Which anchor should I use - Sunday night banter

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Balbas

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I feel left out with all the anchor threads going on.

My Longbow came with three anchors, all quite large - which would you use and in what conditions?

CQR (genuine) about 15kg from memory
Danforth (again genuine), similar physical size to the CQR but a bit lighter
Fisherman's anchor (what counts as genuine?!) - flamin' enormous but not that heavy.

I don't really think I need to be carrying around three anchors. If I squint a bit I can see the utility in keeping the Danforth as a kedge / spare (but will I ever use it?). But the fisherman's anchor - what's the point? Are they particularly good conditions which would make the CQR / Danforth fail?
 
You will find that the Danforth and CQR will work almost every time and hold well - particularly the Danforth in weed or clay if you use exactly the same setting techniques that you should use for an NG anchor. You will also find others who don't know how to set their anchors swear that the old ones won't set right at all, compared to buying an NG at triple the weight of the old one.

You will also find that if you anchor a lot, and often in extreme conditions you will need to acquire an NG and probably have to go singlehanded as no decent crew will stick around if you are that bad at reading the weather.
 
Sorry to spoil the party but I agree.

Try the anchors before making any decisions.

If its an old and well used genuine (or even copy) CQR the hinges do wear and get a bit slack - and then the anchor does not work quite as intended. But many anchors are so seldom used this is an unusual problem.

They may be the perfect combination for your local sailing area - how would we know - but you have a really good cross section of designs.

When you have tried them, report back, maybe new thread and with your then new background and concern, if any - someone can scare the pants of you.

Jonathan

I am fascinated - how can you have an enormous fishermans that does not weight too much? Is it made from paper mâché? :)

Jonathan
 
I know what you should do.
You should tie them all together in a line, a couple of metres apart and deploy all three of them every time you anchor.
There's a better than good chance you will never drag, any wind strength, any type of seabed. All your anchoring problems solved.
Please report back
 
scrambledegg said:
I know what you should do.
You should tie them all together in a line, a couple of metres apart and deploy all three of them every time you anchor.
There's a better than good chance you will never drag, any wind strength, any type of seabed. All your anchoring problems solved.
Please report back
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Genuine lol.

I thought someone might suggest setting all 3 anchors to ensure I had good holding. But I didn't for a minute think that someone would suggest tying them all together... Genius.
 
Neeves said:
Sorry to spoil the party but I agree.
....
I am fascinated - how can you have an enormous fishermans that does not weight too much? Is it made from paper mâché? :)

Jonathan
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Fisherman anchors vary enormously. Some are very heavy for their size and others are soundly. The “ideal” type is probably the Thomas and Nicholson pattern carried at least until recently by RNLI lifeboats; they used them for backing down to a casualty on.
 
Neeves said:
I am fascinated - how can you have an enormous fishermans that does not weight too much? Is it made from paper mâché? :)

Jonathan
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I must admit I haven't weighed it and it lives at the bottom of the lazarette with the danforth, hiding under all of the warps, fenders, spare parts etc etc. From memory though it wasn't that heavy, but considering it's construction is far lighter than a CQR (which is quite a solid lump of metal when you think about it), it wouldn't surprise me to find out that it was half the weight.

I won't be finding out anytime soon though, I've put my back out so I won't be playing with anchors until the spring I don't think.
 
My Fisherman weighs 20kg, the same weight as my main bower. My other one is a Fortress FX23, which replaced a 20kg Danforth. To be honest, it's a long time since the Fisherman was used, but as we here would say, "It doesn't eat a piece", and it's there if needed. I have a personal attachment to this particular (home made) anchor, as it was instrumental in saving my previous boat.
 
anchor-opening-beer_2.jpg

T:Dhis is a Saturday night anchor
 
Minn said:
A Thomas and Nicholson pattern on an older RNLI boat.



Not one of the lightweights! I think they now use Deltas.
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On the new Shannon Class boats they use Spade. As with the Delta on the older boats they house them on deck in a special bracket. They, both the Delta and Spade, look very ungainly as the shank sticks up and looks like a real hazard to anyone working on the bow.

Jonathan
 
I think the OP should had stated what type of anchoring he does , before any one could answer his question ,
Weekend thick muddy river sheltered anchoring and any one would do the job ,
On the other hand if he anchored as we do , every day for most of the years round and on different sea beds in some cases not very shelter areas , yes I would sell then All and buy a good NG anchor .
 
sailaboutvic said:
I think the OP should had stated what type of anchoring he does , before any one could answer his question ,
Weekend thick muddy river sheltered anchoring and any one would do the job ,
On the other hand if he anchored as we do , every day for most of the years round and on different sea beds in some cases not very shelter areas , yes I would sell then All and buy a good NG anchor .
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South coast, areas where anchoring is known to be good and marked on the charts (for overnight stays) or near sandy beaches and pretty coves (for lunchtime stops). In reality the CQR is 'good enough' for now. If money was no object I'd buy a NG and retire the others, but there's always something else to spend the money on.

NG may be the biz, but CQR are absolutely fine for what I do I reckon.
 
Balbas said:
South coast, areas where anchoring is known to be good and marked on the charts (for overnight stays) or near sandy beaches and pretty coves (for lunchtime stops). In reality the CQR is 'good enough' for now. If money was no object I'd buy a NG and retire the others, but there's always something else to spend the money on.

NG may be the biz, but CQR are absolutely fine for what I do I reckon.
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+1. Also, one can afford to lose a CQR, and replace it out of pocket money, as so many folks have bought NGs, whereas an NG is an investment and is, imho, just as likely to get snagged by a ground chain, etc.
 
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