Pool N type anchoring

[Carsten64]

hello all, i might moving up from a sailboat with a spade anchor on a bow roller which served me very well up to 50 kn in the Meltemi arround greece to a trawler with two pool anchors in pockets. most yachts here in the Med using them but i very seldom see them using only one anchor and free anchoring at windy conditions so i wonder a bit. mostly they use both anchors and landlines , is this just a powerboat habbit or are the anchors to light to be used alone ? the steel trawler will have 70 ton with 2 x 65 kg and 13 mm chain. any real life experiences are highly wellcommed carsten

 

[silverdee]

Just my opinion here but loved my 55kg spade on old boat Aquastar 78 including in plus 60 knts wind.
new boat 27 Metre Alu motoryacht circa 120 Tonnes had 2x pool anchors i think 140 kg each on 165metre of 16 mm stud link. i prefer using 1 anchor (less tangles and can up anchor quicker if emergency).
We had quite a few anchor drags season 1 with boat and i have had massive job done to change one anchor for 110kg spade so will see how it goes.
Important to note quite a few different designs of these pool type anchors about and i know folk who are happy with theirs-- but my advice is be cautious - set a good watch until you have tested in various conditions and wind speeds.

 

[jfm]

It depends. An actual Pool N anchor made by Wortelboer has super high holding power. I mean these things Products. I have a pair of them and they feel like they will never slip. Very widely used and trusted by bigger boat skippers.

But if you are dealing with something else that looks a bit similar, then beware. It could be very different. Silverdee's 27m boat above had a pair of poor quality copies and they slid around all over the place. Not his choice - they came with the boat. They looked similar to Pool N (at first sight) but they were very different things.

Like Silverdee, I almost never anchor with 2 anchors down even though I could. Anchoring is not only about holding firm in my book; it's also about being able to get out quickly when the weather becomes awful. The last thing you want is a pair of tangled anchors.

70 tonnes/65kg anchor chain is only just about adequate in my view - take care. The 13mm chain is ok - some people say the chain holds the boat not the anchor but of course that is total nonsense - the anchor matters.

 

[Carsten64]

Thanks , thats exactly what i worry about and already think to get one bow roller installed for a big spade or rocna. it seem slowly even powerboats are using more bow rollers like even a 120 ton Nordhavn. would be interesting to learn about the different pool types, its nearly impossible to get info from the web or the manufacturer i contacted in germany and holland like dhone and wortlboers.
as the boat is coming from holland i expect good equipment but my first calulation told me 100 kg ea would be better if they fit.

 

[silverdee]

I tend to agree with you.

 

[jfm]

It is not true that "slowly... powerboats are using more bow rollers." Nordhavn do, but they are an exception. There is a near infinite amount of experience telling you that high quality Pool-N anchors work. I have had my boat and Silverdee's boat rafted together (29m +28m, 250 tonnes) in 25 knots of wind all held on just one of my 140kg Pool N anchors in sand/shingle, without any hint of slipping.
Of course get a spade/rocna type if you prefer, but please don't do that based on an assumption that all Pool types don't work well. The bad copies are indeed awful, but the genuine Pool-N used by many proper boat builders is a great thing.

 

[Hurricane]

Wow - an anchor thread with a difference!!
140kg Pool N - thats impressive.

 

[Carsten64]

i am with you, first i test the anchors in windy conditions or using the engine to pull and get a feeling, second i try to upgrade from 65 to 100 kg, have to see what fits. the last solution is a new bow roller ......
by the way do you still use any snubberlibe and if how to connect to the chain, thru the hase pipe, from outside ????

 

[Carsten64]

hi again watching some superyachts or at least yachts over 30 m in the meltemi last days with old pool type anchors and they drifted two times, anchor looked small......but how about a snubber line and how to set up and retrieve the anchor hook or shackle. i use 5 m nylon which is nice on my bow anchor. have seen yacht who used their dinghy to attach the snubber and others where the chain was constantly touching the bow because no chance to connect any snubber from the deck

 

[silverdee]

Can`t comment re Snubbers etc as not tried on current boat but can feedback on first season anchoring 27M boat with 110kg spade on new bow roller. Spent 24 hours in wind gusting 55knots off Sardinia this summer about 15-20M depth and 120M of chain out boat didn`t move an inch (well anchor didn`t) . Also love the bow roller system keeps chain off bow of boat at waterline.

 

[Carsten64]

yes spade is best. could you please show a pic of the bow ? often its not easy to install on some boats without changing a lot.

 

[silverdee]

Was a big job prob £20k but worth every penny.

 

[silverdee]

last 2 photos

 

[Carsten64]

yes thats look good and solid and i assume you still have one pool at portside. now people will often ask what happened to you anchor......but i believe that you sleep better now with the spade. still waiting for my next boat but i assume i will also like to get a bow anchor again. spent now approx 1500 nights at anchor with the spade and only one time it sliped due to posidonia and a thunderstorm.....
actually your old pool looks still massiv and capable......but as you mentioned the details are important.....