plough anchor

[oceanpilgrim]

have tried to use my plough anchor around the blackwater and have found it will not dig in but drags across the mud,thinking of the delta which seems to work ok ,has anybody tried to weald up the swivel neck joint to see if this cures the problem ?

 

[chockswahay]

We have a CQR which came with the boat. Bought a Spade anchor and have never looked back. The Spade has held in everything whereas the CQR was hit and miss. The shape of a plough anchor encourages just that.....ploughing!

Spent 130 nights on the hook in 2006, only dragged (a bit) once but that was in F11 (!)

Forget Delta, buy a Spade

Chox /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[AncoraLatina]

This is a very classical problem with plough anchors as they have too much weight on the shank and not enough on the tip…

Fortunately anchor technology has also improved, try one of the “New Gen” anchor, they dig in very fast and hold by far much better than “Last century anchors”.

João NODARI

 

[charles_reed]

Despite the two answers from persons associated with Spade, the CQR can act perfectly well as an anchor, but does need a degree of operator care.

First, generic ploughs are a different fluke shape to the genuine CQR and seldom work as well as a CQR. If you have a CQR (forged Made in Scotland on the shank), make sure its tip is reasonably sharp.
When anchoring lower it to the seabed under way and, whilst moving pay out cable, to about 5:1 scope. Make fast and after about 20' put on full reverse to dig it in and watch the chain get taut. There should be little movement after the first tautening.

The "falling over" is due to the fact that you are probably moving too slowly to allow the anchor to settle square on the bottom.

Don't try and fix the pivot, the CQR does rely on that feature to respond to change of direction of pull.

In mud, anchors such as the Danforth, Bugel, Rocna and Spade with a large fluke area will work better, but in shingle or coarse sand none will perform as well as the CQR.
As an easily stowed, self-launching and quick-setting anchor the Delta takes some beating and is far more competitively priced than most patent anchors.

 

[oceanpilgrim]

thank you for you info i will put the plough anchor away for use elsewhere and get a spade for the east coast,many thanks

 

[KellysEye]

We were based in Burnham and anchored in river mud all the time. Had no problems at all with a CQR except pulling the thing out. As somebody said you just need to set it properly.

 

[Abigail]

Have to agree - we used a CQR all over the east coast and never had problems. We set ours a bit differently from Charles_Reed's technique - come to as full a halt over the ground as possible - ie just about to start dropping back. Drop the hook with 3x scope or more, fall back to length of chain on tide or wind, then put on the power to get it well dug in. Adjust scope to suit, digging in again if much more than original, set snubber and GPS alarm - got to sleep.

There are places in the Blackwater which run fast and may have scoured the bottom. Otherwise, I can't think of places a CQR shouldn't do the job.

We have eventually bought a Rocna - provked to it by exasperation with the CQR on thick Med weed, but never felt the need to replace the CQR before.

 

[Wandering Star]

Charles, whilst I agree with your instructions for setting the anchor, it's the same method I use, my understanding which came from a booklet published by the manufacturers of the CQR many moons ago, was that the CQR is designed to fall over to one side or another - it is not designed to lie square on the bottom. The pivot action of the shank is there to ensure the anchor falls on one side or another.

I know the common thought is that it lies flat and people complain it "fell on it's side" but unless I'm going gaga in my old age, it's designed to fall over!

I now await the howls of laughter mixed with outrage at this suggestion! But I'm fairly sure I'm right!!

Cheers, Brian.

 

[AncoraLatina]

[ QUOTE ]

I now await the howls of laughter mixed with outrage at this suggestion! But I'm fairly sure I'm right!!
Cheers, Brian.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes Brian, you are fully right at this point...

The only problem, mainly in hard sand and weed, very common on the Med, is that the CQR remain on its side and doesn't dig in /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

João

 

[craigsmith]

[ QUOTE ]
have tried to use my plough anchor around the blackwater and have found it will not dig in but drags across the mud,thinking of the delta which seems to work ok ,has anybody tried to weald up the swivel neck joint to see if this cures the problem ?

[/ QUOTE ]
Your problems with the plough (CQR or copy) are not unique and you are sharing the frustrations of many boaters.

Do not attempt to modify the anchor; the designer of the anchor did not articulate the shank just for kicks. It is required to angle the fluke in the correct way for setting, and will not otherwise work. (It has nothing to do with veering direction of pull or anything else you might read). The Delta "fixed" this problem with careful design, but it is still a plough and suffers from related issues.

Read more on the CQR design:
www.petersmith.net.nz/boat-anchors/old-generation-anchors.php

 

[charles_reed]

I suspect it's probably a cheap, cast copy of the CQR.

I had one of those and it was totally useless, until I took and angle-grinder to the tip, after which it worked, sometimes.

