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Last but not least, I need an anchor

4K views 25 replies 19 participants last post by  Bene505 
#1 ·
Sorry to bombard the g and m section, but I just got a new boat and I'm trying to budget and prioritise everything it did not come with.

It is 5500# fin keel. As of now it has no windlass.

Last year I hand pulled a 22 lb Bruce claw with 25 ft of chain. That was on a 3500# boat and it never failed me. It was one size up.

For some reason these boats just don't seem to come with anchors. Well I take that back. They come with all the danforth knockoffs you could ever want. Ive started a collection in my garage.

But I need a real anchor. Preferably one a size up aka the storm size. I was happy with the claw, would t mind other options. I have heard the new designs are great but don't know anything about them.

At 5500# am I still good with say 25-30 feet of chain and rope combo? It has the standard anchor locker right at the front of the bow. I dont know anything about installing a windless. I assume they make hand crank ones also. To install a windlass do you have to cut a hole in the deck or do they bolt through?

What system would you recommend? I'm finding someone's advice very good when earlier I had mentioned my budget for a boat was x. He said my budget was really y because it would cost $5000 to get it set up. At the time I was thinking "pss I'll just find one that comes with everything" when I looked at this boat I thought wow, this has everything(except a dinghy). That was wrong.

As an aside. Whenever I see those shiny anchor they seem to be permanently attached to the chain. There isn't an Allen wrench bolt or anything. What is this? An anti theft measure is all I can think of but I can't think of anyone stealing an anchor.
 
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#4 ·
Don't think you need a windlass on a boat that size. I don't have one on my 11,000 lb 33 footer. And 25-30 feet of chain plus nylon rode sound good to me. Since you are buying new, I would go with a Manson Supreme or Rocna as your primary. Use one of the Danforths as the secondary.
 
#6 ·
I really like my modern-gen Manson Supreme. The Seattle boat show starts on Friday and last year I got the 25lb Manson Supreme at Fisheries using a boat-show deal for about $150. Normal price is about $100 more (or $300 at West Marine).

My neighbor has an bruce anchor just like the one that you bought from us last year that he'd sell. The 22lb size is still plenty big for your new boat.
 
#7 ·
For how I use my 6500 lb boat here in the salish sea, a 9 lb fastset with a whopping 6' of 3/8" chain is my always up front ready to deploy race anchor. Holds me well too, even up to 15 knot winds. I seem to recall seeing somewhere a max of 20 knots for a boat my size.

My other anchor is a true bruce at 7.5KG/16.5 lbs and 20' of 1/4 chain. Came with the boat, has held me fine into the mid 20's steady, gusts into the low 30's. If I was going to be anchoring a lot, 40-50' of 5.16" chain would be prefered, along with an anchor in the 10-12KG, or mid 20 lb range for around here.

You can decide on the style other than a plow/spade style would be my choice as I already have.

marty
 
#8 ·
I use a bruce with about the same amount of chain you mentioned. I also sail in the PNW and it has never failed me either. Since they have no moving parts and are considered an "older" anchor a good used one could be a real bargin for a safe anchor. My boat is 30, about 9,000 and I do not have a windlass. The only time I wish I had one was last summer in the San Juans when it was blowing hard and I could not pull the boat up to the anchor and had to motor up on it. If I had been single handed a windlas would have been nice to help handle the rode (you are not supposed to use a windlas to drag the boat around). As it was I had my wife at the helm so got it up without too much trouble.
 
#9 ·
Here's what I have for the PNW used the "complete book of anchoring to get the wind strain and holding numbers:

Working Anchor (to 30 kts) Bruce-sand, mud, gravel
Storm Anchor (to 45 kts) Fortress -sand, mud
Stern Anchor Danforth-sand, mud
Back-up anchor Northill- gravel, rock, weed
Tandem Anchors (to 80 kts. or surging)Fortress/Danforth-sand, mud

Here I think it's handy to have more than one type because of different bottoms. A killet is handy if you need to use a short scope e.g. crowded anchorage also helps to keep the rode from getting run over. The rule of thumb for chain has been the boat length. When I did the numbers I found that my two bolt cleat was under strength so I put in a four bolt in the deck with a big backing plate. I also split the anchor's chain locker in half and put in another cowl. So I have two anchors on the bow, Bruce and Fortress each with its own rode. I can also hook the two rodes end to end if I need an extra long one. An inexpensive place to anchor shop is the consignment stores
 
#15 ·
I wouldn't. Our Manson Supreme is amazing. They ought to be classified as mooring anchors.

In prior years, we'd double anchor (Bahama moor) with a CQR and a Bruce, so I know what I'm talking about. Of course, we anchor mostly on sand and mud and sometimes grass. You may be doing something different.

This past summer, we didn't lift anchor for a few weeks. Diving on the anchor to make sure it was OK, it was discovered that the anchor was gone! The chain just went down into the mud and disappeared. The anchor had worked it's way in, even with shifting winds on a large lake with 2 miles of fetch.

(I'd say Rocna, but the bendy Chinese metal that they make it out of now is not what I want.)

Manson Supreme all the way.

Regards,
Brad

P.S. By the way, forget the heavy chain and kellet. Studies show that pound for pound, you are better puttting those pounds into a lighter chain that is longer. Scope is what keeps an anchor in place, not catenary weight. When you really need the anchor is when the wind has the chain "bar tight" with no catenary. You'll be glad you put that extra weight (for the same cost) into a longer chain. Lighter chain and a heavier anchor. And get the Manson Supreme.
 
