Which do you use and why?

Galvanized is more usual. Never mix galvanized and stainless components see good article here;

jimmygreen.com/content/157-stainless-steel-in-contact-with-galvanised-steel

Why consider using stainless? It costs a great deal more and It probably won't last much longer. As with rigging, stainless deteriorates with age in an anchor locker and you can't always detect the weak point.

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Bundeenabuoy said..
Which do you use and why?

Why would you ever you stainless steel

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r13 said..
Galvanized is more usual. Never mix galvanized and stainless components see good article here;

jimmygreen.com/content/157-stainless-steel-in-contact-with-galvanised-steel

Great article!

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MorningBird said..
Why consider using stainless? It costs a great deal more and It probably won't last much longer. As with rigging, stainless deteriorates with age in an anchor locker and you can't always detect the weak point.

The Swanson I have just sold had a stainless steel anchor chain.

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MorningBird said..
Why consider using stainless? It costs a great deal more and It probably won't last much longer. As with rigging, stainless deteriorates with age in an anchor locker and you can't always detect the weak point.

Having been it the stainless steel industry for the past 40 years I can reassure you stainless steel will not deteriorate with age in your anchor locker. Stainless steel like most metals can work harden. For the recreational boater a correctly sized stainless chain and anchor is just about maintenance free for life. There is always lots of talk of breaking a stainless chain, but who has actually seen a broken one apart from some random photo on the internet. I have not, but I have seen a quite a number of broken steel chains of which none were broken by strain. All were caused by lack of maintenance, rusting links but mainly warn through links. I have seen gal chain striped of its gal over night due to electrolysis. Yes stainless is more expensive but for the recreational boater it will be the last chain and anchor you will buy, unless you loose it. I personally rum 100m of 10mm stainless chain with a 45kg Ultra anchor.

From what I understand, you need a specific grade of stainless steel for chain, the usual 316 isn't suitable. I'll look it up and post it.

Yep here's the vid going through things: ?t=1027

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Jode5 said..

MorningBird said..
Why consider using stainless? It costs a great deal more and It probably won't last much longer. As with rigging, stainless deteriorates with age in an anchor locker and you can't always detect the weak point.

Having been it the stainless steel industry for the past 40 years I can reassure you stainless steel will not deteriorate with age in your anchor locker. Stainless steel like most metals can work harden. For the recreational boater a correctly sized stainless chain and anchor is just about maintenance free for life. There is always lots of talk of breaking a stainless chain, but who has actually seen a broken one apart from some random photo on the internet. I have not, but I have seen a quite a number of broken steel chains of which none were broken by strain. All were caused by lack of maintenance, rusting links but mainly warn through links. I have seen gal chain striped of its gal over night due to electrolysis. Yes stainless is more expensive but for the recreational boater it will be the last chain and anchor you will buy, unless you loose it. I personally rum 100m of 10mm stainless chain with a 45kg Ultra anchor.

Be good to get more background to the stripped gal chain overnight due to electrolysis - so we don't repeat the saga. Presume it was stray current or something very unusual?

In 1915-16 the 215ft Sea Call was scrapped after a few months due to dissimilar metals in seawater corrosion

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1559-3584.1915.tb00591.x

Stainless chain aparently doesnt stretch like galv. Personally i would buy galv over stainless purely from a price perspective.

Using a stainless steel Ultra with a few meters of stainless chain and mostly a rope rode in an anchor locker is about the ideal combination for yachts that don't spend a lot of time at anchor but need an anchor that's guaranteed to work when needed!

I run Gal steel, like most I suspect due to initial cost, but from my 6-month experience up in the Coral Sea, I could see the Advantage of a solid metal that does not rely on a coating of gal to protect it. Sand bottoms down south around Sydney are much kinder to the gal chain.
I run 60 metres of 8mm with a Rocna Vulcan, works for me!
Richard
oh and hello Bundeenaboy, I spotted you out motor sailing on Sunday, I sailed in from the north and anchored at Jibbon. Nice looking boat, the Dodger looks right on that boat!

I run Gal steel, like most I suspect due to initial cost, but from my 6-month experience up in the Coral Sea, I could see the Advantage of a solid metal that does not rely on a coating of gal to protect it. Sand bottoms down south around Sydney are much kinder to the gal chain.
I run 60 metres of 8mm with a Rocna Vulcan, works for me!
Richard
oh and hello Bundeenaboy, I spotted you out motor sailing on Sunday, I sailed in from the north and anchored at Jibbon. Nice looking boat, the Dodger looks right on that boat!

Not anchor chain but I got a mooring with ss chain and every link, at the weld was eatin through, other than that my boat is still running original 37 yr old gal 10mm anchor chain has been re galvanised once and after last year I end for ended it as it was still good on the inboard end, cleaned dried and penetroled the lightly rusted half, some time in the future I will get it re galvanised. ( I spend a lot of time at anchor 17a not withstanding !)

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r13 said..

Jode5 said..

MorningBird said..
Why consider using stainless? It costs a great deal more and It probably won't last much longer. As with rigging, stainless deteriorates with age in an anchor locker and you can't always detect the weak point.

Having been it the stainless steel industry for the past 40 years I can reassure you stainless steel will not deteriorate with age in your anchor locker. Stainless steel like most metals can work harden. For the recreational boater a correctly sized stainless chain and anchor is just about maintenance free for life. There is always lots of talk of breaking a stainless chain, but who has actually seen a broken one apart from some random photo on the internet. I have not, but I have seen a quite a number of broken steel chains of which none were broken by strain. All were caused by lack of maintenance, rusting links but mainly warn through links. I have seen gal chain striped of its gal over night due to electrolysis. Yes stainless is more expensive but for the recreational boater it will be the last chain and anchor you will buy, unless you loose it. I personally rum 100m of 10mm stainless chain with a 45kg Ultra anchor.

Be good to get more background to the stripped gal chain overnight due to electrolysis - so we don't repeat the saga. Presume it was stray current or something very unusual?

In 1915-16 the 215ft Sea Call was scrapped after a few months due to dissimilar metals in seawater corrosion

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1559-3584.1915.tb00591.x

R13 The chain that striped overnight was actually on my fathers boat, it was caused by a faulty anchor winch. From my previous post, I can not be sure what grade stainless my anchor chain is as it was supplied with the boat from Germany but I would have no issues in using 316 stainless chain as I have yet to see any form of major pitting (even minor pitting) of 316 stainless in Australia. Some other advantages of stainless are. 1. Is not effected by coral, 2. Does not back up in the anchor locker. 3. Easer to clean mud off. 4. No rusty marks on the bow or down the side of the boat from the anchor locker drain. 5. Faults are easier to see than on crusty old gal chain. I have now done several trips up the reef in the last 6 years and if I had galvanised chain I would now be looking at new chain or at least a re-galvanising. My chain still looks like new, so I think the extra cost is well worth it in the long term.

Ok thanks Jode5. I have recently acquired a 26ft yacht which is structurally sound but a mess internally and on deck - the gal anchor chain is the worst deteriorated I have ever seen............of course due to lack of care and maintenance. Will post a photo in a few weeks so as to indicate what not to do.

Gal or even lesser quality. Budget plus my ability too be involved in both drama and trouble means sooner or later one day I will end up in a ****ty situation and have to cut it free with no hope of salvage

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ChopesBro said..
Gal or even lesser quality. Budget plus my ability too be involved in both drama and trouble means sooner or later one day I will end up in a ****ty situation and have to cut it free with no hope of salvage

Been there done that... Replaced both anchor and chain with galvanized. But damn the stainless look good