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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

How much chain can I stuff in my locker

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alfreddiaz
1st Mate

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USA
30 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/13/2020 : 21:37:14

I am about to purchase some anchor rode. I am going with 1/4 inch, hot dipped galvanized, grade 43. So I hear the Coast Guard recommends double the length of the boat. That would be 50 feet. I wouldn't mind putting 100 feet in the front locker of my 1981 C25 SK. That would be a total of 66 pounds. The question is, will it fit?

FYI: I will be paying $2.73 a foot, and that includes shipping (please let me know if there is a better deal out there). The 100 feet will weigh 66 pounds.

So what do you have stuffed in your bow?

Is it realistic to even try and shove 100 feet of chain rode in the locker, along with another 200 feet of rope?

FYI: My anchor is an 18 pound Danforth style that hangs from the bow bridal, ready to drop when needed. My boat came with a nice Bruce, but it doesn't fit in the locker. So I am going to use it as a stern anchor when needed.

No windlass. Just biceps.

I have no idea what a 100 foot pile of chain looks like. I tried googling it, but no luck.

Al
Carried Away

Roamer
Deckhand

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USA
21 Posts

Response Posted - 06/14/2020 : 06:02:41

I have 25 feet of chain and 100 feet of 3/8" 3 strand nylon in my locker, and it's full. Mantus anchor hangs on bow pulpit.

fadeaway: 1984 TR/FK Trad

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3312 Posts

Response Posted - 06/14/2020 : 08:30:58

On the 50' catamaran we had 35' of 1" chain and 360' of 3/4" rode. This was sufficient to hold us all night in 40' of water and 40 knot winds in the Gulf of Mexico.(Of course, we couldn't raise the anchor in the morning - but that's another story!)
100' of chain is vastly overkill. If anchoring overnight you need a 7:1 scope and a total of 200' of rode gives almost that ratio for a depth of 26' (remember you have to add the distance from the water to the anchor roller to get the "true" water depth)

Derek Crawford
Chief Measurer C25-250 2008
Previous owner of "This Side UP"
1981 C-25 TR/FK #2262 Used to have an '89 C22 #9483, "Downsized"
San Antonio, Texas

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5851 Posts

Response Posted - 06/14/2020 : 09:22:11

The ground tackle you need depends on the conditions in which you expect to anchor. What is the water depth, holding ground, highest expected wind speed, wave action, fetch, etc. Your proposed ground tackle is probably appropriate for a hurricane, but few people will ever ride out a hurricane at anchor on a C25 or any other boat for that matter.

My C&C35 has been through about 5 full hurricanes and about as many tropical storms since I bought her, and in every instance, she was in her slip, with double dock lines, and with me adjusting her dock lines through the night. With modern weather observation, hurricanes don't sneak up on us anymore. We have days to prepare, if we're paying attention.

If serious severe weather is coming, your best choice is to take her to shelter, rent a slip for 2-3 days and don't stay on her the day of the storm. Some of the owners in my marina even have their boats hauled out until the storm passes. If the storm is severe, get yourself and family off the boat and rely on your insurance to take care of the boat.

The Westmarine Advisor provides good guidance for the choice of ground tackle. https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/Selecting-An-Anchor-Rode

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

Lee Panza
Captain

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USA
465 Posts

Response Posted - 06/15/2020 : 01:00:45

Al;

For a little Catalina 25, 100' of chain is almost certainly unnecessary and actually it could be detrimental to the boat's sailing performance. That much weight at the bow could cause the boat to ride slightly nose-down and it will increase the angular momentum that contributes to "hobby-horsing" in a choppy sea.

A relatively short length of fairly heavy chain (the more common recommendation seems to be about a boat-length or so) helps the anchor stay put, but using energy-absorbing nylon for most of the rode is arguably more sensible for boats as light as ours. There's plenty of literature out there on anchoring equipment.

By the way, a bow roller would allow you to keep that Bruce ready to deploy. I'm not going to ignite the inevitable flame war over which type of anchor to use, especially because the choice is so dependent on local conditions, but I keep a 22# Lewmar Claw on the roller with 20' of 5/16" proof coil chain and 100' of 1/2" 8-plait nylon in the locker. The locker could easily handle another 100' of 8-plait (it lies much more compactly than 3-strand). I also keep a 7# Fortress in the locker under the rode; if I ever think I'd need it, it wouldn't be much trouble to haul everything out of the locker and switch the shackle.

