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Does anyone know of a galvanized anchor swivel that will actually swivel?

5K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  jimjazzdad 
#1 ·
I went to my local commercial fishing store and bought a nice, made in the USA, HUGE burly galvenized anchor swivel to replace this one which came with my boat:



Only problem is that the first time I anchored with the new swivel it didn't swivel! This led to about 90min of swearing and muscling on the foredeck trying to get the twisted anchor chain on deck and then several hours of untwisting on deck. Urg! Back to stainless.

I don't like the stainless one for 2 reasons. It attaches with allen-head screws which are soft and are becoming rounded and impossible to to work with. Also the stainless causes my chain to rust. I cut a few links off every few years, but I don't want to have to do that.

So what brand of galvanized swivel will ACTUALLY SWIVEL??

MedSailor
 
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#5 ·
I appreciate that, but I was looking for first hand advice since I already plonked down some coin for a good looking, made in the USA, one from a reputable store and ended up with a big headache.

In order to not make the same mistake twice I'm looking for one that someone can vouch for. Thanks for the advice though.

MedSailor
 
#7 ·
Have you tried doing without the swivel? I don't use one and have not noticed any particular problems with chain getting tangled - and we are anchored a lot. When I hoist the anchor it seems to untwist on the way up. I let it hang below the roller for 30 seconds or so to make sure that it is untwisted..
 
#8 ·
I doubt that would go well especially considering how many hours of trouble it was when the swivel malfunctioned the one time. Here in the Pacific Northwest shifting tides are the norm and in the summer fluky shifting winds are the norm. We probably do 1-2 circles an hour around our anchor up here.

Kilarney, enjoy Indonesia! I lived there for a year and the people are fantastic!

MedSailor
 
#9 ·
I would be very wary of the pictured swivel. Some friends with a sister-ship to ours had that exact swivel and reported that it split along the length of the inner barrel during routine use. The were anchoring a 22,000# (loaded) displacement yacht with 5/16" G4 chain and a 55# Rocna anchor. The yacht is now on the hard in Trini for hurricane season and they are back for a visit with split swivel in hand and that in not reassuring.

FWIW...
 
#10 ·
Med- I don't use a swivel with all chain. Rarely does the anchor not come right up into the roller and we anchor 90% of the time. Like Killarney, I think it untwists as it's coming up. A swivel is a weak spot and it's just the luck of the draw which way the anchor will be facing.
 
#11 ·
I'm of the opinion also that swivels are of dubious value. I've been meaning to do so for some time so will be removing ours in the next week or so. I'll be interested to see if it makes any real difference but I can only see the swivel as a weak link.
 
#12 ·
Awesome! Let us know the results. I must say that I was surprised that jrd22 is getting away with it in out waters. I'm still skeptical though since I had such a snafu the one time my swivel seemed to fail.

Medsailor
 
#15 ·
Our tides are 1.5 - 2 metres. Our old girl didn't have a swivel and I never missed it. I confess I've never had twisted chain as such. Must be a right pain in the butt.
 
#16 ·
No swivel here and I anchor over 300 days a year.

I have only had a twisted chain once and we were anchored in the same spot for over a couple of months.
Some anchor winches put some twist in the chain, which may be your problem.

If you do use a swivel make it a very good one and put a few links of chain between the anchor and the swivel. Even the good swivels are not very strong with a side load which is the usual failure mode. Chain between the anchor and swivel stops the possibility of a large side load.
 
#17 ·
Thanks for the advice! I had recently read about the side loading problem and was planning on putting a few links in front of the swivel. It's interesting though that many of the swivels out today, like my stainless one, market themselves as being designed to connect directly to the anchor. I was convinced by the photos of sheared swivels in the anchoring book I read though, so I'll be adding the extra links. It's starting to look like a lot of extra links now though: Anchor, shackle, few links, shackle, swivel, chain....

I wonder if it is my winch, but it sure would be nice to go without the extra bits. Next time I try going without I'll do it in shallower water than last time though...

MedSailor
 
#19 · (Edited)
In my area of Nova Scotia we have two tides a day that average close to 2 m. or 6 ft. Also a seabreeze every afternoon that is often different than the night breeze. I have 150' of 3/8" BBB galv. chain on a SL 1500 windlass and NO swivel. Never had a problem. I do use a SS twist shackle because my anchor roller is quite narrow and won't accomodate a regular anchor shackle (the pin jams). I suppose the SS promotes some rust in the first link of chain but I reckon I can just cut a link off if it becomes an issue.
 
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