4788 - Bridle for Anchor Chain/Rode to Prevent Swinging at Anchor-gctid387241

[Guest]

Has anyone figured out how to rig a bridle for the anchor chain/rode to prevent swinging while at anchor in the wind. There does not seem to be a good way to attach the ends of the bridle to the sides of the boat since there is no fairlead through the bow kick-rail(or whatever it is called).

Or is there some other way to prevent swinging?

[mmichellich]

BoBenedict wrote:
Has anyone figured out how to rig a bridle for the anchor chain/rode to prevent swinging while at anchor in the wind. There does not seem to be a good way to attach the ends of the bridle to the sides of the boat since there is no fairlead through the bow kick-rail(or whatever it is called).

Or is there some other way to prevent swinging?

Last summer I did some experiments on our 47. I compared a single snubber to the anchor chain run over the anchor roller with a double line/snubber each run to almost the water line. The two line arrangement grabbed the chain at the water line and attached to each of the forward side cleats with the double line. Each had the anchor chain slack from the snubber hook to the boat to stop the bear from growling on the foredeck at night as the chain drags across rocks on the bottom. Neither prevented the swinging-in fact as far as I could tell they results were identical. Anchoring where we usually do in addition to winds there is a lot of tidal currents to a knot or more. I use very heavy chain and a very heavy anchor.

[Guest]

different deal, but last weekend was my first on the hook with my stern anchor. I held 2 boats for 4 days and no movement. Was my main anchor til I replaced it with a rocna 33.

[Guest]

mmichellich wrote:
as far as I could tell they results were identical.

Me too. A double-line bridle doesn't curb swing very much. It improves your hold, quiets the anchors chain and unloads the windlass, but doesn't help much with swing.There's one particular place we anchor for a few days every year and it seems to generate BIG swings. If I crank over the rudders, whatever current there is cants me to one side and cust my swing in half.Experiment a bit with different rudder directions and amount.Real trawlers control their swing at anchor by using their steadying sail. I play a bit with my windage and it can affect swing. My Breeze Booster, set up in a forward hatch greatly increases swing. Pinning a bunch of beach towels along a forward rail on only one side of the boat reduces swing a lot. But you can't use clothespins. You have to use small wood clamps.I use the small versions of these. Learned that one from ModMMax

http://baylinerownersclub.org/media/...amps.jpg[/img]

[Guest]

BoBenedict wrote:
Has anyone figured out how to rig a bridle for the anchor chain/rode to prevent swinging while at anchor in the wind. There does not seem to be a good way to attach the ends of the bridle to the sides of the boat since there is no fairlead through the bow kick-rail(or whatever it is called).

Or is there some other way to prevent swinging?

I anchored out a few weeks ago for the first time and was surprised (and dissapointed) on how badly my boat was horsing. I thought the wind steady in both direction and magnitude, but the horsing was non-stop. I had made the bridle as suggested on the forum, which I need anyway given all chain rode as mentioned previously. I had made it fairly long (15 ft or so) and tried shortening up with no effect.

I'm going to try this tecnhique this weekend. Will probably just go to the midship cleat and create enough angle to reduce it hopefully.

http://www.tor.cc/articles/rode.htm

Thought I should learn a good rolling hitch knot as well-

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.animatedknots.com/rollinghitch/rolling_hitch.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.animatedknots.com/rollinghitch/index.php?Categ%3Dscouting%26LogoImage%3DLogoGrog.jpg%26Website%3Dwww.animatedknots.com&h=400&w=600&sz=26&tbnid=QG1al86gXwaKXM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&prev=/search%3Fq%3Drolling%2Bhitch%2Banimated%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=rolling+hitch+animated&usg=__O17YvVe0ABDBeTVgeunZA94sPyA=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=4MbIT9CnBs7rggeNhqR-&ved=0CBoQ9QEwAw

For what it's worth, Dean

[Pacrimrat]

My boat seems to swing worse than others anchored around me. I have a double bimini fore and aft of the radar arch.

