Recommendation for anchor?

S

Split Decision

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Boat is a 2001 328 Four Winns express style cruiser. 35' 1" LOA with 11'9" beam, approximately 12,500 Lbs.

We have a windlass with the factory supplied Delta anchor.

We would like to anchor out more and as such would like to purchase a second anchor. This second anchor would be launched and retrieved by hand.

What anchor type would you recommend I purchase? I thought about something like a bruce/claw type for its abiltity to reset itself should the wind direction change, but then wondered if maybe a different anchor that would work better with bottoms that the Delta wasn't so good at?

Appreciate any feedback......

Thanks,
Mike
 
Fortress that is appropriately sized. It breaks down and is easy to store.
 
+1 Fortress. as it is light and it performs best in bottom types where the Delta is weakest. A good compliment.
 
there has been a few threads on anchors i the past month, you may wnat to look at them first.

why woudl you want to manually deploy and retrieve a second anchor? unless you want to use a stern anchor for beaching, etc... If so, a fortress will be the best since they are light yet hold very well.

As i've mentioned in other threads, i'm not a fan of deltas b ut they they work for some folks who swear by them... the key is to use an oversized anchor (at least one size over the recommended size), lots of chain and lots of scope. chances are the factory supplied anchor is just the minimum size

I'm anchored in Long Island sound right now using a 110lbs Claw/Bruce (right size for a high windage 70). Been blowing 20 to 30kts since last night and the Bruce is holding like Velcro. both last night and this morning after i moved to a different anchorage It set instantly, as always.

disclaimer, during a 47kts gust and a short period of near 40kts sustained I could see on the plotter that the anchor moved jsut enough to show a gap in the arc... maybe 5'. Still not bad with a wide beam boat with enclosed flybridge. 40kts is storm territory, few normally sized anchor will stay put with that much pressure.
 
Pascal,
I am curious how you are getting better set/holding with the bruce than a delta? The bruce on my trawler simply is a pain to set here on lake lanier even with an all chain rhode. My delta on the silverton set and held in 2 seconds and never was a problem. the bruce I have yet to get to set in a timely manner and don't trust it. I am anxious to see how I like my CQR now. :)

And to the topic at hand, I agree...why do you want another anchor? Where are you anchoring, how deep is it, what kind of bottom, etc. Can't answer anything til that info is disclosed.
 
A different perspective for what it's worth: I HATED the Fortress the couple of years I used it. Even though it was oversized for the boat, it was very finicky to get it to set right, it liked to skip over the bottom rather than bite, so anchoring in rough weather was tough when it was bouncy, regardless of scope. Once in a choppy afternoon in Tampa I had to dive to set it by hand. I did have very little chain so that didn't help. One time after a seemingly routine time at anchor, when I pulled the anchor up, the stock was bent on one side to at least a 30 angle degree. Fortress did replace it for free, but I guess that was the last straw for me. I went to a plow anchor for my primary anchor and never looked back.

Since then, in three years of boating, I haven't dragged once, and it's always been incredibly easy to set the anchor. One try and done. That said, I do have more chain now (approx. 25') so that might be a big part of the difference?

My point is, I didn't like the Fortress, it might be great once it sets, but IMO I'd rather have a heavy anchor than a really light one. And the benefits of the light anchor are probably offset by having to use more chain to make it easier to set. I keep a heavy Danforth as my second anchor, which cost about 20% of what the Fortress did, and the few times I've used it, seems to set easier than the Fortress.
 
tony, I dont' know but as mentioned before, that bruce has set on the first attempt 99% of the time (and i anchor a lot...) from Cape Cod to the Exumas.

i use a lot of scope to set, maybe taht's the key. If i need to (to reduce swing) i often shorten the scope after the anchor is set. to be honest, I dont' do much to set it... drop it, let the wind push me back (or very slow reverse) and when i stop the windlass, the bow always snaps in line. all i do next is finish the set but it's more like just checking than a real set. obviously with big engines and tons of torque (2800hp total...) i set/check just one engine in reverse a time at slow idle. I'm sure that if i'd use both the torque would yank it off the bottom.

Maybe the key is not to back up to fast on it? although with the winds i had yesterday and today, once i stopped the WL it was like hitting the brakes!

the big diference between the Delta and the Claw is the shape (i know, it's pretty obvious). but it's not hard to see why the angle of the Delta means it may not hold has well compared to the scoop shape of the bruce. but the delta is point and will dig in better.

but it comes down to preference, i dont' think there are bad anchors out there.

now, if anyone wants a nice shiny pretty stainless steel 60lbs danfort, we're going to sell our spare... going to post it in the classified section later on. it's too small for Charmer... free delivery anywhere on the ICW from CT to So FL :)
 
Well I've tried multiple times setting our bruce without much luck. 33lb bruce, 36' boat, all chain rhode. I've gone so far as put out 150' of chain in 20-25' of water which well within 7:1 scope and I just drag along as I back the boat up (I can't back up fast- my boat doesn't "do" fast!). It just wants to scrape along the bottom as I drift closer to shore. I've tried it in multiple places that I regularly have anchored out in over the years and historically could get my delta to set immediately with only 50' of chain and the rest as rope on the rhode and in deeper water. I am doing everything just like i have done for years here on our home waters and that bruce just doesn't like to set for us. I am going to give it another try or two but only if I decide I don't like the CQR. I BETTER like the CQR b/c I just bought a new bow roller to fit it better than the old roller. :)

Split Decision, my apologies for kind of hijacking your thread. :) I guess to bring it back to topic again....like Ernesto posted, I've used danforth style fluke anchors on the past and the bruce anchor as well- none have set as well, held as strong, or been as worry free as I found the Delta plough. Give me a couple of weeks and I'll give an analysis of the CQR- seems like I am destined to try every type of anchor out there. :)
 
Mike, had boat similar to yours for 15 years. Namely 34' searay sedan bridge. 11'9" beam etc. Ground tackle was Horizon 500 windlass, 50' chain, 200' of 1/2" 3 strand and 35# CRQ. Lots of weed and mud/clay in Lake Champlain, ocassional sand. Never had a holding problem. Good luck with your search
Ron
 
Pascal / Woodsong,

Well, my thinking with wanting a second anchor was I currently have a factory supplied Delta anchor that we have been using. I agree the factory supplied Delta is the minimum size.

