Anchor Tests

[windship]

Hi Bruce,
I just got back from the Practical Sailor site and yes, I agree and am also impressed.There is also conflicting results when compaired with the U.S. Sailing anchor tests.Especially with the holding power of the Bruce.Did you read the info on the danforth type that failed to re-set because of a shellfish in the flukes? This is what scares me about these anchors.Alot of people see the holding power and are kinda led down the wrong road.
It''s not just about holding power.It''s a balance of all things considered.If you need four thousand pounds of holding power, I wouldn''t want to be on board and that same anchor can be rendered useless with a fist sized object or dragged into grass!
The dissapointment to me in the test was that they only tested in sand and mud.

Dennis

[RichH]

Check out: www.rutuonline.com and follow the link for contact of Glen Ashmore, etc.
This guy is selling spades for approx 30% less than the discount houses. He bulk imports Spades direct from the french manufacturer who builds them in Tunisia; but, you have to wait until he sells a full palett load. He''s been selling Spades (mostly on the newsgroup: rec.boats.cruising) for the past 18 months. I bought a 44 lb. steel spade from him and it arrived about 2 months after I ordered (partial payement to order, balance when it arrives in the USA, etc.)
BTW - the orange paint immediately turns grey when immersed in saltwater.... so you can tell if its used or not.
I LOVE my spade anchor.... got some CQRs for sale.

[bmcald]

What conditions are you using the Spade in? Curious about setting it in rocky or grassy conditions, since it was tested by Practical Sailor for mud and sand.

[RichH]

I hope that you are adressing me... as I cant seem to follow the ''thread'' somehow.... and hope that Im not answering a question that you addressed to someone else.
I use my spade on the Mid Atlantic Coast and Chesapeake. Obviously it works GREAT in sand, mud, hard pan and moderate grass and have found that it will reset almost immediately on a reversing situation (There are only 3 rocks on Ches and Jersey coast.... and I know where they are!). Ive found it useful in loose shells where my old CQR was hopeless. Ive been in situations where the old CQRs would simply plow along the bottom but in comparison when anchoring in the same locations under pretty much the same conditions the Spade will dig right in. I''m used to the ''foilbles'' of the CQR.... extra long scope to set then shorten the rode, etc. and have a good gut feel by now that I can anchor with much shorter scope with the spade if need be.

[feprice]

Seems to me that types and techniques of using ground tackle are pretty geographic-specific. My first boat was a Catalina 30 on the Columbia River (Portland, Ore). In that area a 20-22 lb Danforth on 1/2" nylon and 20'' of 5/16" chain worked perfectly. The bottom was usually muddy and there was usually not much wind, just current.
After a summer on the river we took the boat to southeast Alaska. Had frequent problems dragging even with 6/1 & 7/1 scope. The bottoms here are frequently mud & sand, but often rocky, often grass or weed. The anchorages are often windy.
Bought a 35 lb CQR and noted a great improvement, but still dragged occasionally.
Bought a second 35 lb CQR, put 50'' of chain on it & got in the habit of using both, set separately with a roughly 45-90 deg angle between them, both from the bow. No more dragging.
My present boat is a 33'' 7 1/2 ton (long tons) cutter. The bower is a 45 lb CQR on 35 fathoms of 5/16" chain. It does not drag, period. Usually anchor on 4/1 scope, sometimes a lot more. The most secure anchoring situation here is an anchor off the stern and a tree line ashore, where the situation permits. My second anchor is a 22 lb Danforth that is rarely used.
My point being, different anchors work in different places.
On the side, the frequently published recommended anchors weights for sizes of boats are not very helpful here. Increase size by two over the recommedation, & you''ll probably be OK. And lots of chain, or all chain, works great. My ground tackle can be hauled by hand, but not fun. The Simpson-Lawrence No. 555 manual windlass is nice, when it''s not broke down.
I''ve seen bent Danforths & Deltas. Never seen a bent CQR.
5/16" chain on a 7 1/2 ton boat seems a bit light to me, but the chain has been well tested, being 25 years old and experienced, but shows no sign of stretch.

Cheers, Frank

[piclarke]

I agree with all that has been said, but I will add that all anchores should have a swivel attached from the anchor to the chain. Most Commercial fisherman have swivels on there anchores. It amazes me when I walk down a marina the number of boats that don''t have swivels on.

I carry three sizes of swivel as a crew member and if the owner or skipper does not have a swivel on the anchor I convince him to put one on. It prevents the anchor twisting out when the load comes on.

I have found that most anchores that fail to hold when the load comes on is due to twisting.
<img src="http://members.sailnet.com/profile/uploads/piclarke/PhillipClarke_pic.jpg">

[feprice]

I''ve tried using a swivel a couple of times when anchoring with two anchors: shackled the two rodes to the swivel and a stopper over the roller from the swivel; lowered the swivel to a depth well below the keel and cleated off. Hoped it would keep the rodes from winding about each other, but didn''t help. I haven''t tried putting a swivel at the anchor, but haven''t noticed a problem I could attribute to not having one.
I do think anchoring must be one of the most interesting cruising topics.
On another related topic: I have a bronze manual anchor windlass I''ll probably use on my next boat and would like to locate its manufacturer. It is marked "MORITZ Costa Mesa, California". Anyone know anything about it? No luck in the Yellow Pages.

Thanks. Frank

[maxcontax]

Gentlemen, for your amusement:

I crewed on a 34'' Hunter being moved from Powell River to Vancouver last weekend. After setting a smallish Danforth on second try,and sharing a drink, the skipper of said boat remarked that most people had too big of an anchor--and that is why they fail to set. The flukes can''t grab the ground if they are too big for the tug on them--they skip along the bottom. His rationale is that a small Danforth, set 10-1 and hardened in, will bury itself and hold better than a large one. He was after me for having a 17.5 lb Bruce on a my Catalina 22. Has anyone else gotten the "Penetration argument"? Anchoring is a most entertaining subject!

[windship2]

maxcontax,
Thats ridiculous!
The skippers comments are to suggest that the anchor knows what size boat is pulling on the rode.
By the way, does this person think that huge rocks can be dropped in a volcano to keep it from erupting?

Dennis

[RichardElliott]

What he says may be partially true in that a Danforth type anchor has great difficulty in penetrating Puget Sound seaweed, so perhaps the smaller flukes are better. However, after drifting off twice withe the smaller, sharper fluke high tensile, I''m a true believer in the plow. I set a 22lb. plow on 50 ft. of 5/16 chain on an Islander 28.