Anchor Rode Color Markings

[stxray]

Hi Guys,
Im hoping someone can tell me what distance each of the color markings indicate on the Good Automatic Windlass rode?
I install the Good Windlass and love it. Unfortunately I neglected to measure the distance between each color before launching. Now on the water it sure would be nice to know.

[DesertAlbin736]

Can't actually definitively answer your question except to ask could you not access the rode up in the anchor locker to measure it? Usually those color coded marker strips you thread through the rope part of the rode are at 5 fathom, ie 30 foot intervals, green for 30, 60, 90, red for 120, 150, 180, yellow for 210, 240, 270. So I'm going to take a WAG that your markers are probably at 30 foot intervals. Which reminds me I need to buy a new set of marker strips, my 30 & 60 feet markers are missing. Add that to this year's TLC project list.

anchor rode marker set.jpg

Hey, small world, the location of the Good Automatic Windlass Co (obviously a small company), located out toward the Pine Barrens a short distance west of the junction of Rt 72 & West Bay Avenue in Barnegat, literally just 7.6 miles from the house on Lower Shore Road that I grew up in in the 1950's to mid '60s before we moved to upstate NY in '67.

goodwindlass.jpg

Two comments here on these windlasses, 1) kind of pricey, $1,750 with 300' rope +10' chain or $1,195 with rope only compared to a stainless steel Lewmar for less than $900 if you could use your existing line & chain rode, and 2) I'd want more than 10 feet of chain (we have 26 feet of 3/8 chain).

[RobS]

Hi Guys,
Im hoping someone can tell me what distance each of the color markings indicate on the Good Automatic Windlass rode?
I install the Good Windlass and love it. Unfortunately I neglected to measure the distance between each color before launching. Now on the water it sure would be nice to know.

Didn't it come with a depth chart decal for the helm?

[Tree]

Think I’ve got a depth chart decal in my boat folder. If not give Tom at good windlass a call and he will tell you. Bloody powerful unit. Glad I repaired mine Instead of installing another windlass.

[stxray]

Can't actually definitively answer your question except to ask could you not access the rode up in the anchor locker to measure it? Usually those color coded marker strips you thread through the rope part of the rode are at 5 fathom, ie 30 foot intervals, green for 30, 60, 90, red for 120, 150, 180, yellow for 210, 240, 270. So I'm going to take a WAG that your markers are probably at 30 foot intervals. Which reminds me I need to buy a new set of marker strips, my 30 & 60 feet markers are missing. Add that to this year's TLC project list.

anchor rode marker set.jpg

Hey, small world, the location of the Good Automatic Windlass Co (obviously a small company), located out toward the Pine Barrens a short distance west of the junction of Rt 72 & West Bay Avenue in Barnegat, literally just 7.6 miles from the house on Lower Shore Road that I grew up in in the 1950's to mid '60s before we moved to upstate NY in '67.

goodwindlass.jpg

Two comments here on these windlasses, 1) kind of pricey, $1,750 with 300' rope +10' chain or $1,195 with rope only compared to a stainless steel Lewmar for less than $900 if you could use your existing line & chain rode, and 2) I'd want more than 10 feet of chain (we have 26 feet of 3/8 chain).

This was a craigslist special. Rather than marker strips, the rode has colored sections. I can pull it out of the bow but I thought someone might know & I could avoid doing that.

[stxray]

Think I’ve got a depth chart decal in my boat folder. If not give Tom at good windlass a call and he will tell you. Bloody powerful unit. Glad I repaired mine Instead of installing another windlass.

I'll have to give him a call. I searched the Internet & came up empty.

Yes, I love this thing. I drop & retrieve the anchor with ease without having to go to the bow. The other night the wind came up stronger than expected. With the flick of the switch, I was able to let out more rode right from the wheelhouse.

[Norseman]

I don’t have no color markings on my rode, instead spray painted a foot of white at the 75’ mark on the chain.
Easy to see from the helm and being in Florida and the Bahamas, we hardly anchor in more than 10 feet. (Total rode, all chain = 105’)

[DesertAlbin736]

This was a criagslist special. Rather than marker strips, the rode has colored sections. I can pull it out of the bow but I thought someone might know & I could avoid doing that

Always good to snag a deal off CL & not have to pay retail. Painted colored sections is probably a good idea, as strips could get snagged & torn off going through the winch. I would go with the five fathom convention and colors of the strips, one "stripe" in green for 30, two for 60, three for 90, same in red for 120, 150, & 180, followed by same sequence in yellow. That way you never have more than three "stripes" to count for any one length & for example you can easily tell " three red" is 180. Actually "liquid electrical tape" in those colors would work great.

[Norseman]

79DB82D1-B226-4ECA-AB0C-A620CAD4039C.jpeg

Image of my 75 foot white paint marking:

[DesertAlbin736]

This whole thread inspired me to check the markings on my anchor rode. I had to pull the anchor & rode out anyway in order to pull my fresh water tank out from the forepeak to repair a leak, which also required removing the panel that separates the anchor locker from the rest of the cabin. My rode has those color coded marker strips at 30 foot intervals as noted above, but the 30 & 60 foot markers had torn off. So laid the anchor line out & re-measured the whole thing & it turned out the remaining markers were off by more than 6 feet. Rather than buy a whole new set I picked up a set of colored PVC electrical tapes and did one wrap of green tape at 30 feet and two wraps at 60 feet & adjusted the remaining markers to correct lengths. Measuring from the crown of the anchor the chain runs to 29 feet and the rest of the rode totals 300 feet from crown of the anchor to the end of the line. So I'm pretty satisfied the I can maintain up to 7:1 scope in depths up to 39 feet hanging on a 22 lb Bruce, allowing for the 4 foot height from waterline to deck.

[coolchange]

two cans of spray paint...red and green
end of chain = 40' then red on the rode=60 then green =80 then red/green =80 then green/red= 100 etc. on out to a final 10' of RED( at 240') to let me know there is no more.

I had used the "plastic" tabs but they wear and to replace you need a whole new set

Had paint at 20' on the chain but it disappeared after very few deployments...motion on a sandy bottom

I wanted to mark the chain a few feet from the anchor so I could stop the winch and get the right orientation before final pull and knowing the paint would disappear fast I wove some green paracord through the chain ..two seasons and it's still there