All about Scope & Rode
Rode simply refers to the line that connects the anchor to your boat. Ideally, the rode for any anchor setup should consist of both chain and rope. The chain should be on the end with the anchor. Why use both chain and rope? First, it keeps the nylon rode from wearing away from rubbing on the bottom of the sea-floor as the boat swings. Second, because the chain is heavy, it holds the rode to the bottom so the pull on the anchor is horizontal.
When selecting rope, nylon rope is the clear favourite because of its strength, elasticity, and inexpensive cost. There's two rule of thumbs when deciding how much and what type of rope:
1. You should have 8 feet of rope for every 1 foot of water you will be anchoring in
and
2. Your rope should have 1/8" of rope diameter for every 9' of boat.
When selecting your rope size, this is one of the rare examples in anchoring where bigger is not better. If you select a larger diameter rope than you really need, you will increase strength but you will decrease elasticity. Elasticity, not strength, is the key! You'll also be able to choose between three and eight strand rope. Eight strand is the best.
When selecting chain, generally you want approximately 1 foot of chain for every 6 feet of rope. You'll
One of the most important factors in anchoring that many first time anchorers are oblivious to is scope. Scope is the ratio of anchor rode to the deepness of water. For example, if you had 50 feet of rode out when anchoring and were anchoring in 10 feet of water, you would have a scope of 5:1.
A lot of people are shocked to find out the bare minimum for scope when anchoring is 7:1. That means if you're anchoring in 30 feet of water, you need 210 feet of rode!
