Is my 50lb/23kg anchor too big for my yacht?

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BarneysDad

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The stainless danforth anchor has been sat on the bow roller for all the time Iv'e had the my 28ft long-keel 8,500lb displacement yacht - three years. I manhandled it once, in a yard, and it nearly killed me! I once used it for what it was designed for and I had to increase the revs on the engine to cope with the increased demand from the electric windlass, when raising it from the seabed. But the question I want to ask is: does anyone think such a brute affects changing direction, coming about -- an aspect in which my boat does not particularly sparkle, to say the least. I know that there are several reasons that can affect this tardiness e.g. light airs (which have predominated in my summer sailing). I want to know if disproportionate anchor weight on the bows encourages sluggish turning. Would an anchor of, say 22lb/10kg (the recommended weight) improve handling/performance? Thanks in advance.
 
Oh goody, a new anchor thread......
All I can say is that on my 40 foot 8 tonne(ish) fin keel boat, I have a 20 kg Rocna, which does very well at holding Rampage in place and in winds of up to f9 on occasions. So a 23 kg danforth seems a bit of overkill on a 28 foot boat. I'd suggest swapping the danforth for a somewhat small modern anchor. It'll be easier to use and therefore encourage you to anchor more often.
Sits back and waits violent disagreement.
 
Yes, a Fortress appropriate for your boat would improve all aspects except appearance.

It does of course depend on where you anchor as to the best shape of anchor for the job, but any stainless anchor is mostly good at looking good. Ploughshare steel is stronger and aluminium is lighter.

(cross-posted, hence failure to disagree)
 
Yes. There's no point in rupturing yourself trying to cope with the anchor. On our Sadler 29 of about that weight, we used a 25 plough quite happily, and our 45lb CQR is more than enough for our 5+ Ton boat now.
 
BarneysDad said:
The stainless danforth anchor has been sat on the bow roller for all the time Iv'e had the my 28ft long-keel 8,500lb displacement yacht - three years. I manhandled it once, in a yard, and it nearly killed me! I once used it for what it was designed for and I had to increase the revs on the engine to cope with the increased demand from the electric windlass, when raising it from the seabed. But the question I want to ask is: does anyone think such a brute affects changing direction, coming about -- an aspect in which my boat does not particularly sparkle, to say the least. I know that there are several reasons that can affect this tardiness e.g. light airs (which have predominated in my summer sailing). I want to know if disproportionate anchor weight on the bows encourages sluggish turning. Would an anchor of, say 22lb/10kg (the recommended weight) improve handling/performance? Thanks in advance.
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There are two issues with anchors. First its ability to hold your boat when in use and the second the effect of the weight and its chain stowed at the front of the boat. The first it turn depends in part on the type of seabed you anchor in and then the conditions you expect to withstand.

The normal recommendation for a boat of that size would be a modern anchor of min 10kg and maximum chain size of 8mm. There is a tendency now to use mixed chain/rope rodes to reduce weight of the stowed gear and to ease handling.

Whether the weight reduction will improve the boat's handling will depend on the specifics of the boat. If your long keel does not have a cutaway forefoot then it is likely to be slow to come about and reducing weight is unlikely to make much difference - it is just a characteristic of that type of keel. However it won't make it worse!
 
Tranona said:
If your long keel does not have a cutaway forefoot then it is likely to be slow to come about and reducing weight is unlikely to make much difference - it is just a characteristic of that type of keel. However it won't make it worse!
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It does have a cutaway forefoot. Therefore, I think to have a very heavy weight in the bow would undo the advantage of maneuverability - which the cutaway design attempts to solve.

Thanks Tranona!
 
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KellysEye said:
My view was buy an anchor one size bigger than recommended size for peace of mind.
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For my boat that makes perfect sense because we aren't performance minded and anchor almost every night on board. On previous boats it would have been wrong because we were almost always Marina based and were keen on fast sailing so anchor needed to be light enough to stow near the middle of the boat below decks.
 
I wouldn't think a Danforth had much resale value but a stainless one, if you don't mind polishing it up, might make decent money - enough to reduce the pain of buying a new anchor.

Your anchor is far too big - I can only think someone received it as a birthday gift from an overly generous Grandma, bless her heart.

We use 8kg alloy anchors, equivalent to 15kg steel models on a 7t high windage cat.

Look at the anchor sizing charts - they have been honed for decades, tend to be similar - you will not go wrong if you follow them. As Tranona says the style of anchor you buy depends on the seabeds in your local area - unless you plan to be adventurous and expand your horizons - and then you will need more than one anchor. The fact you have found the Danforth has good holding does not mean that a smaller one will be equally good Have a look at the boats local to you, what do they use.

Jonathan
 
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