It was with a great sense of relief, that I was able to junk the whole thing in Palma de Mallorca, when the shaft shattered.

The local chandler had a genuine CQR, which he couldn't sell due to the constant hype about "new anchors", so I saved him having to take any more of a loss on it, by offering him about his input price.

That has behaved well, but the CQR (or Danforth) isn't as idiot proof as the Delta, Spade or Rocna.

Of course every cruiser should carry two bowers of different types in a pair of bow-rollers, because matching anchor type to bottom is the key and I'm afraid the "snake-oil" salesmen who try and claim their anchor is the answer to all anchoring woes are doing the sailing community (and themselves) a disservice.

PS That last is not aimed at you Craig, 'cos I think you maintain a praiseworthy objective attitude and have a healthy respect for the Bugel after 5 of us had to had to help a German single-hander get his up after sitting out a NE6/7 in Siracusa mud. It had buried down to about 6 links of the chain.

 

[AncoraLatina]

[ QUOTE ]

<span style="color:blue"> Of course every cruiser should carry two bowers of different types in a pair of bow-rollers, because matching anchor type to bottom is the key and I'm afraid the "snake-oil" salesmen who try and claim their anchor is the answer to all anchoring woes are doing the sailing community (and themselves) a disservice. </span>
.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hummmmm…. May I do a disservice to the sailing community?? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

This is one of the curves published by SAIL magazine comparing different anchors in different holding grounds:
- From this figure it is obvious that “New Brighton” was a poor holding area and no anchor gave a good holding
- In both “East of warf” and “West of warf” most “New Gen” anchors gave a good holding, when most “old gen” gave poor results.

Following your recommendation, which “different” anchors will you choose to match these “different” sea bottoms??

João NODARI

 

[oceanpilgrim]

unfortunatly haveing looked at the plough it is a copy and not a genuine CQR ,looks like this is the proplem,am now the owner of a new shiny spade,shame to get it dirty now /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Ariadne]

Its horses for courses with anchors, so you should carry at least 1 different type of anchor.

We carry a Delta for everyday anchoring, works 90% of the time for us.
A Danforth type anchor (ours is a Fortress) for soft muddy ground when the Delta doesn't hold.
We are looking for Fisherman anchor for stoney/rocky ground now.

Our spare bower is a CQR copy, but when I needed it in anger, it didn't fail me.

Anyway as its ananchor thread I'll see you all on page 10 soon /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[chockswahay]

oceanpilgrim,

As a spade owner I am pleased to hear that you bought one. Don't worry about the 'yellow' coz you'll get a smug feeling every time you use it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

As a matter of interest, was there any one big reason why you bought Spade and not one of the others? (it is prob the most expensive of all of them!).

Any way, happy hooking /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Chox

 

[oceanpilgrim]

i would like to say some thing very tecnical ,but it was what thay had in stock my size with out waiting for an order,

 

[grumpygit]

I have noticed that a lot of people in the Italian marina we are based at seem to have or be changing their anchors to the claw type.
Is this a fad or is there some local knowledge for the use of this type ?............. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

CQR does appear to be the other type used which ours has two of.....................

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[AncoraLatina]

If you are based in an Italian Marina, I suppose you’ve seen the way Italian boats are mooring??

They rush at about 10/11 in the morning to go to the next sheltered bay – They all anchors in the same spot and they are all back before the sun down!
If the wind builds up, it’s soon a big mess! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Claw anchors made in China are among the cheapest anchors and they fit nicely ( better in stainless steel ) on the bow rollers of motor boats!

Did you say HOLDING?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

João

 

[Davy_S]

Although I understand your lighthearted comment, most of the claws are based on Bruce anchors, now any Bruce anchor owner will tell you once their Bruce has taken hold, not a lot will shift it! I can understand the My anchor is better than yours argument when you are selling anchors, but the truth is most peeps do not have a clue when it comes to anchoring, I watch them daily dropping the hook two boatlenghths from the quayside, no anchor is THAT good! If you have problems with the likes of a Delta or a fortress, I would question your anchoring method, I have no probs agreeing with the fact that a genuine CQR is older design, but it is still down to correct deployment in the first place, I see many a yacht anchor succesfully to the quayside daily using a CQR simply because they know what they are doing in the first place! (there is a difference)
Fortunately all the anchor arguments do is convince peeps who know what they are doing to stick with what they know and trust, or maybe try something more upmarket after hearing good reports about it from someone they know and trust
The sellers of anchors do themselves no favours by the tit for tat Mine is better than yours or the alteration of testing figures. We have Governments who do this and who believes them?

 

[charles_reed]

So Joao, what's the point you're trying to make except that only those misled by Spade salesmen try and anchor in New Brighton?