anchor windless ?

[Split Decision]

This is my first windless and have a question.

It works fine in the down mode but when I retrieve the anchor the rode bunches up just before the hole into the anchor locker and causes the rode to slip on the windless. I have to pull the rode from inside the locker to keep it going.

Is there a fix for this?

[biteme]

anchor

i have had this prob. on 2 boats still unresolved...if no one has an answer we should take this to ask mac !!!! if you are raising the anchor in close quarters with some current it can be a real prob. the whole idea of the windless for me is for single handed anchoring...since i have 20' of chain things can get hectic ..... Charlie.

[Adventurer]

I never had this happen to me. I heard that other people have put a better swivel on the anchor where it connects to the chain.

[backman]

Take it off!

I gave up on trusting the windless one windy day in Nantucket Harbor all by my lonesome.

I was anchored in the anchorage outside the mooring field amidst a few dozen other anchored boats. I iddled up to the anchor and started raising it from the helm; it came up cleanly to the anchor/rode joint and jammed - there I am - all by my lonesome, drifting backwards into the fleet with 10' of chain and an anchor hanging below me.

That was a no fun panic scramble to get forward; get it over the rail and scramble back to get control of the boat.

Since I never could count on it I now anchor and retrieve manually and can sidle up to either a ball or the rode; retrieve it into the cockpit and stow the anchor in the fishbox while I motor to a safe place where Ica then stow it forward in the anchor locker.

[biteme]

anchor

i have a anchor and ball also but use it as a wreck anchor...my line is braided to the chain so it should run smooth...the idea is that the windless should work !!!

[Split Decision]

From the little that I used it, it seems like the twist in the rope is causing most of the problem. I might let it all out without the anchor and see if it will untwist and then put a swivel on the end of the chain.

[biteme]

windless

i think my setup has a swivel allready but if not i will try the same thing .

[Guest]

You're right it's rope twist causing the problem. Since mine is on a trailer it's pretty easy for me to pull all the rode and then feed it back in every few months. This solved the problem for me Might look for some sort of swivel to permanently correct the problem.