Rope
vs
chainA rode attaches the anchor to the boat. It can be all rope, all chain, or a length of chain near the anchor attached to a much longer length of rope at the boat. If there is rope, it should be of a kind that stretches as much as possible, such as nylon, but never the low-stretch Dacron line used for rigging, because stretch in the rode is needed to relieve shocks that might dislodge the anchor. A rope rode should be as long as possible: 300 ft is not too much. It should have a diameter of 1/8 inch for every 9 feet of boat length.
A chain rode must be shorter to avoid excess weight high in the bow. Chain has the advantage that its weight pulls the rode down toward the bottom and thereby increases holding power of the anchor. It has the drawback of being heavy and hard to handle. A good compromise is 20 or 30 feet of chain, enough to keep the rode down low close to the anchor, followed by rope. proof coil (least expensive), BBB or Kinds of short-link (needed for some chain windlasses but otherwise not advantageous), high test (allows use of a smaller size and therefore lighter chain), and stainless steel (most durable and easiest to maintain). High test (called grade 40 or G4) and stainless steel chain have the slight drawback that they can fail abruptly without warning, whereas proof coil can be inspected for signs of impending failure. Chain can be hot-dipped galvanized for protection and it can be vinyl coated to avoid scratching the boat. Vinyl coated chain is somewhat harder to handle and stow, and is therefore best used only in short lengths.
Size
of
chainChain size should be half the rope diameter, or 1/16 inch for every 9 feet of boat length. Shackles that attach the chain should be one size larger than the chain and should be wired shut. The bitter end of a chain rode should be attached to a length of stretchy line that, in turn, attaches to the boat. This prevents it from breaking free, should the rode run fully out, and is easier to cut if you need to abandon the anchor in an emergency.
Rode
snubberIt is not practical to cleat off an all- chain rode the way that you would with a rope rode. Never leave the rode pulling against a windlass, as it will not take the tugging strain and might pull free of the deck. Instead, use an anchor snubber, which is a chain hook attached to one or two lengths of stretchy line. Hook the snubber onto the rode, cleat it off,
snubber and then let out more chain until the snubber picks up all the strain. Shackle the chain hook to a link of chain lest it shake off the rode when the boat bounces at anchor. Attaching anchor to rode There are three ways of attaching an anchor to a rope rode. Two of these, an eye splice or a rope-to-chain splice, require customization of the rode as well as an anchor shackle. The third and easiest is the anchor bend, which is simply a round turn and two half hitches, where the first half hitch passes under the turns, and with the bitter end then lashed to the standing part or tied to it with a bowline. The shackle that attaches a chain to an anchor should have its pin wired shut.