CQR Anchors - Genuine or Fake?

I spent over 300 days of a year long cruise anchoring in sand between the US East coast and the BVI, by way of the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Haiti, DR, PR, Culebra and USVI. We dragged once, when we put the anchor down in grass and a squall blew in. I would, and have, staked my life on the CQR. In Chesapeake Bay, mainly mud, I used a Danforth most of the time.
However, anchoring technique and skill are more important than the anchor type in most cases; a good anchor does not a successful anchoree make, although a good anchoree can make anything work should circumstances dictate. I am in no way casting aspersions on your anchoring technique, just pointing out that there is a helluva lot more to anchoring than anchor selection.
 
We had a Simpson Lawrence copy as main bower that came with the boat. We had a couple of drag incidents and the anchor was not always a first time biter. I suspect that some of it may be due to flawed technique on our part, but we have just promoted the Delta we keep as a spare to pole position as main bower and the CQR is now in the locker. We'll see if the move was a good one over the next season. We also have a Fortress as a kedge, which dug in impressively as partner to the CQR in a successful fork moor off Faro, Portugal.
 
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However, anchoring technique and skill are more important than the anchor type in most cases; a good anchor does not a successful anchoree make, although a good anchoree can make anything work should circumstances dictate. I am in no way casting aspersions on your anchoring technique, just pointing out that there is a helluva lot more to anchoring than anchor selection.

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High time this was written on this forum!
I have used half a dozen different anchors in fifty years, and always come back to CQR as the standard: lying to a 35lb, or in recent years a pair of 25lb, on well over 1000 occasions, including exposed anchorages and occassionall some very wild weather. In one Orkney anchorage the wind never once dropped below 64knots for 5 hours, but the 25 pounders, set in sand, never shifted.
If only boat-owners would spend as much time studying anchoring principles and techniques as they spend on electronic gizmos!
 
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However, anchoring technique and skill are more important than the anchor type in most cases

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Could not agree more. I have been in the Med now four years and my CQR have dragged once in that time when a 360 degree changing wind just screwed it out. If you make sure you set a CQR well (hard astern to dig it in) it will set in any condition I have experienced. I have had force 10 over the deck with only one CQR in and it has been holding. The benefit of the CQR is that it digs deeper the more force you or the wind applies.
 
Yes I agree - once well dug in it has good holding.

But the changing conditions - I also agree - this is a problem, and once a CQR has come out, you really need to manually re-set it. This is not much use if you are off the boat!
 
No, but in the UK the tide turns the boat through 180 degrees. Mine came 'unstuck' when small waves (ie a few inches) at low water (1 ft under the keel) pulled out my 25lb CQR attached to 30m chain!

In hindsight adding some spring would help.
 
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However, anchoring technique and skill are more important than the anchor type in most cases; a good anchor does not a successful anchoree make, although a good anchoree can make anything work should circumstances dictate. I am in no way casting aspersions on your anchoring technique, just pointing out that there is a helluva lot more to anchoring than anchor selection.

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Quite right assuming the boater does actually know something about anchoring. There are 1 or 2 anchors that will even make newbies look like they are know they are doing though.

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If only boat-owners would spend as much time studying anchoring principles and techniques as they spend on electronic gizmos!

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I agree so much my boobies may fall off. I've been pushing that line for many years, without much luck I must admit.

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Go for it .... I do !!

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Right on brother! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif


For some other poster above. Simpson Lawrance make the CQR so those are not copies. Well until recently when they were purchased by Lewmar and management decided they could sell at higher prices when branded Lewmar. As any marketer will tell you, these days you sell 'the brand' not the product it's on. You know how it works, get a $2 tee shirt made in china and sell it for $7.50. Same tee shirt with, for example, Lewmar on it sells for $29.95. The exact same thing is happening in the marine game. We get anchors from a factory and sell them for $XX, the exact same factory makes the exact same anchor for a known brand name and they sell for twice the money. The ONLY difference is theirs has their name on it, that's all. Sadly many many suckers fall for it. Cr*p anchors anyway so the punter gets suckered twice really.

You're thinking "why do you buy cr*p anchors then?". The same reason so many of you complain about many cr*p products out there now. We (the suppliers/chandlers an etc) are only providing what you are willing to pay for. You want cheap and that's what you're getting, sadly attached to cheap is usually dodgy as well.

Rant over, thank you for your patience. Normal programming will now continue /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I was horrified when the humous was withdrawn from my local Marks and Spencers - same supplier as Asda, Sommerfield et al. So its clear there is no point in buying "premuim branded" for some things - you will still get salminella poisoning!

Could it be that the Lewmar CQRs are made in China at some foundry that supplies many CQRs to Plastimo and others? I would not be surprised.

