the factory string. I cut the string, and promptly had a well tangled line.

I think most of our Sea Ray sport boats come with the nice size anchor compartment in the bow - does anybody have a suggestion, or a device, that allows you to store, deploy, and reel up the anchor line without experiencing the ghosts of Christmas lights tangled past everytime you use your anchor?

Thanks!
 
I don't have a fancy solution of any kind, but it works. I simply roll up the line in a loop around my arm (like you would an extension cord) then I have a piece of Velcro that I loop around the line to keep my nice loop in tact. Even if I don’t use all of my line when I anchor I can keep the rest looped with the Velcro.

Essentially I use something like this…

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/pro...esc=Dockmate_Rope_Wrap&aID=600B1&merchID=4006

I'm sure there is a nicer (read more expensive) way to keep it from being tangled. I just have not seen one.
 
Lay all of your rode out in the driveway and then pull it into your anchor locker hand over hand. It won't tangle. When you go to deploy your anchor, grab it on top of pile, and drop it overboard. The line will pay out without getting tangled. Bring it back up the same way.
 
I usually tie the end to the cleat, then pull it into the locker as Gunn said, untie end and drop on top, when getting ready to drop anchor I take the end and tie to the cleat, pick up anchor and drop. I tie the end to the cleat just in case something should happen, never has but if it does I will still be able to retrieve the anchor. A neatly coiled rode will tangle, the birdsnest you had, just put it in and it will work great.
 
Add 20-30' of chain between your anchor and rode and then coil it by hand as you retrieve the line. Make sure your achor has a swivel attached to it. I assume that you do not have a hawse pipe on that model to pass the rode through but handcoiling should work fine. I have a hawse pipe and simply pull it up and hand feed the line into the anchor locker through the hawse pipe and I don't have any tangles.
 
Like some mentioned above, I just let it fall into the locker naturally - just let it go the way it wants to go. It will come back out just as easy. Pulling it out on your driveway is important for this as it lets the rope untwist itself.
 
I gave this method a try over the weekend with our mooring lines. It wasn't too bad if the lines were doubled up. I'll still play with it a little and see if we'll continue to use it. I can't imagine using it on the anchor rode though. You wouldn't stand on the bow "braiding" the line while you're trying to retrieve the anchor.
Bugsy24 said:
Dave, watch this video and it should help with your "Birdsnest"! It was found by a member here "Pres", the guy in the video mentions Dock Lines but It works just as well or better for anchor lines!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXJpZUQc0jU
Click to expand...
 
I have one end of the rope tied to the bracket in the bow for the tow strap instead of tying it to a cleat before tossing over the anchor. Looks like it was made for that since it had a nice hole in it under the anchor locker. Also 20-30 feet of chain might be longer than needed based on how the anchor is used and the size of the boat. Below is a formula that can e used to determine chain length:


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Chain Length [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There are two schools of thought on figuring the proper chain length. Chapman’s suggests using one half foot of chain for each foot of boat length. But Earl Hinz, a former aeronautical engineer and inveterate Pacific Ocean sailor, in his work The Complete Book of Anchoring and Mooring, says “the chain lead should weigh at least as much as the anchor whose weight it is supplementing”. From his experience, he has determined that the length of the chain lead has nothing to do with the depth of the water or the length of the boat. He suggests using the following formula to help you determine the minimum
length of chain lead you will need:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Minimum [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Anchor weight in lbs. Anchor materials factor [/FONT]=
length of [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]=[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]x Anchor materials factor[/FONT] 1 for steel and
chain lead Unit weight of chain, 1.6 for aluminum
lbs./ft.[/FONT]
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For example: If you have a 7-lb. Fortress aluminum anchor with a 1/2” twisted three-strand nylon rode, you would need to use at least 11.2 lbs. of 5/16” proof coil chain, which weighs 1.15 lbs. per foot. Therefore, you will need at least 9’8” of chain.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This information came from this website: http://www.boatus.com/boattech/anchorin.htm


[/FONT]
 
Good point but here in the PacNW I guess I'm used to anchoring in 40-60' of water. If I were to have 13' of chain based on your formula and the 5-7 x depth for scope, I would have 200' of rode out minimum. I use 35' of chain and then have a 3-4 x depth for scope depending on depth so I can ensure that anchor stays down. It works well.
 
Gunn said:
Lay all of your rode out in the driveway and then pull it into your anchor locker hand over hand. It won't tangle. When you go to deploy your anchor, grab it on top of pile, and drop it overboard. The line will pay out without getting tangled. Bring it back up the same way.
Click to expand...

