Just conducted an anchor survey

[Robin]

In our YC marina. Around 200 boats including those now ashore off our club moorings and with several very new boats included. Only ONE 'modern' anchor, a Rocna, but one other monstrosity with a roll bar and struts between bar and blades, no idea what but maybe home made. Of the rest I would say 80% were genuine Deltas (including one in S/S), 5% were Bruce or claw copies (one also in S/S) the remainder were split 50/50 between genuine and copy CQR ploughs. Oh and one solitary Brittany/Danforth. No Spades and no Mansons or Bugels.

No idea what it proves, but I'm sure somebody will and even produce a graph.

 

[Rigger Mortice]

I'm surprised at such a low count on Danforths.

 

[Searush]

My Danforth is in a locker, so you wouldn't see it. It's now my kedge, & my Admiralty pattern Fisherman's is relegated to the driveway behind my caravan.

 

[Robin]

I'm surprised at such a low count on Danforths.

Possibly some are stowed hidden in anchor lockers, I wouldn't have seen those. However of all the boats from say 28/30ft upwards, pretty well all had their anchors stowed on the bow rollers, except for a Malo and a couple of Mobos with them in cutouts in the bow.

 

[Rigger Mortice]

Good point. Mine is in the locker.

Perhaps you should do the survey again? This time you need to clamber on board all the boats and look in the lockers. If anyone challenges you just tell them you're doing a survey for YBW. I'm sure they'll understand.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

I think it proves that you have nothing really important to do today

 

[Sybarite]

In our YC marina. Around 200 boats including those now ashore off our club moorings and with several very new boats included. Only ONE 'modern' anchor, a Rocna, but one other monstrosity with a roll bar and struts between bar and blades, no idea what but maybe home made. Of the rest I would say 80% were genuine Deltas (including one in S/S), 5% were Bruce or claw copies (one also in S/S) the remainder were split 50/50 between genuine and copy CQR ploughs. Oh and one solitary Brittany/Danforth. No Spades and no Mansons or Bugels.

No idea what it proves, but I'm sure somebody will and even produce a graph.

In the French test that I have quoted before it noted that certain anchors held but the flukes deformed. Thereafter these anchors were useless. The conclusion was that even if the deformation was as little as 1cm you could throw the anchor away afterwards.

 

[Robin]

I think it proves that you have nothing really important to do today

Went for a walk around as we have no boat here anymore and our new one is in Florida. Two new hips in the last 12 months so I like to give them a workout.! Normally don't get very far in the marina without stopping for a chat but today very few folk were about, probably as it was really windy, so I thought I'd do a quick survey to make me walk up/down every pontoon and the round the yard.

In the French test that I have quoted before it noted that certain anchors held but the flukes deformed. Thereafter these anchors were useless. The conclusion was that even if the deformation was as little as 1cm you could throw the anchor away afterwards

It seems that the Danforths and offspring copies only exist on the smaller boats, I guess those are the ones that can bend the flukes.

I was very surprised at the lack of the modern ones, Spades, Rocnas and Mansons, since on here it seems nobody would be seen in polite company with anything else! Just one measly Rocna.

 

[Poignard]

I was very surprised at the lack of the modern ones, Spades, Rocnas and Mansons, since on here it seems nobody would be seen in polite company with anything else! Just one measly Rocna.

It's no wonder so many boats are lost each year around our coasts due to their anchors dragging.

When will yacht owners stop trusting to their own and friends' experiences and start believing what advertisers are clearly telling them

 

[bigwow]

Just one measly Rocna.

Perhaps all the boat owners down your way did their “due diligence” before purchasing, except one?

 

[Sans Bateau]

Perhaps all the boat owners down your way did their “due diligence” before purchasing, except one?

RocnaOne, isnt called so for no reason.

 

[Robin]

RocnaOne, isnt called so for no reason.

I don't think it was on his boat...

It looked totally unused, so either due diligence arrived too late or it might be a style icon.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

I have just done a similar survey in Yarmouth harbour. One Rocna ( mine ) and loads of rusty old CQR's.

Therein lies the explanation I think. Most people seem to stick with the anchor their boat came with. Lots of old boats, so lots of old generation anchors.

When I was in Ardfern this summer, the Rocna appeared to be the most common anchor! Of course, the fact that the chandlery there sells them was a contributing factor.

 

[FishyInverness]

It's no wonder so many boats are lost each year around our coasts due to their anchors dragging.

When will yacht owners stop trusting to their own and friends' experiences and start believing what advertisers are clearly telling them

Ok, i'm going to have to notice this comment and give you a well deserved high five for that!

Was thinking of doing the same around the small seaport marina up here as i'm off next week and seeing what fare is on the bow rollers (though yachts are possibly in the minority in there) - just out of curiosity...

 

[GrantKing]

deformation

In the French test that I have quoted before it noted that certain anchors held but the flukes deformed. Thereafter these anchors were useless. The conclusion was that even if the deformation was as little as 1cm you could throw the anchor away afterwards.

Smiths deviation tolerance is 1mm over 500mm on the shank or it is a reject.

 

[Robin]

I have just done a similar survey in Yarmouth harbour. One Rocna ( mine ) and loads of rusty old CQR's.

Therein lies the explanation I think. Most people seem to stick with the anchor their boat came with. Lots of old boats, so lots of old generation anchors.

When I was in Ardfern this summer, the Rocna appeared to be the most common anchor! Of course, the fact that the chandlery there sells them was a contributing factor.

There were 4 or 5 brand new boats all over 40ft and all but one had a Delta, one of which was a stainless steel one. The other new boat had a stainless steel claw. I might add that quite a few of the other boats had new Deltas, but I would agree that the CQRs looked older but that said they weren't rusted old relics by any means, the copy CQRs in cast steel were rustier mind, not that appearance matters.

