Don’t Hesitate to Renovate

Regardless of what your definition of a good day on the water is, all boaters have one need in common: The ability to anchor safely and securely. Here are a few inspection and maintenance tips to help make sure your ground tackle is performing at its best.

First things first

CAPT. FRANK LANIER is an award-winning journalist, boat maintenance guru and owner of Capt F.K. Lanier & Associates, Marine Surveyors and Consultants: Your ground tackle is only as strong as its weakest component, which includes not only the anchor and rode, but also items like the windlass, mooring bitts, cleats — in short, any gear used to secure your boat while at anchor. Proper maintenance includes inspection of these items, as well as pulling the rode and laying it out for thorough examination at least annually. Let’s start with the anchor itself. Are there bent flukes, shanks or other such damage? If galvanized, is the coating in good shape or are there areas of rust and corrosion? Next up is inspection of the anchor rode, which will be either all chain or a combination rode (a mix of nylon rope and chain). Although you can bend (tie) rope rode directly to an anchor, it’s not recommended. A length of chain protects against chafe and adds weight to a combination rode, which both increases horizontal pull and helps the anchor to remain set.

Start by inspecting the chain-to-anchor connection. Chain can be attached directly to your anchor using an anchor shackle, but if there’s a chance the vessel will shear or swing in circles then installation of an anchor swivel should be considered. Some boaters don’t like swivels, viewing them as potential weak links, and it’s true that any moving part can fail under load if not properly designed and constructed. As such, if you decide to install one, buy the best quality swivel you can find.

Anchor swivels should be drop forged (not screwed, riveted or welded together) and should be the largest size that fits the chain link without binding. They can also be installed backwards, which can cause failure due to binding. Ensure the jaw fitting of the swivel is attached to the chain, not the anchor shank, and that the swivel eye is attached to the anchor shank with an anchor shackle (which is more bell shaped than a standard shackle) to prevent binding. Combination rodes For combination rodes, next up is inspecting the rope- to-chain connection, which will be made via a rope-to- chain splice or by utilizing an eye splice and thimble (which in turn will be attached to the chain portion via an anchor shackle). Bulkier than a direct rope-to- chain splice, eye splices should have a minimum of six full tucks and be seized at each end while the eye is under tension (to prevent the thimble from falling out as the eye stretches while under load). You’ll also want to ensure all shackles are properly sized and that all screw pins are moused (secured) with stainless steel wire (a requirement for all chain rodes as well).

Check rope rodes for wear, cut strands, aging, discoloration and hard spots due to heat-generated friction caused by placing a kinked line under load. Chafe is the worst enemy of a rope rode, so in addition to inspecting the rode itself, check any item that touches the rode (hawseholes, chocks, cleats, windlass drums) for burrs, sharp edges, protruding hardware or anything else that can cause rode damage.

Inspecting and maintaining chain rodes While chain may be tougher than rope, it’s not maintenance free. Start by storing your chain clean and keeping it as dry as possible, which both reduces corrosion and helps keep the smell of Davy Jones out of your anchor locker. Giving both chain and locker an occasional freshwater washdown helps too, as well as ensuring the locker itself drains properly.

Avoid exposing your chain to preventable chafe. Dragging your chain over abrasive surfaces removes the galvanized coating and eventually leads to rusting. Chain should be swapped end for end annually to promote even wear of the galvanized coating.

Chain rodes should be pulled and inspected at least annually and after exposure to severe loading. Loading on a chain rode isn’t very high under normal conditions; however, damage can occur when the chain is wrapped around an object and placed under tension. Chain that often slips or jumps out of the windlass wildcat (chain wheel) could be a sign some of the links have been damaged and the chain may need replacing.

Finally, don’t forget that all chain rodes require the use of an elastic bridle or nylon snubber, both to act as a shock absorber between anchor rode and vessel and to remove anchoring loads from the windlass. ★