The shape of it looks like an airfoil. Under certain conditions it pulls the boat around until it reaches a point where the boat tilts the other direction then we're off that way.

I've watched 47's with full enclosures and they seem to move less radical than mine.

Last year I set up Rocker Stoppers. I use two sets of four each on each side of the boat.

They cut the role down a lot and act like a sea anchor to dampen the swing.

[nwboater62]

Rocker Stoppers?

[Pacrimrat]

Rocker Stoppers

http://www.davisnet.com/marine/products/marine_product.asp?pnum=00352

[mmichellich]

One thing I have noted that does seem to help a bit is how you tie up your dingy to the swim step. If you tie it cross ways parallel to the swim step, it does not help to slow down swing. If you tie it bow in and make it difficult to swing with engine down, the extra drag helps slow down the swinging a bit.

Of course the absolute best solution is to stern tie. Where we boat about 80% of the time we have to stern tie if for no other reason, a lot of the time the bow can be in say 50-75 feet of water and the stern in 15 feet of water, with the anchor in more than 100 feet. If the boat swings 180 degrees the anchor can drag easily. In other bays with more shallow/flatter bottoms, the crowding causes one to desire stern tying to prevent bumps in the night. Some anchorages in Desolation Sound for example can have 50 or more boats anchored in each bay at the busy time of the year. Sometimes stern ties are not possible and then a good anchor for a stern anchor works well, just make sure it does not drag or you will have a nicely braided mess.

[Guest]

Pacrimrat wrote:
Rocker Stoppers

http://www.davisnet.com/marine/produ...asp?pnum=00352

Rocker Stoppers sure sounds interesting. Has anybody used them??

[Guest]

mmichellich wrote:


Of course the absolute best solution is to stern tie.

+1 If a stern tie won't stop your swing at anchor nothing will.

[Guest]

You've never heard of the "Bayliner Dance"? The ALL do it for some reason in the wind, or even when there is no wind. You can kill the roll but not the swing. There is not a Bayliner owner who doesn't complain of it. I have had a 24' Trophy, a 2556, and a 3818. All had the curse.

[Pacrimrat]

Sloppy2 wrote:
Rocker Stoppers sure sounds interesting. Has anybody used them??

Ya, Me!

I posted this story before on another thread, but I can't find it.

We were rafted up with a friend in a 40 foot aluminum trawler in Blind Bay in the San Juan's that gets constant Ferry Wakes.

I only had two Rocker stoppers out on the stern.

Both admirals were in our salon having some wine.

My friend and I were out in the cockpit talking when he noticed the Rocker Stoppers.

His boat was rolling much more them mine.

We took them off mine and put them on his boat.

The difference was very noticeable.

Within a few minutes my Admiral came out and asked why we were rolling so much.

Earlier we were up in Canada at Blind Bay. I had two strings of RS's off the stern while we were tied to the dock.

A large boat went by in the channel and waked the living sh!t out of the marina.

Our boat was parallel to the wake and we rolled a few times, diminishing each time. Didn't spill any wine. I looked over at the boats that were perpendicular to the wake and they were still rocking and rolling long after we settled.

Yes, they do work. You have to develop a procedure so that you make sure they're up when you're ready to move. You don't want to wind them up in the props.

Storage on a smaller boat may be a problem, on the 47 it's not a big deal. They stack up in a reasonable pile.

[Guest]

One trick I have tried with limited success is to tie a line to the anchor rode as you are letting it out so the line just submerges when the rode is at your prefered length deployed. Then take the line aft to a stern cleat and haul it in tight. This pulls the rode over toward the side you have used creating a triangle with the anchor rode , the boat , and the line.This configuration can sometimes lessen the hobby horseing. Again it seems to work well at times , I guess it depends on the boat, wind etc and type of keel {if any}

Cheers, Gary

[Machog]

A trick I have heard used on other boats is to make the lines back to the forward cleats a different length. Putting a bias on the anchor bridle can help reduce the swing. BTW, its not just Bayliners, my friends 70' Marlow does the same, as does another friends GB, its a boat thing, not just a Bayliner thing.

Machog