anchor choice

[Champagne Murphy]

I know anchor threads are perhaps a bit old hat but the advice of the forum is requested.
We have an old and very rusted CQR. At 25lb for a Sadler 32 it may be a bit on the big side. Without spending oligarch type money, what would you get next? Bruce, spade, or other?

 

[Richard10002]

Spade, Manson Supreme, Rocna - end of!

 

[robmcg]

16 kg Delta?

 

[TQA]

A used 35lb CQR should do the job within budget.

Just remember the midnight squall situation. Do really want some lightweight newcomer.

 

[Poignard]

We have an old and very rusted CQR. At 25lb for a Sadler 32 it may be a bit on the big side.

I would have thought that was very much a bit on the small side.

I have a 35lb CQR on a 28-foot boat and I am very happy with it. It never gives any problem. Weight is important and Eric Hiscock ('Cruising Under Sail', 'Voyaging Under Sail' et al) claimed that a CQR smaller than 35lb can't be relied on to penetrate weed.

Regarding price, how does the cost of a good anchor compare with the value of your boat?

 

[JumbleDuck]

I know anchor threads are perhaps a bit old hat but the advice of the forum is requested.
We have an old and very rusted CQR. At 25lb for a Sadler 32 it may be a bit on the big side. Without spending oligarch type money, what would you get next? Bruce, spade, or other?

If it's a real CQR, then 25lb is probably spot-on. I have one on my 26-footer, and that's a size bigger than the manufacturers recommend. If it is genuine, a quick trip to the galvanisers should have it looking spick and span for very unoligarchic money - mine cost £25 to have done.

 

[blackbeard]

... CQR. At 25lb for a Sadler 32 it may be a bit on the big side. Without spending oligarch type money, what would you get next? Bruce, spade, or other?

Well, a Spade will cost oligarch money, and the genuine Bruce isn't made any more, and Bruceoid copies can be dodgy, so unless you are lucky finding a good second-hand genuine Bruce, you will need something else ...
Incidentally, to echo some previous threads, the RYA boat safety handbook suggests your 25 lb anchor isn't too big.

 

[Tranona]

16 kg Delta?

+1 Good all rounder at sensible price.

 

[pmagowan]

I went for a spade and came away with a Rocna which has been a big improvement on my CQR lookalike and is much easier to handle. After research I came to the conclusion that spade, manson supreme and rocna were the contenders. Of course you will get alternative advice as everyone has their own opinions on anchors. All I can say is that I have given the Rocna a good break in, anchoring in gales in several spots around the west coast of Scotland. It set much faster and with a 'bang' and we never moved an inch. I did a lot of rowing about with my head over the side trying to evaluate its set but the only thing you can spot is the glint of the top of the roll bar as it buries completely. I never draged on the CQR but I was never as confident with the set.

PS we are 28 foot wooden and all chain

 

[doug748]

I know anchor threads are perhaps a bit old hat but the advice of the forum is requested.
We have an old and very rusted CQR. At 25lb for a Sadler 32 it may be a bit on the big side. Without spending oligarch type money, what would you get next? Bruce, spade, or other?

I have a similar boat and went through this conundrum earlier in the year.

In the end I think I have decided to have my 10kg Bruce regalvanised. It is a bit on the light side but has that large fluke area, so when it is in it holds well. I believe all chain is a good idea if you are on the edge with the weight of your anchor.

I have a 15kg Bruce in reserve but find it is too much of a trial to bring up from deep water - It fits in the locker and I would prefer the size, if I had a powered winch. Buying new, I would probably go for a Delta.

 

[Salty John]

....We have an old and very rusted CQR. At 25lb for a Sadler 32 it may be a bit on the big side....

A bit too small, I would suggest. A 35lb CQR would be right.

 

[vyv_cox]

The Sadler 32 and 34 came with a 25 lb CQR as standard. I'm not quite sure whether the one that came with mine was the original one but it was a CQR clone, not the real thing. I swapped it for a 16 kg Delta that served us well for many years. Excellent anchor for Atlantic coasts with a reasonable proportion of sand in the bottom but possibly slightly low on surface area where the bottom is predominantly soft mud. Bruce copies seem to be well regarded by the east coast fraternity, or the real thing if you can get one. Alternatively of course a new generation one if the funds will allow.

 

[prv]

I have a 20kg spade and it's fantastic. Might qualify as oligarch money though - apart from shiny stainless bow-bling for motorboats, I can't imagine there's anything more expensive for the size. But you did list it as a possibility in your post so I thought I'd mention it.

Pete

 

[JumbleDuck]

I went for a spade and came away with a Rocna which has been a big improvement on my CQR lookalike and is much easier to handle. After research I came to the conclusion that spade, manson supreme and rocna were the contenders.

If I was buying brand new I'd go new generation (but never, ever Rocna) but a nice big old CQR works well enough for me that I don't feel the need to shell out a few hundred quid.

 

[pmagowan]

If I was buying brand new I'd go new generation (but never, ever Rocna) but a nice big old CQR works well enough for me that I don't feel the need to shell out a few hundred quid.

Well my old CQRish thing worked fine also and we had a knack for getting it to set but it was nippy on the fingers, didn't fit the bow roller and so was kept on deck and didn't fill me with confidence. I specifically set out to get a spade and went to Ardfern as the nearest dealer but they didn't have them as they said everyone bought the cheaper Rocna. I had read the controversy about them and was slightly concerned but he assured me they were not of the 'bad batch' and they have a guarantee that they will be replaced if they get a bit bendy. He uses one on his own boat. I had a look and took it down to my boat, it fitted the roller and looked solid. I then tested it over the next 3 weeks in harsh conditions and was more than pleased with the performance. The biggest difference being the very quick and obvious set. I know some people will avoid Rocna because of their poor handling of the change of manufacture site and change in specification of steel but at the end of the day it looks like a very good anchor which does what it says on the tin. I don't get the impression it will fail and I get a new one if it bends (which seems unlikely).

 

[Sybarite]

Spade, Manson Supreme, Rocna - end of!

Very good but just as good and cheaper is a FOB Rock.

http://www.fob.fr/menu6d86.html

 

[prv]

If I was buying brand new I'd go new generation (but never, ever Rocna) but a nice big old CQR works well enough for me that I don't feel the need to shell out a few hundred quid.

That's pretty much my thinking. Kindred Spirit came with a nice big CQR, which I never planned to change. Ariam had a diminutive cast Bruce knockoff, whose only benefit was that it was too small to interfere with a mooring pendant brought over the second bow roller.

The Spade website includes a PDF which you print out and use as a template, to cut out some cardboard parts, to build a surprisingly accurate model of the anchor. I made two of these in different likely sizes, to see which was the biggest I could fit on the boat

Pete

 

[vyv_cox]

Very good but just as good and cheaper is a FOB Rock.

http://www.fob.fr/menu6d86.html

The website is extremely sparse on information, doesn't even have a photo of it, but as far as I can see it owes more to the Delta than any new generation anchor. So not sure of your description of 'just as good' as the NG ones mentioned.

 

[Poignard]

.... but a nice big old CQR works well enough for me that I don't feel the need to shell out a few hundred quid.

Same with me. 35lb CQR plus 65m of 8mm British chain hasn't failed me yet.

 

[BruceDanforth]

I recently obtained a 6kg delta. I also had a look at the Rocna and the Knox but both these seemed to be very bulky as well as expensive. I will mostly stick with the Danforth though.