So looking at new Parkers with a windless, a plow Anchor chain goes directly to the windless with no Lock or tether. The manufacturer of the windless says the anchor must be secured with no tension on the windless while operating the boat. If you were to secure the anchor to a tether or a lock it would beat up the gel coat Of the pulpit pretty bad. How are you securing your anchor to the boat without beating up the pulpit or putting undue stress on the windless? Appreciate your response!
Securing your anchor to the pulpit
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knotflying
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You may misunderstand the statement. First, I always have a tether on the anchor in the event the windless decides to deploy on itself or the clutch loosens. I have an stainless eye bolted to the deck on the pulpit with a small carabiner, which I clip into a chain link. Once hooked you can release tension on the chain with a small bump down. The anchor stays in place and the chain is still tight enough that the anchor is still secure. You can be less sophisticated and just use a small line through a chain link and tie it back to the cleat. With that said, I think the manufacturer is more concerned when using the anchor. It is a best practice to tie the anchor rode off at the cleat once deployed and release tension on the windless. This way the cleat is doing the work and not the windless when anchored for a long period. This will reduce stress and also in the event that the clutch slips you won't be letting out all your rode. If I were fishing and using the anchor temporarily I would not worry about securing the rode to the cleat or securing the anchor with a tether since you would have to keep going up to the pow each time you were moving. Just be prepared to stop immediately if the windless decides to deploy anchor on its own. If I were doing a long run at speed I would secure the anchor.
warthog5
Well-known member
I kept tension on anchor with windless.....and instead of having a cam over chain binder that they make for this, I had a piece of parachute cord doubled threw the chain so when the anchor is fully retrieved.....you can use the parachute cord to tie to the cleat that you see in the pix I've posted. For the same safety reasons that Knotflying talks about. Parachute cord is very easy to tie & untie when wet.
Yea ya gotta go up there and untie it.....You have to go up there anyway to deploy it.
Yea ya gotta go up there and untie it.....You have to go up there anyway to deploy it.
warthog5
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DanLovingood
Well-known member
052520,
I too was concerned about constant tension on the windlass. Here's what I did to solve the problem. Installed a 316 stainless chain stopper that I got off Amazon. So far very pleased with how it works.
Cap'n Dan
I too was concerned about constant tension on the windlass. Here's what I did to solve the problem. Installed a 316 stainless chain stopper that I got off Amazon. So far very pleased with how it works.
Cap'n Dan
Hey, Dan, this is a similar chain-stopper we had on an earlier boat.... nice installation! And thank you for the great pictures..... by the way, your Fortress looks, and fits great up there!
DanLovingood
Well-known member
No, not at all. Most of the time I end up with less slack than what is shown in the photos - It's just a matter of timing with the windlass switch. I'm pretty sure you don't want it too tight as it might damage the stopper and kinda defeats the purpose of having it in the first place.
Cap'n Dan
