How To Choose The Right Anchor Chain For Your Boat

How To Choose The Right Anchor Chain For Your Boat

There are various types of anchor chain, All chain's the same, right? Well, no. There's actually a variety of types and grades that cruising sailors should know about. So how to understand the anchor chain and choose the right one for your boat ? Let us discuss about it . 

The different material and grade will effect the quality of anchor chain , The most popular varieties of galvanized-steel windlass chain include high-test or grade 40 (usually marked HT, G4, or HT4); triple B or grade 30 (marked as BBB or 3B); and proof coil, also grade 30 (often marked PC, PC3, or G3). Each has attributes and shortcomings. BBB and proof coil are made from low-carbon steel; heat-treated high-test is made from a high carbon-manganese alloy.

HT chain is widely used because of its “strength-to-link” factor: Its working load limit is nearly twice that of BBB, and it has the highest weight-to-working load ratio. In other words, it allows the use of a thinner link, which means more chain can be stored in a given chain locker. Its links are also windlass calibrated, which means that they should fit any wildcat with an “HT” designation. Such links also tend to resist tangling in the locker.

Most PC chain is designated as “non-calibrated for windlass use.” This means it's not designed to be used with a windlass wildcat. Period. Unfortunately, this caveat is unlikely to be stamped directly on the chain, so you can never be certain if the chain falls into this category. (If chain is verifiable approved for your windlass, it may be used for anchor ropes.) PC chain has roughly the same working load as BBB and the same number of links per foot as HT; for 3/8-inch chain, the ratio is 9.8 links per foot of chain. It's worth noting that some windlass manufacturers, for obvious reasons, don't offer a PC wildcat. If someone offers you a pile of cheap PC chain, please be careful.

Besides ,Most high-quality chain from reputable manufacturers is embossed with a designation indicating the grade. Without one, you'll be guessing about the chain's strength. Failing to use chain designed for a specific windlass wildcat can lead to potentially dangerous overrides (above). This chain is in no-man's land: It can't be lowered or raised.

We will definitely stick with famous brand, even though there is probably other chain that would be less expensive—chain is no place to let our natural cheapskate tendencies come to the fore.

In fact, we are only replacing our rode because use has knocked off much of the galvanizing and so it's bleeding rust all over the place. Interestingly, although the chain looks pretty nasty, measurement with an accurate micrometer indicates that there is almost no wastage—impressive after 17 years of brutal use.