Is a Delta Anchor OK for hardish mud? E.g. Chichester Harbour?

Zagato

Zagato

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I mainly anchor at Pilsey Island also at the bottom of Itchenor reach, East head very occasionally and New Town Creek. Would a Delta anchor be ok for this, I have never had one before. A Rocna sounds great but is three times the price. I have used claw anchors and Danforths before with OK results but they don,t dig in much, possibly as I have small boats, the weight of chain probably holds them mostly!

I only have a small IF Boat 26' 2.5 tonnes but was thinking of going with a 10KG Delta, 30m of 8mm chain and maybe 20m of rode. I would love to be able to anchor off one day in Studland Bay without having to be drugged up on Stugeron so perhaps more chain would be better. What do you think. Thanks...

The boat came from Torpoint with a 5KG claw anchor plus 10m of 8mm chain and 15m of rope, maybe for anchoring at Cawsands!
 
Hmm...

Instead of a 10KG Delta for £100 I could get a 6KG Rocna for £170. Setting is very important to me being single handed all the time, if i have to buy a 10KG Rocna for £300 then so be it, to avoid mishaps,
 
Zagato said:
Hmm...

Instead of a 10KG Delta for £100 I could get a 6KG Rocna for £170. Setting is very important to me being single handed all the time, if i have to buy a 10KG Rocna for £300 then so be it, to avoid mishaps,
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We’ve used a Delta for a decade now mostly in hard sand or mud. It’s not great setting in weed but once set has never dragged once even in 50 plus knot gusts in the hundreds of nights anchored . Rocnas are reputed to be even more perfect.
 
I think the Kobra was produced as a dismantlable Delta look-alike, but curiously in tests seems to consistently perform better than the Delta. :unsure:
 
Kobra II, set and held very well for three days last year at East Head in fresh winds and tidal stream and for two more days elsewhere in Chichester Harbour. Never a worry, even when we left the boat all day to explore.
 
A 16 kg delta on a heavy 7 ton motor sailor has been fine in exactly the placed mentioned by the OP, the delta seemed good value and easily available and stows ok on the boat, fine for normal recreational anchoring, maybe I would look harder if a long distance live aboard but will do fine in the Thorney channel!
 
chubby said:
A 16 kg delta on a heavy 7 ton motor sailor has been fine in exactly the placed mentioned by the OP, the delta seemed good value and easily available and stows ok on the boat, fine for normal recreational anchoring, maybe I would look harder if a long distance live aboard but will do fine in the Thorney channel!
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Hey Chubby, good to hear from you, thanks...
 
I've got a 16kg delta on a bavaria32. We frequent east head and are always pleased how quickly it sets
 
Have been anchoring in your spots on a 10Kg Delta for probably 30 odd years with zero problems. Only very recently moved to a Supreme (because it was cheap on Ebay) so far OK but still a bit wary.
 
As an angler, I anchor all the time in deep and shallow waters in your area. My fairly heavy-build 25 foot motor cruiser uses a 10Kg Delta, 10m chain, then 14mm rope. It holds well in all bottoms except the flat rock of New Grounds when it will drag for a while until it finds a break in the rock and sets. I always rig it to trip because the bottom is so snaggy with WW2 and other debris. I have used a Delta in this area for 30+ years and wouldn't want to change.
 
Delta is fine for most people most of the time. Important to set the anchor! 4 - 1 min to set... 1500 - 2000 revs and the chain tightens and boat does a little jig. 3000+ revs to make sure. Important to use chain stopper when setting anchor (like a snubber hook tied on forward cleat) then once set atach snubber with decent loop in chain. Min 4m snubber because if the wind pipes up you want some spring to protect anchor holding (especially if you are in shallow water then use 10m+ snubber) If you are regularly anchoring in 30kn+ then a Spade (or Rocna) will probably make you feel more secure. This season I had one unexpected 50kn squall that lasted about 5 mins and my 12mm 4m fairweather snubber held a 12.5 ton boat... It was imo stretched beyond its comfort zone and I was like sling shot pinball... So using 15m 16mm snubber now and the next 50kn prolonged blow (expected) was almost comfortable.
 
My delta was fine on both a 21’boat and a 27’ boat everywhere except in Newtown Creek. There I found it a real struggle to get it to set And frequently had to try several locations until it held. Once in it stayed in. So to answer your question, “ok for hardish mud?”, yes. As you then include Newtown, runny mud, I can’t recommend a Delta. I switched to a Mantus. It sets every time, even in Newtown.
 
Anchors are meant to work by design not weight nor should they need metres and metres of heavy chain. However it is said of Bruce, fairly consistently - they work better in larger sizes (larger than should be needed on a small yacht). As an aside - chain offers minimal hold - if you have been securely attached to the seabed - its the anchor that was holding you.

I don't know the area at all and there are ample suggestions, recommedations from people who know the area.

Of the designs discussed and quoted as being suitable the Kobra is the most cost effective suggestion. If you have plenty of money by all means a Rocna or Spade (as Rocna is a poor copy of a Spade) but in areas of cloying mud you will lift mud every time you retrieve the anchor - and have need to spend time cleaning - or it will NOT work next time you deploy (and I doubt you will have a good deck wash). You can clean by dangling the anchor of the bow -and motoring - but this takes time and you might prefer to go sailing. If you wanted to stick your neck out look at Lewmar's new Epsilon. Personally for chain I would opt for a long length of 6mm chain, it is easier to clean than rope (whose all pervading smell will soon envelope a small yacht). 6mm chain will be more than strong enough, easier to stow and will neatly match a decent anchor. 8mm chain is unnecessarily heavy and takes up much more room than 6mm - though you can dispense with a gym membership :)

I don't know if a Fortress should come into your mix, not of much value in weed - but they are exceptionally light and, apparently, come up on eBay fairly frequently. They are excellent in sand and mud. Lewmars LFX is a 'local' alternative but they are new and you will not find them cheap.

I would not buy a Mantus unless grossly oversized. They have a similar hold to a Delta of there same weight, and a Kobra, Rocna are factorially better for hold. Mantus sets reliably, but then so does a Kobra, Rocna, Spade. Mantus also sets shallow and will trip more easily in a change of tide. Mantus is not unsafe but for the same weight you will get more hold and the same reiiability from a Rocna or Kobra. I cannot comment on which might be a better financial investment - but for ground tackle I would focus on hold not the price.

Mantus is an excellent example of hype over substance and illustrates the gullibility of the market place.

For information on why I condemn a Mantus and the hype surrounding it read this article with care

An Inquiry into Anchor Angles - Practical Sailor

Jonathan
 
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