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Install anchor chain markers

18K views 39 replies 23 participants last post by  pdqaltair 
#1 ·
Is there a trick or an easier way than pulling out all the chain from the locker and laying that out on the dock? Say you have 300ft of 1/2 inch chain and you want to mark the whole chain. How about pulling the boat so the rollers are over the dock so you can use the windlass? I have never dealt with this much chain.
 
#2 ·
I have done just that on the pontoons of a dock.

I pulled the chain out to 12metre lengths (chart depths are usually in metres), bringing the next length alongside the previous length. It was easier to mark the chain in 3meter marks, so that when dropped, I would have a better idea of how much to let out with relation to the depth.

I marked the chain with dayglo paint at one link as the mark for the first 3metres, two links for the marks for the 2nd 3metres and so on. I only have 40metres of chain, so only marked up to 9 marks. 10metres was one mark, 11 was two.

i.e. if I anchored in a depth of 5 metres, I let out the chain to the 5th mark (15metres), being the minimum chain to depth for good weather. For any blow, I would let out more chain to be sure not to drag.

I was thinking of using cable ties, but worried that any sharp end would result in a cut on the hand.
 
#3 ·
#7 ·
As mentioned, paint will have to be renewed routinely if cruising in a place with an abrasive bottom, such as the Bahamas... Colored cable ties are the cheapest and overall best solution, probably...

I'm using these "Chain Rainbow" markers from Osculati, they're pretty slick... Kind of pricey in the States, but down in the Caribbean they're pretty cheap at Budget Marine or Island Water World...

 
#11 ·
Yep, we use these too. Over time they do tend to fall out but I haven't replaced the originals for a few years now and there are still enough left to know whats going on. Also not cheap in NZ (I see your image link is the place we buy ours from ;))

Only problem is not enough colours so we start at 10 metres (never put out less than that) use them every 5 metres and go from red to white to yellow to white the red and so on. That way we plan the depth so for example, 25 metres is second white - when the anchor is dropped that's all we have to look for. Oh, another small glitch is that over time the mud stains the white ones so that when it's a little dark it gets hard to tell white from yellow.

We can power the chain down but never do. And I can certainly vouch for keeping fingers away from windlasses. I nearly lost two fingers three years ago.

We must get poor quality cable ties in NZ because my windlass removes them like a purpose-built cable-tie stripper
 
#8 · (Edited)
Another very effective method that is seldom mentioned but that works in the pitch dark and in the rain. Some will state that markers you can feel are good, but placing naked fingers on the chain between the rollers and the windless is unnecessarily dangerous. I think we've all heard of a few windlass injuries and had a few close calls.

For windlasses that power down, the simplest method of all is to count. If the rate is 8 ft/second and you need 100 feet, about 12 seconds. Very simple, will never get stuck, and will never wear off.
 
#9 ·
For windlasses that power down, the simplest method of all is to count. If the rate is 8 ft/second and you need 100 feet, about 12 seconds. Very simple, will never get stuck, and will never wear off.
Simple, never thought of that.

How do you get the initial rate though?
 
#13 ·
I put the bow roller over the dock and haul all the chain out about every six months to give it a fresh water wash and use that time to clean accumulated mud and weed out of the chain locker.
While the chain is out I refit fresh coloured cable ties - the smaller the better as they are less likely to chafe or cause the chain to slip on the gypsy. Three whites for 10 meters, three yellows for 20, three greens for 30, three reds for 40 and three blacks at 50 (when it's almost all out). The colour coding is logical to my brain, darker = more chain. By having three cable ties at each point, even if two break over the six month period to the next clean-out, it's no problem.
 
#15 ·
Thanks

Many helpful suggestions. I will get the anchor and chain on the dock and try the plastic stubs you hammer in at 30 ft intervals. And practice the timing trick as a backup. Are chain counters typically reliable? They seem like a convenience but really not necessary in most conditions.
 
#16 ·
One other thing to consider: most folks anchor in water no less than 10 feet deep, right/ So the minimum they would deploy would be (to make the math easier, forget about the height of the bow) say 50 to 60 feet for starters. That's where I'd put the first chain marker. Putting one on at 30 feet when that would always be in the water is a waste of whatever material you're using.

Also, you should be able to figure out half of 30 feet, so I find that markers every ten feet are also a waste.
 
#17 ·
Originally Posted by JonEisberg View Post
As mentioned, paint will have to be renewed routinely if cruising in a place with an abrasive bottom, such as the Bahamas... Colored cable ties are the cheapest and overall best solution, probably...

I'm using these "Chain Rainbow" markers from Osculati, they're pretty slick... Kind of pricey in the States, but down in the Caribbean they're pretty cheap at Budget Marine or Island Water World...

Yep, we use these too. Over time they do tend to fall out but I haven't replaced the originals for a few years now and there are still enough left to know whats going on. Also not cheap in NZ (I see your image link is the place we buy ours from )
nothing is cheap in NZ! ;)

i have used these markers but keep losing them and cable ties. paint is really the only way to go, in my opinion. sure it takes some planning but also gives you the chance to inspect your entire rode every couple of months, something that yuo rarely have the chance to do without going through this exercise. i find that marks every 25' are more than sufficient--when in doubt, just pay out until the next mark. more scope is a good thing!
 
#18 ·
nothing is cheap in NZ! ;)

i have used these markers but keep losing them and cable ties.
Interesting, I'm a bit surprised to hear you've had those markers come loose...

Perhaps the recommended use would be to go one size larger? I have 1/4" HT chain, and could only find the Osculati markers sized for 5/16 or 8mm... Took a bit of work with a flat head screwdriver, with an assist from MacLube, to coax them into place, but mine have remained secure, have yet to ever lose any... The downside would be, when the time comes to end-for end, or re-galvanize your chain, dealing with these markers will involve a bit more work than simply snipping off cable ties, or similar...

