Rocna Style Anchor or Delta?

[hoppy110]

Hi

First post here, I have read so many posts and this place is a font of knowledge, should have asked many questions already but never made an account haha,

I've just bought my first sailing yacht and I'm looking at upgrading the anchor.

I'm tied between a Lewmar 20kg Delta Anchor
Or a 20kg Chanel Anchor (Rocna copy)

The current anchor is 12kg delta style anchor with no branding on so could be a copy. The surveyor said it's likely very underweight for the boat.

The yacht is a Westerly Oceanranger 38
11.58m
7.2tons

I know a lot of people here seem to suggest that copy's can be a bit hit and miss but I'm on a budget and really don't want to spend £600 as there's so many other bits to upgrade. I've heard a couple of really good reviews about the channel anchor but I'm tempted just to get the delta even though it's an old design as it's properly branded, does anyone have any advice? Ideally looking to spend less than £300

I plan on taking the boat all over the UK but home will be the east coast.

I had a motor yacht before with a Bruce style anchor and was regularly sleeping at anchor and had it slip 3-4 times, I'm pretty sure it was likely user error as I'm not a skilled sailer and lack the experience of setting an anchor well, but I'd like an anchor that could at least have some forgiveness of sloppy work haha.

Thanks.

 

[dunedin]

Welcome to the forum.
If planning to use the boat “all over the UK” you want a good anchor. In some of the nicest areas there are few pontoons or moorings so you want to have confidence your anchor will hold in bad weather.
We also have a 38 foot boat and anchor a lot (worn out one bow roller and one electric windlass in 10 years).
We binned the 20kg Delta the boat came with after 3 months, as if frequently failed to set, and replaced with a 20kg genuine Rocna. Best investment we have made.
Get a good new generation anchor - Rocna, Spade or similar. And plenty of chain. Not the place to economise IMHO

 

[Boathook]

I've never heard of the chanel anchor and have had problems with a 10kg delta not holding my 4.5 ton boat. Present anchor is a 15kg rocna that works well in a variety of seabed.
If you are taking the boat all over the UK you will possibly be anchoring and not in ideal conditions so the investment in a decent latest generation anchor is worth it.

I would do all I could to avoid copies.

 

[Bobc]

I swapped my Delta for a Channel anchor. Big improvement. Solid bit of kit and very good holding power.

 

[ashtead]

You might pick up a Lewmar delta cheap from a new boat owner upgrading to say a rocna or ultra-delta 20kg are fairly standard fit on your average Hanse of say 12m - if I was anchoring regularly I would have retired ours for a genuine rocna but other makes might be considered. You don’t say what chain you have say 60m of 10m or swivel etc but worth also consideration. Many threads here or anchors but if buying new I would buy the genuine from the makers of rocna, spade or ultra etc. I guess you might stretch to 25kg rocna if it fits your bow roller

 

[BCsailor]

Anchors are not the place to "economize"... simply not worth the angst and risk. Go big and get chain.

Delta anchors are terrible (we've seen so many not set when our Rocna sets quick and hard. And deltas drag.

Original Rocnas hold great, but we've found occasional issues with resetting when winds are high AND change direction (at which point we've seen ours drag 10-20m then set again... max a few times over 12 years). We may upgrade to a Vulcan or Excel.

Again, not where you should try to save money.

 

[hoppy110]

Great thanks for all the help,

I hadn't realised that the gap between a delta and Rocna was so big, I was thinking a delta would be pretty great but a rocnas a step above. I will have to have a serious think. It's £600, and that feels like a big cost on a reasonably cheap boat and sadly I'v already had a few surprises already so the budget is getting smaller and smaller haha. But I get everyone's point and I'm going to look around at all the next gen anchor options a bit more now.

I'm not sure how much chain I have as I haven't measured it yet, but I think it's 50-60m. The yachts on the hard now for the winter so I'll go and measure it as I need to put new distance markers on it as well.

 

[Laminar Flow]

I recommend a Kobra (Plastimo), similar to the Delta. The Kobra is the German sail magazine's benchmark for anchor tests - it has won their test twice, beating all competitors, including an Ultra in sand, mud and gravel.

We have been using ours since 2019. It has proven to be extremely aggressive when setting. At 16kg on 8.5 t it has always held us safely and in winds over 45 kts (on numerous occasions). The price for the Kobra is less than the Delta and much less than many of it's competitors.

 

[Neeves]

If you amortise the cost of an anchor over its life (they last almost for ever) or over the number of times you use one.......

They cost peanuts.

Forget your ideas of a budget - buy as good anchor an anchor as possible, suited (sized aka weight) for the size of your yacht. If you are short of funds you have chosen the wrong hobby (unless you come from Scotland and then you are just careful with money). If you persist in saving money..... recall..... you used a COPY Bruce - there is a lesson in there somewhere.

Your anchor is simply a part of the kit, you need chain, a decent shackle and a snubber, maybe 2 times yacht length.

Chain is just there to connect anchor to yacht - so go for length, not heavy chain. If you exceed the WLL of the chain..... you did not listen to the forecast and/or you did not choose your anchorage with care. If you are going to anchor anywhere - you need long chain (not heavy chain).

The elasticity of a decent snubber can replace some chain.


On copy anchors. Copy anchors tend to be sold by people who.... well copy. They are in the market to make money (guesss who they sell to) - they don't sell anchors as a public service, they are not a charity. There are plenty of good reliable, original, anchors - there is no need for copies. If 'these people' knew about anchors - they would design their own (they would have no need to copy). Buy an anchor with some credibility - if people here have not heard of an anchor - there may be a reason .... its not popular.


