Association Forum - Anchor rode more than 12 years old

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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Anchor rode more than 12 years old

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JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/07/2017 : 08:23:35

I have 75 feet of 3-strand anchor rode attached to the Danforth anchor which I have used frequently over the 12 years I have owned the Gypsy. The anchor rode stays wet nearly all year long in the shade of the anchor locker. It might be 15 or 20 years old, or older!

Just this week I took it out, coiled it up neatly, and hung it on the pulpit to get rained on and air-dried for once! It looks perfectly intact and has not failed any of the dozens of times I have anchored out overnight in 10-20 knot winds. A few times the anchor has dragged in the Chesapeake Bay mud in places where I anchor, and I had to reset it, but the rode has never parted.

Does this kind of line last forever when stored damp?

After I learned about anchoring from discussions by the knowledgeable and very funny viking Sven with other sailors here on the Forum, I changed the original 6' of light weight anchor chain for 15' of heavier chain. I even bought a 25 lb CQR anchor at Bacon Associates at a discount, and picked up 150 ft of 3/4" 3-strand rode that I attached to a heavy bridle to hook up to both bow cleats in case of an emergency. I think this is more than needed for most conditions in my area, but it's good to have a backup anyway. I've never used the big CQR anchor.

I count on the Danforth anchor, the 75' of rode, the bow cleats, and the GPS for a good night's sleep with friends or family.

How can I tell if my decades-old anchor rode is still reliable?

JohnP
1978 C25 SR/FK "Gypsy"
Mill Creek off the Magothy River, Chesapeake Bay
Port Captain, northern Chesapeake Bay

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

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USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 04/07/2017 : 11:48:18

I would replace it based on age. Storing damp makes it ugly but doesn't have a lot of impact on strength of nylon. Oxygen, airborne contaminants, bottom abrasion, cycling and UV all work to degrade the rode. Dock lines that are continuously exposed to UV degrade much faster, but there is no reason to take a chance on an ancient rode, the downside is pretty severe. As an aside, 3/4 inch rode might be a little heavy for our boats. The elasticity of 3 strand nylon reduces shock loads on the anchor; you might hard pressed to load 3/4" line enough to benefit from stretch.

Dave B. aboard Pearl
1982 TR/SK/Trad. #3399
Lake Erie/Florida Panhandle

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.