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Anchor Snubbers Redux

11K views 46 replies 18 participants last post by  l_lym 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Do not use one of those. Trying to remove one at 3 am in a squall when you are dragging will not be fun. Especially if it has been strained by a week at anchor with squalls coming through.

I am in my 11th year as a liveaboard and almost always anchor out. I have always used a simple hook and can not remember a single instance of it falling off. But when I NEED it off a 3 am off it comes.
 
#4 ·
Totally agree and I use a hook too.

I keep my hook on by using a cheap elastic band. You could break it with your hand if you wanted. It holds no strain, only keeps the hook on in slack tide.

As TQA said, good anchoring isn't just about an anchor that sits well, but one that that can be weighed quickly in a blow. And I will tell you from experience, when that boat is pitching and the wind is howling, it is not easy and verges on dangerous.

Brian
 
#3 ·
They have a real tendency to jam if they've loaded hard. You'll need 2 wrenches, which will making holding on the chain and boat difficult. Yes, I suppose it would come up through the roller, but still a pain. I do use them on a few things that I don't expect to take apart for years.
 
#5 ·
Just so you know, my sunbber is a bit odd but I love it. I will try and get a pic of it up sometime.

It is basically a Y. Each part of the Y ties to a cleat. At the bottom of the Y is a chain hook. However, I also use a rubber snubber on the bottom part of the Y to really take the shock load out. We ride very comfortably.

Brian
 
#6 · (Edited)
Just so you know, my sunbber is a bit odd but I love it. I will try and get a pic of it up sometime.It is basically a Y. Each part of the Y ties to a cleat. At the bottom of the Y is a chain hook. However, I also use a rubber snubber on the bottom part of the Y to really take the shock load out. We ride very comfortably.Brian
I'll have you know young fella that posting pictures of your wonky snubber will be frowned upon by the Moderators.

Now we see why the once mighty USA is in such dire straits. Use a quality Made in the US elastic band you cheapskate.

We use one of these. Can fall off when first setting due to gravity and lack of tension but that is simply a matter of getting the technique right and/or blaming your other half. Has never let us down under load but is easy to remove. I think CD and us use same setup. Essentially a Y shape from cleats either side of the bow rather than through the anchor roller. Only negative with that is possible noise and chafe so you need to have some kind of cover where line passes over the side(s).



Previous boat we had one of these ..... Making sure size matches chain is very important but they work well.



vtsailguy's method scares the pants off me quite frankly. You most need your snubber as the wind pipes up. Whatever method you use it is far better to have the thing fall off occasionally in light winds than jam solid when you are in an "oh crikey" situation.
 
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#7 ·
I completely did not even think about problems getting it off. Totally agree with the posts here. I'll ponder some other technique.

I use hooks, but with my bow set up, it's difficult to keep tension on so it stays hooked. I'll try the rubber band trick.
 
#8 ·
I use hooks, but with my bow set up, it's difficult to keep tension on so it stays hooked. I'll try the rubber band trick.
You might consider one of these chain hooks from Wichard, with a spring-loaded locking pin...

They're a bit pricey, but very slick, well worth it IMHO.... And, they can be very useful if trying to set a Bahamian moor by laying a snatch block for the secondary rode near the bottom...

 
#14 ·
I just use a length of 3-strand tied to the chain with a rolling hitch and then back to a bow cleat.

The angle from the bow roller to a side cleat will often cause a chafe point, as they aren't aligned. To correct, you leave a long enough bitter end (ie many feet long) to tie to one side cleat, cross to the other and then back to the line to secure with a half hitch to pull the snubber to the center of the boat.

Maybe this winter, I will splice up a fancy snubber like everyone else it seems.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I too have been using the rolling hitch to attach my snubber to the chain. So far I much prefer this method to the chain hook we had previously. With its associated shackle and thimble clanking around on deck and when setting up it also limited us to that particular line.
With the rolling hitch we can pull any good dock line out of the locker to use.

One other bonus to using a rolling hitch is that if you find yourself in a position that you need to let out more chain you can just uncleat the one line and let it go in the water, tie your new snubber where you need and retreive the old snubber when you pull up anchor. I have never had to try this so I can't comment on how well that works.

I am still working on my rolling hitches as we rarely use a snubber because we only have 100' of chain, so when we do I am up on the bow with my knot book to make sure I get it right. I am sure our anchorage neighbours are comforted by watching this:rolleyes:

So far it has always stayed tied and stayed in place and no clanking hardware!:)

PS, pretty sure I picked this method up from the previous anchor snubber thread and decided to try it, and found I like it.
 
#38 ·
Re: Mantus hook

1. Get stainless. It's pretty and will outlast you.

2. They are VERY overbuilt. Strength is not at issue.

3. It doesn't have to be as strong as the chain--they are rated to G5--only as strong as the snubber, which should be considerably lighter to allow stretch.

4. It will not go through the rollers.
 
#40 ·
#43 ·
I'm sort of between Minnewaska and TQA on this.

I use about 2 metres of nylon 3-strand with a stainless chain hook.

I set the anchor completely done. When it is fully set, I hook the chain hook onto the chain and let the chain out. As the hook goes over the roller, keep tension on the line, pass it around the front and lay it over the other bow roller. Then it goes onto to mooring cleat and the chain runs out until a decent loop of chain hangs below the hook and the snubber line is taught.

I have never in decades of anchoring, had it unhook. And even if it did, so what?

For me it's about sound insulation, not shock absorbtion. If you have your anchor set with the right amount of scope, the catenary of the chain should provide all the shock absorbtion one should need.

When weighing anchor I ignore the hook completely and reel in the chain. As the chain loop disappears, the hook just drops off and hangs there until the anchor is stowed. When the anchor is safely stowed, pull in the snubber and put it away.

It's hard to make this sound complicated, it's too easy.
 
#45 ·
My Mantus hook went back. It was HUGE and would not fit through the bow roller. Between my furler and pulpit, it is not possible to reach around them to attach the hook to the chain in front of the bow roller. You must hook it on the deck between the windlass and roller and let it pay out.

I'm ordering the Wichard Chain Grip next.

My winter project is going to be splicing some three strand into a custom bridle.
 
#46 ·
My Mantus hook went back. It was HUGE and would not fit through the bow roller. Between my furler and pulpit, it is not possible to reach around them to attach the hook to the chain in front of the bow roller. You must hook it on the deck between the windlass and roller and let it pay out.

I'm ordering the Wichard Chain Grip next.

My winter project is going to be splicing some three strand into a custom bridle.
Yes, NO WAY this would fit through a bow roller! But it never occurred to me that the hook should do that, I always detached it before it reached the roller, even when I had a small standard chain hook.

Still not sure whether to splice up a bridle or just a single line. May even go one size smaller; I saw the people on Morgan's Cloud use a single 3/8" line for a 30,000 Lb boat, which is more than twice my displacement.
 
#47 ·
Been using the Mantus Hook all summer on our bridle and find it secure and easy to use, generally reaching over the pulpit to unhook once we've brought in some chain. HOWEVER I've never fully considered the points brought up earlier and the need to unhook and move quickly in difficult conditions. This needs some thought.
 
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