I believe this anchor has served us well for the anchoring that we have done so far. However, no anchoring overnight in this boat yet.

We do want to anchor overnight and I would not be comfortable with just using this one anchor.

When we had our 25 foot boat, this boat came with a danforth anchor and as soon as we wanted to anchor overnight I bought a 10KG Bruce/Claw anchor. We set both anchors out at angles off the bow.

When we bought our 30 foot boat, it came with a larger danforth and we keep the 10KG Bruce/Claw to use in the same manner as we did with our 25 footer.

Now with our current 328 Four Winns (which is about 50% heavier than our 30 footer) I feel the 10 KG Bruce/Claw we kept from our previous boats is now undersized for this boat. I'd like to sell it and move on.

In thinking about your reply, one thing I didn't think of is upsizing the factory supplied Delta to something bigger and forgetting about a second anchor?

But, in the freshwater Great Lakes area that I boat, I would anchor in mud, sand, weed and rock bottoms in different anchorages. Mostly in under 20 feet of water.

So in my case would one bigger anchor be better, or would keeping my existing Delta and complimneting it with a second anchor when we overnight be a sensible approach to take?

I'd like to sleep well at anchor, as I'm sure we all would.

At this point in our lives we only boat on weekends and our holidays and most of our boating is trips out on the lake for the afternoon and to other marinas. But with this boat having a generator we would like to anchor overnight more often.

What would you guys do in my case?

Thanks,
Mike.
 
"would one bigger anchor be better, or would keeping my existing Delta and complimenting it with a second anchor when we overnight be a sensible approach to take?"

Case 1:

2 anchors: You anchor overnight, and a small squall passes through. Boat swings through 360 degrees, tangling both anchor rodes, neither anchor needs to reset.

Case 2:

1 anchor: Same squall. Boat swings around, anchor breaks out, anchor resets, possibly repeat. No tangled lines, gear can easily be retrieved using windlass. This is important in an emergency where you might need to pull anchor and egress.

---

I have used both systems, and prefer the single anchor. Using an oversize anchor means that you will be more likely to reset without operator assistance. This method works well if you have "swing room".

There are some situations ( much less common ) where using two is more appropriate, thus keeping your vessel in a smaller swing arc. The downside is that if the gear gets fouled, life quickly becomes "more complex". ( ie: many nearby vessels, all dragging anchor while you stay put. You need to move, but can't haul anchors )

I prefer one anchor whenever possible.
 
For a 32 express, if it were me, a 35 lb. delta would be more than enough to let me set the anchor, and only the one anchor, set out the appropriate amount of rhode, and go to bed without a worry. You probably have a 22 lb delta on the boat now as the factory anchor, yes? Reality is that a 22lb anchor should be plenty enough anchor for you but hey- get the 35lb if you just have to spend some money on something. My 38 silverton sedan which weighed in around 27-28,000 lbs had a 35lb delta and it held great and I just bought a used 35lb CQR for our 24k trawler (weight confirmed in the slings during last haul out) that will hopefully do as well as the delta did on our previous boat. If a bruce/claw style anchor holds better in your neck of the woods, get a 33lb bruce. Unless you are anchoring in 60 knot winds you should not need 2 bow anchors to spend the night. We anchor out a TON (well except for this summer since we were temporarily boatless lol)- I have never set 2 bow anchors though we're just on a large inland lake.
 
i never us two anchors... it's not worth it. More chances to tangle up and takes longer to retrieve if you need to leave in a hurry (storm, someone dragging on you, etc...)

the key is two use one oversized anchor. two anchros will not give you twice the holding power anyway unless both are exaclty under the same load, which is unlikely as the boat swing. so odds are that each anchor will drag a little bit each time it's under load if you reach the limit of their holdign power in a storm.

when anchoring overnight, picking the right spot for the conditions is probably as important as having the rigth anchor. minimize wind and wave exposure and just about any anchor will hold. Obviously, sometimes a storm will go thru and the wind will shift or the forecast will be wrong... I got caught in exposed waters 2 night ago when the W NW 10kt forecast was off and i got SSW 30kts... teh GPS alarm woke me up when the wind shifted and needless to say i didnt' go back to sleep that night since the anchorage i was in had good westerly protection but exposed to the south.

on the boat i run, I going to get a second anchor to replace the back up Stainless Dafnorth which is too small, and i'm seriously thinking about upsize the Bruce from 110 to 170, just for these days, like yesterday morning, where the wind get too close to the holding limit of the 110 pounder, or about 45kts.

with a windlass, the extra weight doens't matter much and the price difference is minimal, about $200 or so.

one last thing... teh weight of the boat has an impact on holding especially when the boat has some momentum if the anchor needs to reset but windage is a lot more important. If your boat has a FB, wider beam, etc... you really want to upsize the anchor.

Tony, your old Silverton was lot more aerodynamic then your new trawler... maybe that has an impact on holdign.
 
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