.How it is
attached .Anchoring techniques
All chain
anchoring systems,
do I need an Anchor
Buddy anchor weight with all chain?
Having all chain
certainly helps keep the shank of the
anchor on the bottom. But consider this,
chain in a heap is heavy, in the water
and stretched out across the seabed, it
still lifts easily.
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CAB30 chain model
30lb (13.6kg) nominal weight
for boats with all chain
anchoring systems
Takes any chain up to 1/2inch (13mm).
This
model can also take rope up to 1 7/8th (40mm)
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Keith
Eade, sailor of over 130,000 sea miles
uses the all
chain model Anchor Buddy anchor weight on his
54ft Chico Yacht "Soulmate" Read about
it here
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An Anchor Buddy anchor
weight is even more effective than
letting out more chain when it starts to
blow, or you are caught out on a lee
shore. It is a concentrated 30lb (13.6kg)
weight, which the forces on the boat have
to overcome and lift, before exerting any
pressure on the anchor. Just try lifting
your fishing rod and reel by the tip end!
In crowded bays, it is
not always possible to let out more scope
and if you do, the swinging circle
increases.
The Anchor Buddy
anchor weight reduces swing considerably.
It particularly suits high winded
boats and those that sail around at
anchor.
"It
reduces the swing by 50%" says Ben
Hines, owner of a 50ft, 75 ton Cape Horn
Trawler
In heavy weather, the
benefit of having the Anchor Buddy is
that it holds the chain into the mud or
sand bottom and creates incredible drag
resistance.
| It
will resist a sideways shearing
gust by keeping more of the chain
dragging across the bottom (this
also reduces the swinging circle)
and if the chain does continue to
rise, it dampens the snubbing
effect quite dramatically. |
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We know many boats,
particularly small boats, carry oversized
heavy anchors, or a huge amount of extra
heavy chain. This weighs the bow down, is
hard on the gear and can affect the
boat's performance.
If your boat
is a racing/cruiser - simply twist on the
extra weight when you need it- when
you are cruising and it starts to blow!
If you switch
from all chain to rope anchoring at times
- the CAB30 model takes
both rope or chain
The Anchor
Buddy anchor weight should be off the
seabed at all stages of the tide. Then it
acts as a spring to absorb shock and
limit snubbing when the bow lifts to a
sea, and dampens all sudden actions on
the vessel and ground tackle at anchor. These actions lift the
chain and the shank of the anchor and are
the main reasons an anchor drags.
In extreme weather, you may choose to
also use a 'snubber line' to reduce the noise the
anchor chain makes over the bow roller. Set your
Anchor Buddy anchor weight first, then hook some chain
to make the snubber.
Simply
twist on the extra weight when it is
really needed to
almost double the holding power of the
anchor and reduce the working load by
almost 50%
"I dived
down to see the Anchor Buddy working. The
angle change of the rode induced by the
Buddy was significant - I estimated it to
be between 20 and 30 degrees. The weight
was serving as a spring, absorbing the
weight of the boat in the gusts and
leaving the critical section of the rode
leading to the anchor unmoved... I WAS SOLD!"
Independent gear test by Editor of
Boating World
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