Lastly - anybody have first hand experience of a fake CQR breaking or know directly of somebody that has had this experience? I am beginning to suspect it's an urban myth.
 
I think a lot depends on the weight of the anchor. Hiscock stated that 35lb was a minimum weight for the anchor to dig in to soft bottoms. I am inclined to agree from observations while diving. I used to leave a previous boat for weeks at a time on two 35lb CQRs, eventually decided that laying them in tandem with 5 fm chain between them was easier to recover after a week or so. Left my current boat on a 35 lb CQR in stiff mud for 6 weeks unatended without problem.

Simillar experience with genuine Bruce anchors - 15 kg upwards hold well - below that they drag.
 
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I think a lot depends on the weight of the anchor. Hiscock stated that 35lb was a minimum weight for the anchor to dig in to soft bottoms. I am inclined to agree from observations while diving. I used to leave a previous boat for weeks at a time on two 35lb CQRs, eventually decided that laying them in tandem with 5 fm chain between them was easier to recover after a week or so. Left my current boat on a 35 lb CQR in stiff mud for 6 weeks unatended without problem.

Simillar experience with genuine Bruce anchors - 15 kg upwards hold well - below that they drag.

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I actually don't like the Size of anchor to size of boat argument that often comes up ... I say - biggest you can stow and use whatever size of boat. Why ? take a piddly little anchor say 3 or 4 kgs ... it has to be DRIVEN into the bottom to provide any holding. Take a 25 or 30 kg same design and by virtue of its weight will dig in when pull is exerted on it.

Small light anchors IMHO may flit about and skip the bottom. Heavy jobs will tend to dig in.

I think some - especially newcomer peoples failure could be more related to using "economic" sized anchors ... not the design. Lulled into thinking the new style / design of anchor can be lighter and therefore provide same holding as the cumbersome brute they used to use. But it doesn't work that way ... you still need brute force and ignorance - weight !

IMHO of course !!
 
Yes.

Bloody great anchor on the heaviest chain that you can manage and you will probably stay put, assuming you've been halfway sensible about where when and how you drop it.

I'd just add that with heavy chain you don't need to veer so much, either.
 
Agreed! There were comments on another thread on the mobo forum about using sand bags on a mobo as trimming ballast - yet said mobo probably only had a wee 'lunch hook' or similar.
I reckon one can never go wrong if that weight is converted into say a heavier anchor and more chain, if extra trimming ballast is actually required.
 
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Agreed! There were comments on another thread on the mobo forum about using sand bags on a mobo as trimming ballast - yet said mobo probably only had a wee 'lunch hook' or similar.
I reckon one can never go wrong if that weight is converted into say a heavier anchor and more chain, if extra trimming ballast is actually required.

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I personally think its scandalous the bits of metal sold with some boats ... Stemhead fittings that have no vertical brace, nice chrome stuff ... anchors that wouldn't hold a dinghy in any reasonable weather ... But the buyer if a newbie accepts what the dealer sells him ... plus the catalogue of extras that earns a nice one for dealer.

I know plenty of boaters that are adamant they don't want to spoil the look ... that nicely stowed anchor that fits just nice the bow roller etc. Fact that it's probably 2 sizes too small for the boat ............

Me I hate my anchor ... and it's not that big really - it is a man job to get it through the pulpit ... it often bangs your shin etc. I've learnt to wear gloves as well !! But at least I know I can put it out ... let out a length of chain ... pull back on it and be reasonably happy that boat will stay where she's put. If I had the size recc'd in books etc. I would be at least one size down ... no thanks.
 
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Hiscock stated that 35lb was a minimum weight for the anchor to dig in to soft bottoms. I am inclined to agree from observations while diving

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Another thing Eric Hiscock wrote was "when anchoring with sternway the CQR or the Danforth anchor can, and should, be given plenty of chain straight away" . He also wrote of the CQR "..it is impossible to foul it".

I have never seen this advocated by any one else, in fact most people seem carefully lower the CQR to the bottom, presumably through fear of it being fouled by the chain and then slowly pay out chain. This is the exact opposite of what Hiscock recommends and I wonder if this perhaps accounts for the reports of the CQR anchor sometimes failing to bury itself, because it doesn't get the horizontal pull it needs, straight away. I have a video of one of Hiscocks films and it clearly shows him anchoring Wanderer III by throwing a 35lb CQR over the side and letting the chain run out freely. In view of his advice being backed up by a proven record of years of cruising all over the world and around UK waters, I'm inclined to go with it.
 
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In view of his advice being backed up by a proven record of years of cruising all over the world and around UK waters, I'm inclined to go with it.

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Yes, me too. Wanderer 111 on her 5th(?) circumnavigation and still deploying the currently unfashionable CQR.
 
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