Don't expect a concise answer - there are many factors, let the thread run, chivy it along and then draw your conclusions.

Jonathan

 

[Irish Rover]

Forget your ideas of a budget - --' If you are short of funds you have chosen the wrong hobby. If you persist in saving money..... recall..... you used a COPY Bruce - there is a lesson in there somewhere.

A very unhelpful post. It would be a sad day if only those of us with plenty of spare cash could get into boating, and those on a tight budget were warned off in this manner. The OP has said he's on a tight budget and has already incurred some unexpected costs. It's good he's joined the forum and sought advice from more experienced boaters, and it's good to see such advice being offered. It's a pity, however, to see this kind of put down being directed at a new poster.

 

[Mister E]

It doesn't have to be rocna look at all the others of the same type.
There is a good one made in Ukraine and a new one from Lewmar (can't remember the names).
All the newer spade types have good holding and people who rave about a particular make that they like.
Lot of information about anchors on here if you search but be warned you will end up down a right rabbit Warren.

 

[Supertramp]

20kg is right for your size. I was in a similar situation to the OP and chose a Lewmar Epsilon, partly becaue it fits neatly on the roller and partly because it was half the price of a Rocna. No regrets after learning it doesn't like seagrass. I use it with 60m of 10mm chain and a bridle. Never feels like it's too much for 10t of boat.

I'm with others who say don't skimp on the anchor. Plenty of easier spends to delay or avoid.

 

[Arcady]

I recommend a Kobra (Plastimo), similar to the Delta. The Kobra is the German sail magazine's benchmark for anchor tests - it has won their test twice, beating all competitors, including an Ultra in sand, mud and gravel.

We have been using ours since 2019. It has proven to be extremely aggressive when setting. At 16kg on 8.5 t it has always held us safely and in winds over 45 kts (on numerous occasions). The price for the Kobra is less than the Delta and much less than many of it's competitors.

Another vote from me for the Kobra as a very effective and affordable anchor. I swapped a 15kg Delta for (I think) a 20 kg Kobra on our 38’ yacht. Never regretted it.

 

[IanCC]

Friends went around the world with their delta. But they knew what they were doing.

 

[wingcommander]

No help to the OP however
Its amazing to me how people manage to anchor and sleep safely before the new generation of anchor was designed.
( Old generation Bruce owner)

 

[Roberto]

I recommend a Kobra (Plastimo),

+1
cost wise an excellent choice; plenty of boats here having made very serious cruises with it. Not the one I have, but from these real life experiences of other people I would not hesitate to keep it should I ever find it already in a second hand boat.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

… I'm tied between a Lewmar 20kg Delta Anchor
Or a 20kg Chanel Anchor (Rocna copy)

The current anchor is 12kg delta style anchor with no branding on so could be a copy.

The yacht is a Westerly Oceanranger 38
11.58m
7.2tons

… Ideally looking to spend less than £300 … I plan on taking the boat all over the UK but home will be the east coast. … regularly sleeping at anchor and had it slip 3-4 times, I'm pretty sure it was likely user error as I'm not a skilled sailer and lack the experience of setting an anchor well, …

A better investment in time would be to research anchoring methods and then practice with what you have and significantly improve your skills. Changing your anchor to a better anchor is a good idea, but improving skills is a better idea. Many sailors learned long before so called new generation anchors came along, using inferior anchors.

Knox Anchor is very powerful and some tests have shown to have the highest holding power, and they claim has “the highest holding force of any anchor on the global market”. Slightly more than your price range, but a lot less than Rocha.

The best boat anchor types for different types of cruising & their pros and cons - Practical Boat Owner
Our Anchors — Knox Anchors

I have used a Knox for about a decade now, 41’ LOA, 10 tonnes displacement. It’s never let me down yet, sets rapidly.

Perhaps use this season to improve anchoring technique and save up for the anchor of your choice.

Your not going to get a straight answer on an anchor, so read up, here and on line, then make your call with confidence.

 

[GEM43]

No help to the OP however
Its amazing to me how people manage to anchor and sleep safely before the new generation of anchor was designed.
( Old generation Bruce owner)

I’m old(ish) but I recognise the value in technical advancement in humanity in whatever form, it should not be ignored or deplored. We used to communicate by lighting beacons on hilltops across the country, I think we can all agree that modern communication forms are an improvement ad pretty much everybody has progressd to using them.

 

[Irish Rover]

I’m old(ish) but I recognise the value in technical advancement in humanity in whatever form, it should not be ignored or deplored. We used to communicate by lighting beacons on hilltops across the country, I think we can all agree that modern communication forms are an improvement ad pretty much everybody has progressd to using them.

I thought @wingcommander post was excellent. He wasn't ignoring or deploying anything. He was addressing the OP's budgetary dilemma in a very practical and encouraging way, rather than telling him to stay out of boating until he can afford the dog's jewels.

 

[vyv_cox]

I used various Deltas for well over 25 years, sailing and anchoring frequently on UK west coast between Scilly Isles and Tobermory, English Channel across to France and Channel Islands, North Sea, Baltic, the Mediterranean as far as Greece. The Delta was changed for a Rocna in the Ionion after it dragged in a muddy bottom in a hurricane.
In all that time, apart from the final one it almost never dragged and always set reliably. In UK's sandy seabeds I would not hesitate to use one again.