One thing that did amaze me was the seriously rusted chain and I mean seriously rusted (all of it, because it was laid out on a pallet as the boat was ashore) on an aluminium Ovni. That surely has to be caused by galvanic corrosion stripping off the galvanising when stored in an aluminium locker?

 

[Sybarite]

Went for a walk around as we have no boat here anymore and our new one is in Florida. Two new hips in the last 12 months so I like to give them a workout.! Normally don't get very far in the marina without stopping for a chat but today very few folk were about, probably as it was really windy, so I thought I'd do a quick survey to make me walk up/down every pontoon and the round the yard.



It seems that the Danforths and offspring copies only exist on the smaller boats, I guess those are the ones that can bend the flukes.

I was very surprised at the lack of the modern ones, Spades, Rocnas and Mansons, since on here it seems nobody would be seen in polite company with anything else! Just one measly Rocna.

To be fair they were commenting on how well the Fortress light weight anchor held; better than most of the heavy anchors but thereafter it was finished. They extended the comment to other Brittany/Danforth style anchors. They had the means of exerting up to 3000kg pull.

 

[Richard10002]

Most people will stick with the anchor that came with their boat.... until it fails to perform perhaps several times.

As many yachts are used as day or weekend sailors, they will rarely anchor in the types of conditions, or bottoms, where they might have a problem... so they have no reason to change.

My father owned the boat before me for 3 years, and never had a concern. I got as far as Majorca, and 18 months of ownership, before I had any doubts about my anchor, (Harbourfast CQR type). After that, the search was on for a supplier of a New Gen type.

The question to ask is:

"when deciding to buy a new anchor, what type do people choose?"

You cant answer this by walking around a marina.

 

[Robin]

Most people will stick with the anchor that came with their boat.... until it fails to perform perhaps several times.

As many yachts are used as day or weekend sailors, they will rarely anchor in the types of conditions, or bottoms, where they might have a problem... so they have no reason to change.

My father owned the boat before me for 3 years, and never had a concern. I got as far as Majorca, and 18 months of ownership, before I had any doubts about my anchor, (Harbourfast CQR type). After that, the search was on for a supplier of a New Gen type.

The question to ask is:

"when deciding to buy a new anchor, what type do people choose?"

You cant answer this by walking around a marina.

OK, firstly don't shoot the messenger! I just went for a walk and got curious.

On a personal opinion front, I don't like copies. In the case of the CQR the genuine one is drop forged steel, the copies are made of cast steel, the weight distributions are completely different and even the modern anchor designers acknowledge that is important. It is why the Spade is tip weighted and it's shank kept light and the Cockup shaft needs special steel to stay light and not go bendy.

My comments were merely an observation of what I actually saw across some 200 boats. Considering the constant discussions on here and other forums where it seems the whole boating world and his dog already have one or other of the modern designs, I was completely surprised to find only ONE in 200 boats in my survey. I was actually hoping to see a selection to gauge if one would be suitable on our new boat which has a plank bowsprit, but the solitary example was too small to judge anything much by.

The question of what to buy when buying a new anchor is relevant of course, but then that is still an opinion from someone who not yet has what they might decide to buy next, so is expectation rather than factual practical situation experience. I'm not saying they are wrong or right, just separating out the bin theres from the not yet there yets.

I was also surprised about the brand new boats. These were not small boats by any means. I said 'over 40ft' but in fact over 45ft would have been more accurate and these were some pretty pricey stuff. That the owners of these new boats had given consideration to anchors was evident by the fact that two of them, both sailboats, had very large and very expensive stainless steel anchors (one Delta and one Bruce), maybe a factory option but certainly not standard fit I would suggest.

I was also very surprised at the number of Deltas, because many of those quite obviously were upgrades from the originals which were most likely (no facts to back that up) copy plough styles as fitted by Westerly and Moody et al back then. Quite a few of the Deltas were pretty new too so not ancient upgrades.

Of course the style of cruising and cruising area has an influence, but from discussions on forums it would seem everyone is a world or Med cruiser that routinely anchor in gales! For the record quite a few of the larger boats in my survey (it is a YC marina so I know many personally) have/do cruise extensively. Several to my knowledge have done the Atlantic circuit, several have done round Britain and Ireland cruises, many have cruised the Med and more still the Atlantic coasts down to Gibralter and again many out to south and west Ireland.

So, once again I'm not trying to prove any point but just to comment on what I saw. My interest, aside from the forum discussions, is that our new boat came with a copy 66lb Bruce, proven if you like in practice by 3 months at anchor in the Bahamas, Abacos and out to the Turks and Caicos, but nevertheless not trusted by me, which is pure prejudice I know. So my interest is in what I should replace that Bruce copy with, that will stow in a plank bowsprit without my having to re-engineer it. I have to say I'm still leaning heavily towards a new Delta, and we could if we want go up in size to a 70lb or 88lb one of those and still fit it in the same place as the Bruce. Weight up front isn't an issue, if it was we could just bring aft the Danforth style one that is currently stored on the foredeck.

 

[LadyInBed]

My Danforth is in a locker, so you wouldn't see it.

Same here, but I have two Danforths! The big one in the bow locker is a bit large for a kedge, I reckon to use it if I need to put out a second bow anchor. The smaller one is my kedge.

I seem to have followed the trend with main bow anchors having a Delta. I have just upgraded it from a 10KG to a 16KG Delta. According to the spec it is oversize for the boat but the pilot house gives a lot more wind resistance than an average 10mtr boat.

PS Anyone in need of a 10KG Delta