For the shallow anchorages in San Francisco Bay, 120' of rode is plenty, but I keep three 100' coils of nylon in the V-berth in case I might ever need more length. There's a shackle on the bitter end of my primary rode, and each coil has thimbles at both ends and a shackle already loosely attached to one of them, so I could easily and relatively quickly extend the working rode.

I hope this gives you some ideas for your own needs.

The trouble with a destination - any destination, really - is that it interrupts The Journey.

Lee Panza
SR/SK #2134
San Francisco Bay
(Brisbane, CA)

Edited by - Lee Panza on 06/15/2020 01:04:37

alfreddiaz
1st Mate

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USA
30 Posts

Response Posted - 06/15/2020 : 16:38:18

All right. I must have been confused in what I was reading in other forums, where chain and rode are used interchangeably. I have 20 feet of 3/8 galvanize chain right now and 200 feet of three-strand nylon rope. I have anchored in 20 to 25 feet on the Columbia River with a 1 to 2 knot current, and it has held. And that is what I expect to do, anchor in 30 feet in the River or in the Puget Sound, Catalina Island areas. I might hit 40 foot depth one day, but that would be my limit.

I just thought the more chain the better. And I actually have plenty of room in the locker.

Roamer, I am surprised your locker is full. I have about the same setup as you, and I could double my rope and chain easily.

I also have no chain for my stern anchor. So, I need to buy chain. I just thought I would use the 20 feet I currently have for my stern and buy new for the bow anchor.

Lee, Yes. I would like the place the Bruce on a proper anchor roller and use it. And I may still do that. But either way, she needs chain.

So most of you C-25s don't use more that 25 feet of chain to start your rode? Hmph. I just though a few more feet couldn't hurt, although it sounds like 100 feet is way overboard for my boat. I might go to 40 feet, that would be a total 24 pounds. I think the boat can handle that.

I was really surprised, I though for sure that a 25 foot sailboat would benefit from a bit more chain.

Thanks.

Al

Erik Cornelison
Navigator

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USA
194 Posts

Response Posted - 06/16/2020 : 17:46:25

I have 20ft of chain and 270 feet of 3/8 rope plus anchor, it all fits in the locker.

Erik Cornelison
6th Generation Professional Sailor, First Gen Submarine Sailor.
1986 Standard Rig SW. #5234

Steve Milby
Past Commodore

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USA
5851 Posts

Response Posted - 06/16/2020 : 18:51:33

Whenever rigging or equipping a sailboat, it's almost never a good idea to use oversized line. The size of halyards, sheets, anchor line and dock lines should be as recommended by the boat builder, or as recommended by a generally accepted authority. Oversized lines don't run through the small-boat blocks freely. The cleats on a 25' boat are sized to use 3/8" docklines, and oversized lines don't fit the cleats correctly. If you'll look at the specifications of different sizes of line, you'll see that the strength of the recommended line is far greater than will ever be needed. As a general principle, nothing good comes from using oversized lines.

Boats that use lots of chain are likely to use power windlasses, because raising the combined weight of the anchor and chain, plus the chore of breaking the anchor loose from the bottom, is backbreaking labor, especially in summer heat. Use just what you realistically need and no more.

Steve Milby J/24 "Captiva Wind"
previously C&C 35, Cal 25, C25 TR/FK, C22
Past Commodore

sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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814 Posts

Response Posted - 06/17/2020 : 10:00:29

We've not yet used chain. We have the largest Danforth that will fit in the anchor locker with 100' of three-ply twisted nylon rhode. We have an oversized Danforth in the dumpster with 300' of three-ply twisted nylon rhode.

When we approach a cove in which we want to anchor, we drop the stern anchor when the water depth is 40' or we are 200'-250' from shore. Then we coast toward shore until the water depth is 4'-5' and drop the bow anchor. Then we adjust the rhodes until the boat is positioned where we want.

We've never dragged anchor. The two Danforth anchors opposing each other helps them set and increases holding power. I don't think I'll add chain as long as we continue to anchor on soft bottoms, and then I'd probably get different anchors too.

Seth
"Outlier" 1987 Catalina 25 SR/SK/Traditional Interior #5541
"Zoo" 1977 Morgan Out Island 30
"Nomad" 1980 Prindle 16
"Lost" 1988 Catalina Capri 14.2 (sold - yay!)
"Marine Tex 1" Unknown Origin POS 8' Fiberglass Dinghy
https://whichsailboat.com/2014/07/27/catalina-25-review/

Edited by - sethp001 on 06/17/2020 10:46:34

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