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Anchor rode is the nautical term for your line or chain that connects your boat to the anchor.
A) With line and chain anchor rode make sure the line is the right size for your boat.Too thin and it might break, too thick and it wont have enough stretch to absorb shock.Also make sure you have adequate chain.I recommend a minimum of 1/2 boats length.As for chain size guidelines I recommend.
3/16" up to 18' boat
1/4" up to 28' boat
5/16" up to 40' boat
3/8" 41' plus boats
B) With all chain rode you have a couple of advantages.It's very strong and you can put about 1/2 the scope out to get the same holding power as line/chain combo's.
Downsides are it is heavy and you need a way to add some stretch or give into it to absorb shock.This is usually done by the use of a piece of 3 strand nylon line.The line is tied into the chain using a Rolling Hitch.
The line is then let out 10' to 15' then tied to a strong cleat.Allow a little extra chain out so the line is taking all the anchoring load.Usually using 3/8'' line up to 40' boats is good unless it's very rough then us 1/2'' line.