Stupid Anchor Question.....

[imported_Daniel]

How do you determine the size you need, and also the type?

[DerekW]

Displacement / windage. Anchoring grounds likely to be encountered.

West Marine have some information online, covering what they sell of course....

West Marine anchor info (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/WestAdvisorDisplayView?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&advisor=wa_anchorselection.htm)

cheers
Derek

[Ed Harrow]

Type: What sort of bottom (not to mention personal preferance). For instance, the Danforth design has a great rep in sand in mud, a not so hot rep in rocky bottoms, and a dreadful rep in weeds.

Weight required is determined by general design holding power/size of boat/amount of scope, etc. Chapman's ought to give you a good overview.

[John B]

Oo good, a Ford Versus Chev discussion.
but seriously.... what you are using it for has a bearing too. I mean , a day fishing anchor is likely to be lighter and with less chain than an overnighter. Although I must say that watching my wife come close to being sucked over the bow when dropping the anchor in 20 metres or so ( the skipper having failed to inform her of the 'extra' depth) never fails to amuse me for the few minutes it takes before she gets back to the cockpit......
my boat is about 7 tons, I use a 30ld plough and a boat and a half of chain.That makes about 60lds to pull back up which is ummmmm 'sustainable'. It holds us in pretty well anything but I do send a sentinel down when it gets rough.Another 30lds. I sleep better and it dampens the yaw a bit plus it keeps the chain down. Back up is a big danforth because it stows on the cabin top nicely.

[Ian McColgin]

There are a couple of good books on anchors and anchoring, which is both easier now than when I was a tyke as there are anchors that really work, and is more confusing as there are so many choises and some of them are plain dumb.

But the big divide is day boat or cruiser? If you're looking at a cruiser, then you're looking at fairly serious gear. If you're just into day sailing, then you want something that will hold her against the beach or in one place on a sunny day for lunch, and maybe something that will hold her head to the wind so in a hard chance you'll just drift slowly sternward into the rocks.

Especially the lighter anchors of the danforth and various plough (from CQR to Fortress type) need some chain leader to keep the shaft down while they set. And they are not good in any tricky anchoring.

Somedays I think I'll start marketing my own anchor. I have a nice little fisherman shaped thing that folds but still has a proper herraschoff curve in the flukes. It's a bit heavy for Tibbots (the dink) or Leeward (the dory) or even Il Pipi where it will likely live this summer, but being heavy it does not require any chain, so it's not so hard to deploy and retrieve.

For a little day boat, if you can find a folding fisherman at about 25# - 30#, that will be easy enough to use and very much heavey enough to keep you planted.

If you don't have the arm strength to lift it clear of the water easily, just have a guarded part of the gunnel. When the cross piece is just visible, you can kink the rode to bring that paralell to the hull. Bring it in a little and rotate 90 degrees so the cross piece if over the gunnel and the flukes are now parallel to the hull. Just haul and tip it in.

On small boats I've used some odd things - like on a rocky bottom I've used a crow bar.

Enjoy.

[shadow99]

Whenever in doubt, BIGGER IS BETTER :D ! Depending upon where I am, I carry the following anchors on my 15'er. A 25 lb S.S. homemade Danforth style (storm/sea anchor), 20 lb homemade aluminum mushroom style (mud/sand), and a 5 lb foldable grappling style, all are attached to a 4' section of 3/8" chain and 100' of rode. I've only used the 25 pounder once, but I was damn glad I had it with me.

Rick

[wingnut]

Daniel,
Like stated before it really depends on the conditions you are anchoring in, what size boat you have, and if your going to stay overnight or just for the day. One of the biggest things that will help with an anchor is the ammount of chain you have on it, i'm not sugesting getting carried away with the chain but, don't skimp on it either, it really makes a big difference. I hope i don't start a huge disagreement hear but, in my opinion, i wouldn't waste my time with a Danforth type anchor, in my experiences they just don't hold worth a darn. I've always had very good experiences with a rocking chair style anchor and a Bruce anchor but, my experiences with anchoring have mainly been while anchoring for the day in a major river (the Columbia) where you can experience a little bit of everything on the bottom. Hope this helps.
wingnut

[Scott Rosen]

Why don't you start by telling us about your boat and your typical anchoring grounds, so we can give some very specific advise.

[imported_Daniel]

Sorry, guess I should have given you more information, so here goes.


Length overall 20'-1"
Length waterline 17'-0"
Beam 7'-11"
Hull draft 9"
Freeboard forward 2'-10"
Freeboard aft 2'-7"
Hull depth 3'-5"
Height overall 7'-5"
Displacement 3250 lbs.

The type of bottom I will be anchoring in will vary greatly from sand, rocks, silt etc. etc. I definitely will be anchoring overnight as well.

Thanks all. smile.gif

[blaydone]

Daniel: I seem to remember seeing pictures of you last fall loading a pile of lumber onto your truck. Does this mean you've already turned it into a boat?

[Ian McColgin]

A little anchor platform and roller on the bow holding up about 30# (+or-) of a CQR or Bruce would go nicely.

You could hang the rode on a spool of some sort mounted under the forepeak's overhead.

If the lay out allows, you might pull the anchor in by hand sitting with out feet dangling into the forehatch and they could be turning the spool winding up the rode . . .

[Bruce Hooke]

If it were my boat I would go with what Ian recommended. I have been very happy my CQR. Make sure to get a genuine CQR - some of the imitations have a bad reputation. I love chain so, again, if it were my boat I would have as much chain as I could stand dealing with. I have ~70' of 1/4" chain on my 25# CQR (23', 3000# sailboat), but most people would probably go with something closer to 15-20'.

I would keep a Danforth stowed somewhere else, on it's own anchor rode, as a backup anchor.

That said, for many people, a Danforth would probably be their primary anchor.

If you will be cruising extensively, such that you might find yourself depending on your anchor in heavy gale conditions, then a big storm anchor stowed below would probably be a good idea. The reason I say only if you are cruising extensively, is because for only weekend trips it is very unlikely that you would leave home if a major gale was in the forecast.

You should also factor in, to some degree, the waters where you will use the boat. If many anchorages are not well protected, or if you will spend much time in areas where good anchorages are far apart, then go with a slightly larger anchor.

[Scott Rosen]

I agree with Ian and Bruce.

I would add only that a CQR#25 is strong enough to act as a primary and a storm anchor for a 20 foot boat. I have a CQR#25 which has held my 30 footer in some pretty good blows. I also have CQR#45 (overkill, but it helps me sleep at night) and a Fortress FX16 (light and easy to handle for short-term use).

[imported_Daniel]

Thank you all for your input. Blaydone, I have not yet turned that lumber into a boat yet, I'm waiting for the weather to break so I can build the building form (jig). I do however wish it was done so I could use it this summer. I am keeping pertinent info in a separate boat folder on the comp, and am trying to cover all the bases, before I get to them. smile.gif

[blaydone]

Glad to hear you're making some progress, Daniel. Don't forget to give us some pictures when those forms start to take shape.