:smt038 This is by far the easiest and fastest way. Don't forget to tie the "dummy" end in your anchor locker FIRST, there should be a place to tie to in your locker.
 
Thanks for the many great suggestions. I'm getting ready to go on the water tomorrow, so I may just let it coil itself into the the anchor storage area for the moment. I like the braiding idea, and the extension cord reel as well.
 
I just took a look at that video. I use that for some of my rock climbing ropes - it's called Daisy Chaining. I don't use it for my long ropes, but more for the nylon straps I use to set anchors around trees and rocks as these end up being stuffed into my backpack. For long ropes, loop the rope back and forth over your hand, instead of around your hand.

It's a cool idea to use it for your dock lines - especially boaters w/o transom lockers that don't have places to hang ropes. But, I would never use it for an anchor line - simply because it would take too long. Especially when letting the line fall naturally into the locker works so well and quickly.
 
shogun95 said:
I have one end of the rope tied to the bracket in the bow for the tow strap instead of tying it to a cleat before tossing over the anchor. Looks like it was made for that since it had a nice hole in it under the anchor locker. Also 20-30 feet of chain might be longer than needed based on how the anchor is used and the size of the boat. Below is a formula that can e used to determine chain length:


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Chain Length [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There are two schools of thought on figuring the proper chain length. Chapman’s suggests using one half foot of chain for each foot of boat length. But Earl Hinz, a former aeronautical engineer and inveterate Pacific Ocean sailor, in his work The Complete Book of Anchoring and Mooring, says “the chain lead should weigh at least as much as the anchor whose weight it is supplementing”. From his experience, he has determined that the length of the chain lead has nothing to do with the depth of the water or the length of the boat. He suggests using the following formula to help you determine the minimum[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]length of chain lead you will need:[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Minimum [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Anchor weight in lbs. Anchor materials factor [/FONT]=[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
length of [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]=[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]x Anchor materials factor[/FONT] 1 for steel and
chain lead Unit weight of chain, 1.6 for aluminum
lbs./ft.[/FONT]
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For example: If you have a 7-lb. Fortress aluminum anchor with a 1/2” twisted three-strand nylon rode, you would need to use at least 11.2 lbs. of 5/16” proof coil chain, which weighs 1.15 lbs. per foot. Therefore, you will need at least 9’8” of chain.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This information came from this website: http://www.boatus.com/boattech/anchorin.htm[/FONT]
Click to expand...

Nehalennia said:
Add 20-30' of chain between your anchor and rode and then coil it by hand as you retrieve the line. Make sure your achor has a swivel attached to it. I assume that you do not have a hawse pipe on that model to pass the rode through but handcoiling should work fine. I have a hawse pipe and simply pull it up and hand feed the line into the anchor locker through the hawse pipe and I don't have any tangles.
Click to expand...


It seems to me that all this is more applicable to vessels starting with small cruiser than a Sport 205. On my Monaco, following advice I got here, I put 15 feet of chain as part of my rode. This is impossible to handle without chain and gelcoat meeting and p!ss!ng me off. I will not have more chain than I can pull up, at one time, manually without scratching the boat. It is a much different game than having a bow roller and other equipment. I do not believe the 205 has a hawse pipe. MM
 
No hawse pipe on a Sport 205. Nice size anchor locker, with a hole in the anchor locker door to let line out. I like the point about minimal chain to avoid hitting the side of the boat with it. I hand stuffed the nylon line back into the locker, and it appears tangling will not be a problem as mentioned. The prior owner must have bought an anchor kit - nice triangle type anchor, proper hardware, 30 inches or so of chain, and probably 100 feet of nylon line. A good start for my size boat. I like the point about tying to the cleat on the way out - makes sense so the anchor line isn't sawing on the top edge of the bow coming out of the locker.
 
Dave 205 said:
No hawse pipe on a Sport 205. Nice size anchor locker, with a hole in the anchor locker door to let line out. I like the point about minimal chain to avoid hitting the side of the boat with it. I hand stuffed the nylon line back into the locker, and it appears tangling will not be a problem as mentioned. The prior owner must have bought an anchor kit - nice triangle type anchor, proper hardware, 30 inches or so of chain, and probably 100 feet of nylon line. A good start for my size boat. I like the point about tying to the cleat on the way out - makes sense so the anchor line isn't sawing on the top edge of the bow coming out of the locker.
Click to expand...

I am shorten my chain to 6 feet for the Monaco. MM
 
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