345/348 - Anchor chain max length on Hanse 345

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Anchor chain max length on Hanse 345

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Forum Name: 345/348
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Topic: Anchor chain max length on Hanse 345

Posted By: Kanana
Subject: Anchor chain max length on Hanse 345
Date Posted: 14 January 2025 at 20:23

Hi All,

recently I bought a Hanse 345 from 2013. The anchor chain has a length of 30m which seems to be a bit short IMO. On the other hand there is not too much space left in the anchor box so I'm looking for advise what a reasonable length would be without getting into too much trouble with the anchor winch and the chain building up in front of it.

Thanks for your help

Niklas

Replies:

Posted By: landlocked
Date Posted: 14 January 2025 at 21:01

Do you have nylon rope at the end of the chain or just the chain? Nylon is not hard to move around in the anchor locker. I keep mine in a separate pile to keep it clean and dry but it allows for anchoring in deeper water. Two problems with long chain are that it adds more weight at the bow of the boat and it can also be hard work for the windlass if you're in deep water with a lot of chain plus anchor to pull up. I have 38m chain plus 54m of rope for my Hanse 400 and I sometimes wonder if it's too much chain.

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"Kerkyra" 400e #042

Posted By: Kanana
Date Posted: 15 January 2025 at 07:22

Thank you for your answer. It's 30m chain, no rope.

Posted By: Ratbasher
Date Posted: 15 January 2025 at 12:59

Niklas - I'd reverse the question and ask how much rode you need for the depths, conditions and areas that you're likely to be anchoring in. I have 67m chain plus a 12m snubber, having upgraded both the windlass and the anchor locker. However, that's for UK and northern European waters where I might have a need to anchor in 10m+ in very strong winds. Others like Owen above may choose differently because that's what works for them in their cruising grounds with their setup. I'd argue that 30m chain is only about enough for a lunch-stop in calm conditions but if you're concerned about weight then as Owen suggests, its perfectly fine to splice a good length of anchorplait rope onto it. G40 chain weighs about 1.4kg/m so you could increase perhaps an extra 20m or so chain if you preferred an all-chain rode and weren't obsessed with racing. If you were feeling really 'nerdy' you could experiment by placing known extra weights forward and see if you notice any difference. I used my wife......

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H400 (2008) 'Wight Leopard' Gosport, UK

Posted By: Martin&Rene
Date Posted: 15 January 2025 at 15:49

Our friend's 345 was supplied from new with 30m chain and 30m rope spliced on to it. So their windlass could handle a mixed anchor rode.

The 345 Hanse purchasing spec included a "cruising pack plus" option which included 50m stainless chain (no size given).

On our 341 we have 60m of 7mm chain, which does depress the bow a bit. Like Ratbasher, I am a firm believer of setting a 8-10m nylon rope snubber, with lots of excess chain out, if their is any wind forecast.

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Martin&Rene Hanse 341 Dipper Wheel steering, 3 cabin layout, normally based in Scotland

Posted By: Kanana
Date Posted: 15 January 2025 at 18:06

Thanks for all your replies. The goal is definitely to be able to anchor under not so great conditions, the boat is currently located in Slovenia. I'm not into racing and so far was not concerned about the extra weight. The snubber is a good point, probably I'll go for 60m or 70m if I can fit them in the locker plus snubber.