anchors

A

abbott

Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
RO Number
20746
Messages
85
Hi, is there a rule of thumb about weight of anchor related to weight of boat? Would you also factor in current, exposure to wind, and other conditions? Thanks, larry
 
their are anchor charts available, usually they calculate by boat length.

Me, I prefer a lot more anchor than they recommend. On my 38', I had an anchor rated for a 65' boat.
 
Go to the anchor store, see what is recommended for your boat length and then buy 2 sizes bigger.
Then buy a fatter & longer chain .... then buy a nice fat 8 plait rode.
Buy a huge windlass and have a safe summer.
 
What JLC said.

But I'd ask where do you boat? And what kind of bottom/s are you anchoring in?
 
Oh, there are just sooo many variables.

Bottom type? Boat weight? Boat windage? It goes on & on. It is not so much about the actual weight of the anchor, see the success of the Fortress, as it is about how much chain &, most of all, the competance of the skipper.
 
Use the manufacturer's size chart, then get one ( or two ) sizes larger. The charts seem to be a bit optimistic. Some size by length, some use displacement.

Do use chain on the rode. Generally speaking ( when discussing holding power ) more is better.

--

It won't hurt to look at boats of the same size and make in your marina and ask the owner about the performance of what they are using...

Each anchor has it's specific strengths and weaknesses. You need the correct anchor to match the bottom where you will be anchoring.
 
I would only add one thing. Buy the rode that is recommended for your windlass. For example, mine was designed for 3 strand and 8 plait does not work that well in it.
 
If you think about it, its kinda funny ...the whole anchor sales thing. You would think that Delta or Danforth or any brand would be pushing bigger anchors. A great way to do that would be to revise their "anchor recommendation" charts. This is one case where I would never bitch about a company trying to sell me more than I need.
 
quote:
Originally posted by JLC

If you think about it, its kinda funny ...the whole anchor sales thing. You would think that Delta or Danforth or any brand would be pushing bigger anchors. A great way to do that would be to revise their "anchor recommendation" charts. This is one case where I would never bitch about a company trying to sell me more than I need.

Click to expand...


I think the strategy is to sell one that is too small then when it doesn't work well the boater will come back and buy another one.

That way they can sell two anchors instead of just one. :)

Bob
 
Your right.... but I bet 50% of the people buying a replacement anchor switch brands because they blame the brand instead of it being too small.

I bet 50% of the 50% buy 10 different anchors because the word "Scope" only means mouthwash to them.
 
I would add that proper technique (part of which is scope) the issue 80% of the time. I read notes from people on different forums saying they get their Delta to set correctly, and yet I have anchored in the same place, in some cases, or the same bottom type, in extreme conditions and the Delta held just fine. As many of you know, I have cruised our Hatteras up and down the east coast from Key West to Massachusetts a few times, plus all the side trips, anchoring in all kinds of bottoms with all kinds of wind and current situations; 44 different places in all, several of them multiple times for multiple days. Most involved a four times a day swing due to tidal current. Add to that use of a Delta or CQR throughout SW Florida and the Pacific Coast on various chartered boats. We love anchoring out, therefor we boat.

The "anchor du jour" is the Rocna. I was going to get one myself, but it woudn't work in my pulpit so well. Rocna is not shy about weight recommendation. They spec'd 110 pounds for my boat. The "up-one-size" Delta I got is 88lbs. People go out and replace their old anchors with Rocnas and rave about how much better they are, ignoring that in many cases their new Rocna weighs 50% more than their old Brand X.

Certainly big is better for cruising purposes, up to the point you can't get the darn thing up because the windlass doesn't work for some reason. Steve Dashew, the famous world wide cruiser and boat designer, says you know when your anchor is the right size when people walking by on the dock laugh at how huge it is.

George
Hatteras 56 MY
Delta 88 Primary (the anchor, not the car-- those were boats too!)
Danforth 60HT secondary
Danforth 40 tertiary/stern

Boston Whaler 130 Sport
some kind of little Danforth.. works great
 
IMHO it's hard to do overkill regarding anchoring. For instance on my 25' Rosborough I have 50' of chain on the 25lb CQR. Then 200' of line.On previous 34'Searay same set up except anchor was 35lb CQR. Of course use the anchor best suited for your usual cruising grounds.
As wise man once said " Sometimes easier getting there than staying there". So far have "stayed there" through some pretty rough nights on Lake Champlain. Not much sleep, but anchor stayed put.
Ron
 
I anchor out a lot in a big estuary with plenty of breeze and reversing current. Danforths are one of the anchors that work well here so I use a Danforth Standard and 30' of chain.

I see lots of boats that don't have enough anchor for local wind conditions. I also see lots of boats drag anchor because they don't have the anchoring technique but that's another story.

Most anchor manufacturers base their sizing charts on what I'd consider unrealistic wind values. Danforth for instance, sizes it's anchors by boat length and holding power in 20k. wind. 20k is common around so but are 35k gusts. Danforth doesn't list the a recommended size for 35k.

So what I have is a 16 lbs. Danforth Standard instead of the recommended 9 lbs. anchor. I've upsized two sizes from the recommendation and I get frequent comments at the marina for having such a large anchor. But, I anchor out overnight a lot more than most people at the marina.
 
"So what I have is a 16 lbs. Danforth Standard instead of the recommended 9 lbs. anchor. I've upsized two sizes from the recommendation and I get frequent comments at the marina for having such a large anchor."

You get comments on a 16 lb. anchor!? I take it those folks never leave the dock?
 
IMO there's no such thing as a "too big" anchor. If you can handle it it's NOT too big, and you'll sleep a whole lot better.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Capt. Bill1

"So what I have is a 16 lbs. Danforth Standard instead of the recommended 9 lbs. anchor. I've upsized two sizes from the recommendation and I get frequent comments at the marina for having such a large anchor."

You get comments on a 16 lb. anchor!? I take it those folks never leave the dock?

Click to expand...
LOL. I've got a 26' wooden cruiser. Believe me, I've seen 9 lb. Danforths on 28' boats here.
 
Knowing I have 200ft of rode and 25 ft of chain, a 40lb Danforth.......I have found a simple solution to insure a safe night on the hook for my boat, here it is.

"No matter where I go I always anchor in 25ft of water or less."

Pretty simple isn't it. Works every time for me.
 
I have a 50 ft boat a 40 pound danforth and 300 ft chain. I anchored last night in 45 feet of water with around 175 to 200 feet of chain out. No winds so had a 28 footer on one side of me and a 45 footer on the other side. A cold but beautiful winter night in Gig harbor, Wa.
 
As noted above, get the biggest anchor that you can comfortably carry - and that should be one or two sizes bigger than the manufacturers recomendation. AND - carry the most chain you can. It's really the weight of the chain that allows the anchor to do its work.
 
As noted above, get the biggest anchor that you can comfortably carry - and that should be one or two sizes bigger than the manufacturers recomendation. AND - carry the most chain you can. It's really the weight of the chain that allows the anchor to do its work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top