As Andre mentioned, probably best not to use the white markers anywhere close to the bottom of the chain...
 
#19 ·
At the risk of offense, is it really that hard? If so, I'd head to the gym. Strength and mobility is an important component of safety on a boat. But why not pull the boat up in your slip and drop the chain as you've suggested, then pull it back and forth between two measured points to mark things?

Sailing is at times physical. Sometimes very physical. Hauling some chain out on the dock to measure and mark? One of the pain in the butt but not particularly hard chores.
 
#20 ·
I'm of the 'paint' school for marking my 300' of chain. Lower in on the dock and paint about 1 meter of chain every 60' in a different color. The mnemonic suggested by an article in Cruising World is "Rub Your Body With Oil": Red, Yellow, Blue, White, Orange. I go with the British Royal Navy mnemonic "Rub Your Balls With Grease" so my last section is Green. Sure makes it easy to know how much is playing out. Touching up the paint occasionally is no big deal. K.
 
#21 ·
I let the stern line loose, pulled the bow in, and flaked the chain onto the dock by hand in 25' lengths. red cable ties at 25, white cable ties at 50, blue at 75, yellow at 100, yellow and red at 125, yellow and white 150, yellow and blue at 175, green at 200, green and red at 225, green and white at 250, green and blue at 275. The 300 foot is the splice to rhode, and Its all goin out if I get that far, so I don't give a damn after that! :D
 
#23 ·
Just did this last weekend after procrastinating on it, but it really was not bad with 200 feet of chain and another 100 feet of rope. I used day-glo paint before and after the first 100' mark so I can see that coming and 2 nylon ties at 50' increments. I use the ROYGBIV mnemonic. I had considered using those clips but the local chandlery was selling a small pack of 5 (or so?) for $14, which was too much for something that likely would need to be replaced often. Cleaned out a small bucket full of sand from the bottom of the locker, too. Now glad to have checked that one off the list...
 
#28 ·
It's been interesting to see the different color schemes. We do this:

Red - 25'
Green - 50'
Blue - 75'
White - 100'
double Red - 125'
double Green 150
etc.

We've been using whatever cheap spray paint we can find or have lying around when it needs refreshing....and a cardboard box to keep from getting paint everywhere.
 
#32 ·
We use 11" cable ties and leave the tails - starting with black: 1@50', 2@75', 3@100', 4@125' - then switch to white: 1@150', 2@175', 3@200', 4@250'.

So it is a pattern that repeats in black, then white.

Don't see a need for marking less than 50' since that seems to usually be a minimum that goes out anyway. If we want less, it is easy enough to guess (it is 15' from the water to our windlass).

The zip ties go through the windlass with no problem, but sometimes get broken or chewed on the bottom. We anchor almost continuously year-round and I have to replace a random tie maybe twice a year. It isn't any problem to know where to replace it because only the tail breaks and the rest is still secured to the chain.

In the dark, I just feel the chain as it goes up/down for the tails to pass my hand (it is 8' from our roller to the windlass, so not very dangerous to have my hand lightly against the chain 4' away from the busy ends).

Mark
 
#33 · (Edited)
I bought the Imtra chain markers many years ago and didn't install them until I replaced my chain about two seasons ago. I use four markers, of the same color, in a row, at each marked length, and one has fallen out here and there. I have extras to replace the missing. Many complain that they all fall out, but so far, not bad for me. They may work better on larger links, who knows. Paint would be substantially less expensive, but these are working for me. Pulling my chain out, drying it off, painting without overspray all seem like a lot of work for such as small project.

I put Red at 50ft, White at 100ft, Blue at 150ft, Yellow at 200ft and mixed colors at 250ft and just before the full 300ft would be deployed. I also put a label on the windlass control so one doesn't need to remember (R50,W100,B150.....). I still count seconds off in my head, old habit.

Marine Chain Markers
 
#34 ·
We used those plastic insert things for a couple of months. First thing that happened is they all quickly stained the same color (New England and Chesapeake anchoring), so were impossible to know where one was in the chain unless one counted closely. Second thing that happened is when anchoring in mud, if we didn't get the chain perfectly clean and some mud was still stuck in the links, you couldn't tell where the markers were when random sections of chain had mud in it. Third thing was they all started randomly falling out until I just got fed up with them.

I really wanted them to work because they seem like a good idea in principal, but for us, they were awful in practice.

Mark
 
#37 ·
We used those plastic insert things for a couple of months. First thing that happened is they all quickly stained the same color (New England and Chesapeake anchoring), so were impossible to know where one was in the chain unless one counted closely. Second thing that happened is when anchoring in mud, if we didn't get the chain perfectly clean and some mud was still stuck in the links, you couldn't tell where the markers were when random sections of chain had mud in it. Third thing was they all started randomly falling out until I just got fed up with them.

I really wanted them to work because they seem like a good idea in principal, but for us, they were awful in practice.

Mark
The two Marks agree!

First time ever, ever, ever! ☺☺☺☺
 
#35 ·
Minnewaska;3884345... drying it off said:
Drape the chain sections to be painted across/inside an open box. Trivially easy. They dry quickly, the box catches the over spray, you can paint all sides, and they hang free until dry. It's so neat I paint mine on deck. I've done this 3 times without issue.

It is just about knowing how--my first article sold to Good Old Boat illustrated the method.
 
#36 ·
Mine are at 12m, 22, 32, 42 etc to 70m

The 2 is bow roller to water. So in effect they are 10m intervals.

The plastic things between the links are bullrwaddle. Can't see them. So I supliment with cable ties.

Color scheme is
R red
Y yellow
B blue
W white
G green

Rub Your balls With Grease. And is standard for many boats but not all.
 
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