Anchor bridles

[Moonhowler]

Asking - I’ve used Gerry rigged bridles to mate to my 5/8” rope rode after deploying my 50’ of chain. It’s half assed, and that doesn’t make for a good sleep. What are yall using for a bridle and how are you securing the bridle to your rope mode? Chains easy, I need to know what you use to secure your bridle to a rope rode.

 

[Freestyle]

I gerry rigged bridles for 25 years and then bought a Mantas and realized how a proper bridle works and wish I had spent the money years earlier and had more sleep on dozens of windy nights.

Rocna anchor, mantas swivel and bridle means sleep.

Bruce

Freestyle
1986 62 CPMY (54MY with ext)
Tampa

 

[Sadey]

I gerry rigged bridles for 25 years and then bought a Mantas and realized how a proper bridle works and wish I had spent the money years earlier and had more sleep on dozens of windy nights.

Rocna anchor, mantas swivel and bridle means sleep.

Bruce

Freestyle
1986 62 CPMY (54MY with ext)
Tampa

We added the same exact set up as Bruce and went from getting a terrible night’s sleep on the salon couch to sleeping very comfortably in the master state room at anchor.

 

[Pascal]

30 years with an average of 50 nights on the hook per year and i rarely use a bridle, only if it s really blowing.

All chain rode, extra scope and an oversized anchor guarantee a good night sleep. I use a 110lbs claw on my 53MY… not going anywhere

 

[warrenw]

I have the Mantus swivel and a Mantus bridle as well. Both are very well made. I have one of the nice cast bronze Galley Maid chain stoppers, so I only use the bridle in a more open anchorage or if the winds will be above light. The Mantus bridle is so long I normally choke it up and use half the length of each leg. Thankfully Mantus expected this and there is a second set of chafe guards mid way up each leg of the bridle. The Mantus equipment wasn't cheap (though not overly expensive) but I sleep well at night on anchor.

 

[Sadey]

Good equipment ain't cheap and cheap equipment ain't good. The added benefit of the bridle is the quietness. Any wave action and the all chain method produces a fair amount of noise, especially in the bow stateroom.

 

[brettportzer]

He is asking how to do this with a rope rode instead of chain, are these Mantus bridles good for that?

 

[warrenw]

He is asking how to do this with a rope rode instead of chain, are these Mantus bridles good for that?

Sorry, I missed that. I have never used a bridle on a chain/rope combo anchor rode without issue. On my last boat I installed a large cleat by the windlass as a dedicated anchor line tie-off to unload the windlass.

Moonhowler, what are you trying to achieve with the bridle?

 

[Sadey]

Sorry, missed that as well. Mantus is one company that sells a dedicated hook or shackle that attaches to the spliced eye of the bridle on one end and the anchor chain on the other.

 

[Moonhowler]

Sorry, I missed that. I have never used a bridle on a chain/rope combo anchor rode without issue. On my last boat I installed a large cleat by the windlass as a dedicated anchor line tie-off to unload the windlass.

Moonhowler, what are you trying to achieve with the bridle?

Just to take the pressure off of the windlass/secure the anchor line, and to distribute the load to the two forward cleats - perhaps to help reduce swing/tacking at anchor.

 

[Moonhowler]

There must be a good, secure way to attach a rope rode to a bridle. Y'all keep thinking about it. What I've been doing is using 2 pieces of 5/8" basic nylon line with spliced eyes for the bridle, then passing the rode through the eyes, using a double loop and a ss carabiner to hold. It works, but it's not what I would consider a class #1 solution.

 

[brettportzer]

Look up “rolling hitch.”

 

[Pascal]

Just to take the pressure off of the windlass/secure the anchor line, and to distribute the load to the two forward cleats - perhaps to help reduce swing/tacking at anchor.

Since you are using line instead of all chain, you don’t need a bridle. Just take the line off the windlass and cleat it. A bridle isn’t going to accomplish anything since your anchor line can stretch anyway and there will be no chain weight to increase the catenary effect. Not going to reduce swing either

 

[Bob Bradley]

Actually, there is an advantage to it, as it lowers the angle of the rode. It's no longer going straight toward your pulpit, but rather to a point 8 to 10 ft below the pulpit. Lower angle = better holding power.

 

[Moonhowler]

Just got off the phone with tech assistance at Mantus. They have a dyneema snubber that can attach to their bridle. Looks like a good solution. Will report on efficacy as we have a trip to chandelleur in a week or so.

 

[Pascal]

Actually, there is an advantage to it, as it lowers the angle of the rode. It's no longer going straight toward your pulpit, but rather to a point 8 to 10 ft below the pulpit. Lower angle = better holding power.

Not sure I understand. The pulpit on most of our Hatteras’ is nowhere near 8 to 10’ from the waterline but more like 6’. And I have yet to see one with a bow eye anyway so there is nothing to attach the bridle close to the WL.

 

[carolinacoast]

Alpine butterfly loop in the rode. Then loop a bow line through the loop to each cleat (2lines) like you would to a mooring ball painter. When done , windlass past the knot and undo.

 

[Bob Bradley]

Not sure I understand. The pulpit on most of our Hatteras’ is nowhere near 8 to 10’ from the waterline but more like 6’. And I have yet to see one with a bow eye anyway so there is nothing to attach the bridle close to the WL.

I haven't used one, so this is just from observation, but on the ones I've seen with all chain rode, they hook the bridle to the chain and then let out another 10 to 15' behind the attachment point. This seems to lower the angle of the rode to the chain quite a bit. Perhaps in a stiff wind it would pick back up and be a moot point.

 

[Pascal]

Got it. It doesn’t really change the angle when but it adds weight. Always good.

 

[whoover]

Any knot in the anchor rode will need to be easy to tie and untie. I think about them getting too tight and being almost impossible to undo. I was looking for some kind of a rope clutch that would work for you.

Walt Hoover