24
May
50 metres is the end of the chain. Repeat the sequence if your anchor chain is longer.
Spray enamel - little tins from BQ - mark every 5 metres in my case - use snooker colours.
Best way to mark your anchor chain. With any system to mark anchor chain you come up with a color scheme in the US red-white-blue is popular and a distance apart for the markings. On our previous boat 300 feet of chain was marked every 50 feet. First red 50 feet.
First white 100. The best way is with chain markers or paint using a marking system to tell you at a glance how much you have set. In our experience cable ties are a poor way to mark anchor chain.
When using a mechanical chain counter system be sure to mark your chain as a backup. Plastic blocks that snap into chain links are just one of many ways to mark an anchor chain. Other boaters favor colored wire zip ties rope ribbons or waterproof paint.
Nothing wrong with being creative in how you mark your anchor chain. In the merchant navy we painted the joining shackles red and the adjacent chain links white. One white chain link each side of the red joining shackle represented 1 shackle 1 shackle 15 fathoms.
Two white painted links each side of the red joining shackle represented 2 shackles three represented three shackles and so on. From my time in the MN. Ive found paint is the best way.
Zip ties get brittle and break off. I paint at 15ft 50ft 100 and 150. I have 200 ft of chain and usually anchor in under 10 feet of water.
The 15ft mark tells me Im close to breaking out the anchor. Painting or marking every 10. Spray enamel - little tins from BQ - mark every 5 metres in my case - use snooker colours.
Red x1 yellow x2 green x3 etc. When I get to 40 metres its is black and red 45 metres is black and yellow. 50 metres is the end of the chain.
Needs a respray every 3 years. If you prefer to stick with just one color of paint an alternative is to mark the rode with stripes. At 25 feet use one stripe at 50 two at 75 three and at 100 four.
Repeat the sequence if your anchor chain is longer. Stripes work well on a rope rode too. But unless you have an all-chain anchor line why would you ever need to bother with marking the chain.
In my case I have a 30 boat and I bought a 30 chain to attach the rode to. So anytime I put the anchor out the entire chain is always going to the bottom anyway. Measure the chain by deploying an electronic chain counter or marking it with a series of alternating length colour markings.
In the latter case of coloured markings it will necessitate a crewmember diligently standing in the weather watching and counting the marks when anchoring. Couple shackles together back to back ie. With the two crowns bearing against one another.
Fit the largest diameter pin possible through the end link of the chain for the strongest possible joint. Fit the largest shortest pin possible through any square cut hole eg. The slot in some anchor.
Marking Your Own Chain. While painted sections are the most common method of marking up an anchor chain the problem is that paint can fade over time and will require topping up. Paint is prone to flaking and failing in the harsh environment of an.
A blank no color band in the middle of a red background would be the number 10. The MOST SIGNIFICANT DIGIT background color represents the number of HUNDREDS OF FEET. The LEAST SIGNIFICANT DIGIT band color represents the number of 25 foot SEGMENTS that are out.
Captain Jim Branca explains how to mark your anchor line every 30 feet so you know how much line you are putting out. Whats the best way to mark an anchor line. The way mark my line is with accrillic paint like you use for body painting or Painting T shirts.
About 50 cents per bottle at wallmart. The stuff is cheap and last about 6 years before it fades away. Since studied Electronics I use the resistor color code for a numbering system.
Jeff and Karen Siegel Work on Their Anchor Chain - Photo Courtesy of Jeffrey and Karen Siegel. This post is the result of an item on Jeffrey Siegels personal blog Taking Paws on which he and his wife Karen document their travels aboard aCappella a 53 RPH DeFever trawler. The subject of marking your anchor chain is a popular one on forums and discussion boards around the boating.
This is how i rig my anchor without using a chain. I show how to do it both ways. After all you want to accurately know how much rode you have over when anchoring.
So measure out your anchor chain using red white and blue paint. Put one coat of paint on each section marking 25 foot of chain- red at 25 feet from the anchor white at 50 feet from the anchor blue at 75 feet from the anchor yellowgold at 100 feet. If it is red there is less than 100 feet.
If white there is between 100 and 199 feet. And if the first strip is blue there is between 200 and 299 feet. The second strip indicates how many multiples of 25 feet are deployed.
A red strip means 25 feet a white strip means 50 feet and a blue strip indicates 75 feet. Your best bet for keeping your anchor chain as rust free as possible is to whenever possible rinse it with fresh water after weighing anchor. Also its important to let the chain dry so leave your anchor locker open to allow evaporation to do its trick.
Your sign might look like this. Color Feet Yellow 10 Blue 50 Red 100 Tape the sign to the inside cover of your anchor locker. Now mark all the lengths that you will need.
Put two yellow ties at 20 feet a blue and two yellows at 70 feet put a red and a blue at 150 feet and two reds at 200 feet. The beauty of this system is that each mark reads independently. With the chain held aloft inside the boxes it is easy now to spray-paint your marks.
All excess paint is caught inside the box and you can easily turn the chain so as to paint it on all sides. For the best results its a good idea to give each bit of chain you want to paint a quick scrub with a wire brush then wipe it down with solvent.