Anchor strengths

[Guest]

Any one know of any tests of a CQR against a copy?
I am about to buy a 20kg plough type, do I just have to accept the advertising blurb "stength hammered in" or have tests been done on the actual breaking/bending loads of these anchors?
Looking down the marina pontoons seems about half the plough anchors are copies of the CQR, who's right?
Prices I have got are 340£ for a genuine CQR and 140£ for a copy. At such a big difference it would be nice to know what the performance difference is.
Thanks.

 

[Guest]

I know of no specific tests, but my sense is that the drop forged steel of the CQR would resist deformation better than the non drop forged steel in the copies. If used only in benign anchoring conditions, the copies would work.

Remember, however, that your primary anchor and rode could be the only thing keeping your boat, family or friends from disaster in an extremis situation. Paying a bit more for something tried and true as well as something trusted by a majority of the world's cruisers due to practical experience is money well spent.

Compared to the value of your boat or the lives of the people with you, the additional monies paid for the CQR are negligible. We sailors are known for being a penurious lot, but saving money on cheaper primary ground tackle is false economy in my opinion.

If you want to save money, go with a cheaper copy for a lunch hook.

 

[Guest]

Stick to the genuine CQR for both safety and peace of mind.

 

[Guest]

But bear in mind that even a CQR copy is a lot stronger than the anchoring arangements on many boats. So unless you fit a larger cleat, well backed up, you may as well save your money and go for a copy. After all, any anchor is a large lump of metal, and can take a lot more punishment than many of us are ever likely to subject it to. Yes, its nice for peace of mind to have the real thing, but money is money, and its worth considering where its best spent.

 

[Guest]

I've seen broken copies; I've never seen a broken CQR (although I did once see one bent).

 

[Guest]

If you have doubts about the strength of the copy, you could perhaps buy a bigger one that has more 'dubious' metal in it's construction.

Colin H.

 

[Guest]

There might be good......

...copies on the market. And defenetely there are a lot of bad ones as well. How do you know which is which? Most of the copies are "brandless".
The few copies I´ve seen made by reputable companies are nearly as expensive as the original Simpson-Lawrence.
No, stick to the original CQR, it has been proven by thousends of sailors.
There is more than enough challenge in anchoring without the extra thrill of having a doubtful anchor.

 

[Guest]

I went for a 35lb Sowester plough instead of a 35 lb CQR because the CQR's longer shank doesnt fit in my anchor locker.

The 25lb CQR would have but I preferred the security of extra weight.

 

[Guest]

Now I'm confused - I thought Sowester now owned the CQR brand, don't tell me they are making clones of their own anchors (perhaps yours predates the merger)

 

[Guest]

Mine is indeed 16 years old, but I'm fairly certain there are still two different products. Jimmy Green quotes (December 2000) a drop forged "genuine CQR" 35lb at £274.95, and a cast, individually bench tested So'wester plough 35lb at £154.95.

You pays your money ...

Last time I participated in an anchor thread, the cognoscenti were singing the praises of the S/L Delta above all others. Needless to say, this is also obtainable only at a premium price.

My view is what counts is how easily the anchor grasps the bottom. Once it's caught, it generally stays put with sufficient scope. Whilst some may be consistently better than others, I doubt any anchor can guarantee a first time hold on all seabed conditions.

But if I could accommodate and afford the "best" - whatever that was at the time of purchase - I would buy it if only for the peace of mind.