In March 2022, when we first bought Tintas, the number one repair I wanted to make was to replace the anchor chain. I didn’t know that much about catamarans (almost nothing), and I hadn’t really anchored a boat all that much, but even I could tell that thing was trouble. It used to keep me awake at night with worry.
Our anchor chain was made from non-galvanized steel or more likely all the zinc had come off because it was cheap and had been stored improperly during the period of non-use between owners. By the time we bought Tintas, it was essentially a rusted lump that required a few whacks with a hammer in order to even look like a chain again.
Every time we anchored the boat, flakes of rust would jump off the windlass and fly free over the boat, dying our beautiful white fiberglass an embarrassing brownish-orange. It also left a noticeable trail of floating rust in the ocean.
The three reasons I hated it- 1) I was genuinely worried it would rust through and our boat would be set adrift at night while we were sleeping 2) I was worried about the effects of the rust on the environment, as you could see a cloud of rust in the water every time we anchored, 3) It was staining our boat and was becoming very difficult to clean every time we used the anchor. Our friends once told us it looked like our boat was crying. The effect was similar to the tear stains some white dogs get under their eyes….but much less cute.
Paul assured me that it wouldn’t rust through (although in hindsight I realize this was probably an empty promise just to help me sleep better), and we did what we could to keep the boat clean. I researched the effect of rust on the ocean and discovered that rust presents no biological hazards, but that the salt in the water and the air was speeding up the corrosion on the chain. We knew that the only long term solution would be to buy a new anchor chain of galvanized steel.
This was going to be an expensive purchase. We put it off until we were in a place that steel chain was affordable, and that it also was of high quality. We found that many islands sold only the lower quality, electroplated version from China, even calling it “hot dipped” when it wasn’t. Paul proceeded to clip off samples of these chains in stores to inspect the cross sections and could see the electroplated galvanization come off in his hand on the cheap ones.
Buying a boat is the same as buying a home, expect this home can sink. All of a sudden, everything needs to be fixed, or updated, or changed, and you have to decide what to prioritize and what can wait. But an added dimension to home improvement on a boat is availability as we travel, and timing for receiving shipments. We waited 15 months on this chain until the stars aligned properly, and we found good quality chain, at an affordable price, in a place that we were going to be for awhile.
Acquiring the chain was one thing. But installing it on the boat was a whole other story, which I’m going to tell in the next blog through a series of photos and videos- so check back if you like reading stories about two amateurs carrying and installing heavy duty metal (rock on!). Here’s a preview of what that looked like-
More soon-
Lindsay and Paul
TIBURON MARINO 