T&T: anchor chain swivel failure

[Faure, Marin]

>I replace my galvanized steel conventional "double U" anchor chain
swivel with one of these fancy swivels to prevent fracture from side
loads.


There is a right way and a wrong way to install a conventional
"double-U" swivel.  Do it the right way and no side loads will occur at
all.  Do it the wrong way and the swivel can fail under a side load.  We
used a swivel for many years until I talked to one too many experienced
boaters who described problems and failures they'd had with anchor
swivels (installed the correct way).  It's a weak link in the system,
most people I've talked to  (and us) have found that the presence of a
swivel makes no difference whatsoever in the anchor's function or
operation, so we removed ours several years ago we removed ours.
Haven't missed it at all (we use an all chain rode) and it's one less
thing to worry about.


______________________________
C. Marin Faure
GB36-403 "La Perouse"
Bellingham, Washington