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#11 ·
I agree with the Manson Supreme. It's good to go with what you have experience with but the new gen anchors are bullet proof! Had the claw and the delta, both of which failed me at different points. Had the Manson Supreme now for about 5 years now and totally trust it.

Regarding the statement about the anchor that appears to be permanently mounted on the rode, I think there must be some point of attachment that is not immediately visible. There must be an allen wrench bolt on there somewhere at least. The purpose would be to keep it from detaching under water, not so much theft.

You probably wont need a windlass for that sized boat and rode. Unless you want on due to just plainly don't want to haul up a bit of chain and anchor. If you were going with an all chain rode, you might want a windlass as well.

Have fun!

Tod
 
#12 ·
" but I can't think of anyone stealing an anchor. "
What, you never saw the FoxTV show "World's Dumbest Anchor Thieves" ?? Really ??

Up into the 90's a windlass was something you only heard of big-boat world cruisers installing. Everyone else just got exercise. Buy a couple of 10# dumbbells, use 'em twice daily, save a couple of grand on the windlass?

Problem being the windlass you need will depend on how much anchor you are slinging, and I'd rather try to mail-order someone a bride (Russian? Chinese? Wait, I'm going to surprise you!) than suggest what a good anchor might be. Even some of the tests that you can find online (West, Practical Sailor) from arguably objective sources, all wind up saying they don't understand why some work better than others sometimes and not others.

Although I'm convinced, dumbbells, windlass, or gorilla on the foredeck, if you can LIFT an anchor, it is too light for anything except a lunch hook. Of course some stubborn folks disagree about that as well. (VBG)
 
#13 ·
The type of anchor also depends on the holding ground ie. sand, gravel, grass etc... here in So Cal I have been good with a Danforth
 
#16 ·
Just don't use the "rock slot" on the Manson Supreme, that thing is evil in high tidal exchange areas like what we have around here. It'll drag the anchor out of the ground very quickly when the boat turns around due to wind or tidal shifts.

Otherwise the anchor is great.
 
#18 ·
Yes, I haven't used the rock slot yet, except as another lashing point when securing the anchor to the bow.

Years ago when I did a lot of spearfishing, there was this one place by the navigation buoy on the southwest end of Fishers Island where the blackfish were quite numerous. (The buoy used to be a black can, back in the day.) In a shallow area close to the buoy, the bottom was made up of a thick pile of rocks. Once or twice I found a nice Danforth that had been cut loose. The rocks catch anchors and don't let them go.

If anyone wants an anchor, I'd almost bet there's one there now, sitting in 10 feet of water, caught in the rocks.

So I can see the purpose of the rock slot, even though I haven't used it yet.

Regards,
Brad

P.S. There's a big antique anchor sitting on the bottom near the Race, in a location out of the way from where we usually spearfished. I could put an X on the map at it's exact location. It's got to be 10 feet long, and the wooded crossbeam was long gone. No way I was bringing that up. I just paused on the bottom a couple feet from it. Anyway I can just imagine some boat of yesteryear getting caught by the standing waves and using it in some last-ditch effort. It a mystery that only I've seen, which seems strange in this super-connected world.
 
#24 ·
..... there was this one place by the navigation buoy on the southwest end of Fishers Island where the blackfish were quite numerous. ........
Holy moly. That's been a lifelong secret. I used to slaughter blackfish from shore in that location, when I was a kid. Used an umbrella rig, with crabs as bait that we collected on South Beach at low tide. Black fish are one of the best tasting fish, IMO. Mild and much better than the flounder that was more popular in the day. At the time, they were between unknown and undesirable. They are ugly bastards, with molars than can crush crabs. Now restaurants serve them as Tautog.
 
#17 ·
I can't imagine buying new and not going next-gen. You pick which, I really do not believe there is all that much difference, other than subtleties in how they look. If one is more pleasing to your eye (likely meaning least unpleasant, as next gens are funny looking), get that one.
 
#20 ·
I still hand-bomb our 35# CQR and 40' chain/rope rode setup.. so I don't think you need a windlass for a 22 lb anchor.

Just sold the CQR and have bought a Mantus, but really I think any of the new/next generation anchors will do equally well. Looking forward to proving that to ourselves with the Mantus.

Plenty of people do well up here with a Bruce too.. given that so many are moving to the new style anchors I'd expect finding a good used Bruce would not be difficult. The various claws are also well regarded among the 'old gen' styles.
 
#21 ·
I have used genuine CQR, genuine Bruce and now Manson Supreme. The Manson is by far the best and the only one of the three that works in weed.
As for attaching it to chain, stay away from fancy swivels or anything stainless. A good quality galvanised shackle is the safest. Must be large enough to ride up over the end hole in the anchor without contacting the shank. Be sure to lockwire the pin. Never mind that the pin will likely rust after a year or two - less than five bucks buys a complete new tested shackle and pin.
The more chain you can use the better. Mine is all chain: 50 metres of it on a 30ft boat, so it will hold in anything less than a hurricane.
 
#25 ·
On LI, Tuatog are called "blackfish" but you'll find there are many different fish, living in similar rocky shores, all over the US. "Blackfish" is always the local term for whatever is tasty and lives in the rocks, but I'd never order it in a restaurant because there's no telling what you'd get. Aside from "some kind of tasty local fish".

Tautog, aka "Tautogis onitis" is a single species and that's just an honest way to put it on the menu.

FWIW.

They're damned hard to spearfish, because they seem to know exactly what your range is and they stay two inches beyond that. Then, if you can fire a speargun at them, the damned things BOUNCE OFF most of the time.
 
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