Anchor and roller

[sanna]

We have a 32 feet GRP long keeled sailboat. Total weight is 6 t.

We need a new allround anchor and a new bow roller. What is a good bow roller and what ancher type and weight should we go for? We have no windlass, however that may come later.

I wil be happy for all feed back.

"Sanna"

(from Oslo)

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[Evadne]

Stand by to be bombarded with opinions, because we all have a different one. The guide I was given many years ago of 1 pound weight of anchor per foot of boat length remains a good one. A length of chain 3 times the depth of your deepest anchorage, or a nylon 3-strand rope 5 times the depth is a good starting point. A twin bow roller is desirable, as is a stern one. Anchors heavier than 10kg can be difficult to pull in by hand. You should also have at least two anchors on board. Each anchor is good at one thing, not necessarily at others:
On uneven rock with kelp, a fisherman anchor may be the only one that holds. In sand or mud, most of the plough types will do far better. Others such as Bruce, Fortress etc. are good all-rounders. Do a search under "anchoring", "anchor types" etc. of this forum and you'll see more opinions than you'll be able to read. There have also been some informative articles in YM and PBO over the last year.
Good luck

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[hylas]

May I have different opinions.. :0)

Weight as nearly NO relation with holding.. So forget the rule 1 pound per foot.. Assuming that the anchor has penetrated.. holding is related to the surface area opposed to the pulling force and to the shape of this surface (concave the best..)
If you don't have (yet) a windlass, what about an Aluminum anchor?? or a "light " Steel model?
See the last comparative anchor study in the PBO issue of July and August 2002 By Pr John Knox.. and the last paper published by Jake Kavanagh in the PBO June 2003 issue

But I nearly agree with the rode.. I suggest twice the lenght of your boat of chain and NYLON rope spliced DIRECTLY onto the chain..

The Fisherman anchor will be perfect.. as a decoration for your backyard.. the latest designs are BY FAR much more efficient both in kelp and rocks.. (except flat rocks..)

According to all tests performed all over the world, the Bruce is one (or THE one) with the lowest holding.. Fortress (and all Danforth types.. ) are absolutely not "All-rounders": they work quite well in standard mud and normal sand, but they don't like at all soft mud, hard sand.. even light weed.. and they can break out without warning.. They are good as kedge anchors, when you are not planning to leave your boat..

Peacefull anchorages..


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[Evadne]

I'm pleased you said nearly no relation to the weight, gravity is what puts the anchor on the seabed and even those that use their geometry to dig in will benefit from extra weight. My boat weighs 4 and a bit tons and I wouldn't trust her to an anchor of less than ten pounds in weight in any wind, whatever the design. Nearly all the tests you will read are, necessarily, fairly static, it is difficult to carry out comparisons on, say, the shock loading of a 6 ton boat bucking in a swell.
The choice of chain/rope/both depends very much on how deep your anchorages are, how often you anchor and how much you can lift. Rope is very good when new, but there was an article by someone who took his boat on a long cruise last year with a rope rode, it definitely chafes through quicker than chain.
Try and find other boats of your type in your area that have been sailed for a while, and ask the owners what they prefer. This will help you build up a picture of what is reasonable to carry.

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[sanna]

Thank you for the reply.

I have 30 m of 8 mm chain linked to 30 m of 14 mm of nylon rope. You say that you splice the rope directly to the chain. I assume that the reason for this is the bowroller or the windlass ?

Could you recomend an allround light steel or aluminum anchor ?

Some bowrollers are bulit up of two different pieces so that the anchor should be easier to bring in horisontal position - do you know if this is a good solution ?

"Sanna"



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[duncan]

just like to highlight that you have around 45kg of chain there - if you anchor in any depth you are going to have a heavy old haul without a windlass and thats before you add an anchor!

Alain's point about chain is that it doesn't have the stretch to absorb boat movement and can jolt out almost any anchor, even with short lengths of rope used.
Your choice of anchor is going to depend heavily on where you are using it and what for. If you are going to use it a lot in mixed ground then some of the more expensive options will be worth while - fortress, delta, spade (oceane possibly).
Do please look up the past mag articles for wider reference.
Regarding rope chaffing, as raised above, this must be a function of bow fitting at one end and rubbing on the ground at the other. The latter is one of the main reasons to have a length of chain, and why the appropriate amount for a craft is often linked to hull length.

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