Anchors

D

dickandjill

Member
Joined
17 Jul 2005
Messages
32
Location
Cornwall
Visit site
Hi
What type and weight of anchor would I need to go with a 16ft orkney longliner?
I have 20ft of 1/4" chain and plenty of rope but am unsure about the anchor. It will be used in Falmouth Bay within a mile of the shore so is quirte sheltered area.(apart from today!!!!)
Thanks
Richard
 
I used to use a 5 lb fishermans on a similar boat, or a danforth of similar wieght. anchors are funny things, what works well for me in one one part of morecambe bay, won't work in another part. so you may find you might need two types, but a fishermans, the biggest you can comfortably deal with, is a good starting ground and you can work from there, no doubt others will disagree. the beauty of a fishermans, is thet you can usually cadge one, IE get one given, or made easily (Appeldores if it's still there) so if it's no good you havn't lost any thing!
best of luck
 
I would agree that the delta makes a good all round anchor and the 4kg will be adaquate for your craft.

However I suspect that you won't be overnighting in wild and windy places - in fact probably using your anchor for fishing trips or similar.

In this case I would simply get a claw (bruce copy) available from most chandlers, which whilst it's ultimate holding is lower, and it doesn't set great when there is significant weed over hard sand, is going to be around 1/4 or 1/3rd the price of a delta or spade (also 4kg) for either the 5 or 7.5kg unit.
 
For what I assume is fishing expeditions ? Then almost any of the standard anchors will do .... 10lb CQR, Bruce, Delta etc. ..... but take note : > Small light weight anchors are near useless to rely on. So many times you see tables of boat size to anchor weight and small boats have advise to have ones that have no weight at all to help dig-in or hold a water-wing let alone a small boat. If you want secure anchoring - then the heaviest you can comfortably handle is the best.

I certainly wouldn't go less than a 10lb'r ... and would probably err on the 15lb to be safe. A CQR / PLough copy, Delta etc. would hold well in most conditions ... but only one will hold in real weed / rocky stuff - that's the poor old maligned Fishermans ! (A grapnel folding will as well ... but to use anywhere else except a beach / bank-peg would be daft !!)
 
if it's not thick weed and rock (ie kelp) or scrubby grassy weed and hard sand as found in the med shallows then it's usually fine.

get the 7.5kg and it won't go anywhere! but will still be light enought to handle easily if you feel concerned - that size was fine for my 21ft boat anywhere I anchored.
 
Re: Anchors --- agree with Duncan ...

As I expect you'll be on the boat anyway - you'll know if you drag ! Most types will most likely work as long as you get a reasonable weight. The weed is probably not so thick as closer inshore - but now I'm guessing ...

On a boat of that size - you will most likely stay in eye-ball viz of landmarks ... make sure you have a good butchers around and keep a check on them while out there !
 
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for your replies
Had a look at the charts for the area and it seems to be mostly weed and shells and sand.So would a claw still be ok?

[/ QUOTE ]In essence no. Claws are problematic at best and weed and shells do not help.

You might find the position of the claw on this chart to be interesting, and this is just sand... They couldn't get it to set at all.

wm_testing_chart_740w.jpg
 
No, there is a lot of rock around that general area. As SBC queries, why are you anchoring? If you are fishing off August Rock then you can easily re-set the anchor and you have an excellent reference point. Ease of handling and storage would be the key factor. If you plan to anchor overnight in the Truro river, you have a different situation entirely. You could consider a Fortress. Light and easy to handle and remarkably versatile.
 
whilst I have the greatest regard for your contributions Craig I can help but feel, in the context of this thread,

[ QUOTE ]
In essence no. Claws are problematic at best and weed and shells do not help.

You might find the position of the claw on this chart to be interesting, and this is just sand... They couldn't get it to set at all.

[/ QUOTE ]

is ridiculous

(1) we are talking about a 400kg 5m 'dingy'
(2) thousands of people world wide manage to set their bruce/claw/m anchors each year. That you couldn't do it on a beach with a truck, or this particular independant test either, is a reason for not listing it's holding (which is accepted as significantly lower than many other anchors in some circumstances but irrelevant in this threads context.

you are starting to turn every anchoring thread into a pissing contest..................... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif


finally re the other reference to a fortress - handling a 5kg anchor and the advised rode isn't an issue, neither is holding loads on such a craft - why spend the money?
 
Re: Anchors ..... AND lets be honest .....

Many people go fishing in dinghys with a rock and a rope ..... as anchor.

Now this site may be of use to some ... I may not agree with some comments but worth a look anyway -...

http://www.ukdivers.net/boats/anchors.htm

I would probably go for a Danforth or Plough in reasonable weight and chain length before rope.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top