folding anchor???

Some advice, from personal experience:-

If you go for "cheap" chain, don't forget to wash the salt off very
frequently, otherwise it rusts jolly quickly, turns into a nasty useless
lump, and spoils any rope that is touching it. Chain that is sold "inland"
is often only plated, and it just wont stand up to use in the sea.

If you want chain that you can use and just put back in the locker and
forget 'til the next time, get proper hot-dip galvanised chain from a
chandlers. 2 metres (or better, 5) wont break the bank, and it will last
for years.

Incidentally, buy hot-dip galvanised shackles to join things together. (You
will need 3 - take the anchor and chain with you, when you go to buy them).
These aren't cheap (chandlers again!), but having all the same metals slows
down the corrosion, and the gear will last you for years. The shackles need
to be one size thicker than the chain, as they are not as strong as chain.
Don't forget to "mouse" the shackles pins, so they don't come undone! I use
Monel wire, but you could use cable ties, as long as you check they are
still there, from time to time.

To join the rope on, use an "anchor bend", if you don't want to do a splice.
It is like a Round Turn and 2 Half Hitches", but you put the end of the rope
through the round turn, when you make the first half hitch. I usually
stitch through the rope-end, and put a whipping on to fasten it, but I think
you could probably get away with 2 or 3 cable ties, as long as you check
them occasionally.

It may seem a lot of effort and expense, but I got less than 1 year's use
out of my "cheap" setup, then 6 year's use out of my "expensive"
replacement, which would have lasted another 2 or 3 years, if I hadn't lost
it accidentally!

Christine

"Keith M" wrote in message
...
Dunky
We are talking serious chaun here at least 6ft and at least 3/8" thick -
you
need the weight rather than the ultimate strength..
Try a lifting tackle co. (yellow pages) and ask if thay have any condemned
lifting chains which they can let you have.
Should be cheap and they will cut off any hooks and rings.
Health and safety regs might require the chain to be totaly destroyed tho'
You can only ask.

Keith M
"dunky" --remove55 wrote in message
...
hi, quite new to boating, got big inflatable, dont laugh but tried
anchoring
with bag of stones on rope over the side to do bit of fishing, hopeless
as
u
prob know in a breeze ,also heavy to lift up again, so got myself a
small
folding type anchor.
bit puzzled as to what to do getting up if the spikes get stuck on
bottom
junk or whatever. i see it has an eye at the bottom which i presume is
for
another rope ??? so u can pull up and out hopefully from snag??can
anyone
say if this is correct or do u just hope u dont get snagged??? cheers
dunky