Hi, I plan to travel south in the fall. I have a 35lb CQR with 45’ of chain and 200’ rope and elec winch. There are 2 rollers on the bow.
What do you all think is the best for a 30’ as the main anchor. I researching and finding the CQR may be older technology. I want something for my main that will hold in many conditions and bottoms. Is 45’ of chain enough?
I was thinking I should have a second ready and on the other bow roller. What should my second anchor be? It will have chain and rode. How is the chain and rode managed as the locker and winch are already dedicated?
I have a fortress anchor with little bit of chain and rode in the lazarette. Not easily accessed.
Debbie Sabo
“Essence”
nonsuch 324 #103
Wickford, RI
I sent a reply to one of your emails six months ago. I mentioned I was a friend of your dad and live up the street on 84 Main. I have circumnavigated with a 35 lb CQR, now obsoleted in most sources. Mimi and I now have a Nonsuch 26 (Encore) on our mooring in Mill Cove. I have been up and down the intercostal several times. Give me a call someday 401 295-0753
Ditch the CQR. Good for ploughing rows in a thunderstorm.
Today Rocna seems to be the standard if you are buying a new anchor. Everyone seems to like them. But IMHO 25lb anchors or any kind are to light to set effectively. Size plays a role.
I have a Bruce but not the knock off Chinese items you find in shops today. If you can find an original Bruce in the 15 Kg - 20 Kg range that’s a good choice. We have been anchored in several violent thunderstorms and never budged with a 15KG Bruce on a 26.
The Danforth/Fortress have two qualities that IMHO disqualify them. They do poorly in weed and when the wind or tide shifts they tend not to reset. The hold like fury so setting a few out for a hurricane might be a good use. And they are a PITA on a the bow.
As far as chain and rode. 60 to 90 feet of chain and 250 of rode are middle of the road. On the Great lakes 60 feet and 200 were fine as we were in 25 feet most of the time. Here in the PNW I had to go to 90 and 400.
If you have not anchored frequently, it’s a good idea to practise. Anchoring is best done slowly…
I currently have a 22 lb Rocna the bow of my 26. It would definitely be too small for a 324. I was just at the annual boat show and the Rocna and Rocna Vulcans looked poorly made. The welds did not look good and the galvanizing also looked poor. My brother has a Vulcan on his boat and both it and my Rocna look to be much better constructed than the ones I saw at the show. If I was in the market today I would be looking at a different brand of anchor unless I could find one from an older batch.
The anchors with roll bars are not as popular as they were when they first came out. In some situations mud will pack in between the flukes and the roll bar. As the boat swings the anchor may roll out of the bottom onto its side. The weight of the mud keeps the anchor from righting and it will drag until the mud clears.
People that have two anchors ready to go on the bow will generally have two different types so they can make a choice depending on the type of bottom they are anchoring in.
Be wary of sizing charts. Nonsuches are big for their length. They have a fair amount of windage, they weight a lot and they sail around a lot at anchor. Going up a size only hurts the pocket book but to balance that out you get to sleep better at night. Mason has a good sizing chart.
Ultra anchors test well but in my opinion are too much money. Spade anchors test well and while expensive are less than Ultra anchors. They are difficult to come by in Canada but I think reasonably available in the U.S.A.
The minimum length of chain recommended is at least equal to the length of the boat. I use 60’ of chain out here in the PNW. My brother uses 100’ of chain. Due to restricted swing room we mostly anchor with a scope of 3:1. I always have some rope out so never use a snubber. My brother often is on all chain so has to rig a snubber each time. From my reading I believe on the east coast people use a minimum of 5:1 and try for 7:1 scope. Properly sized nylon rope rode will be strong enough and it stretches thereby reducing shock load on the anchor. It is prone to chafing if it drags on the bottom so you need some chain. Chain also adds weight to the ground tackle which is a good thing if you don’t have to lift it by hand.
You have not mentioned the size of chain and rope you are using. You will be limited by what the gypsy on on windlass will take. If you chain is small, more is going to be better.
I believe some people that have two anchors ready to go, place a divider down the centre of the anchor locker to keep the rodes from tangling.
When this topic comes up I always refer people to Steve Goodwin’s excellent anchor research. His YouTube channel SV Panope is a real rabbit hole but well worth the time. Here’s a link to one of his more recent comparison summaries. https://youtu.be/smgWTtFuk3U
You need to decide what qualities are important to you and choose accordingly. For me, I value rapid setting as in our tight anchorages we don’t have the luxury of dragging a hundred feet or so to set our anchors. I have a Mantus 35 and I love it.
With regard to Mark’s comment about hooped anchors clogging with mud, Steve found that to be a serious problem with the Rocna but not with the Mantus which has a hoop that is wider than it’s flukes.
I replaced the original 25lb CQR with a 15kg (33lb) Rocna Vulcan (has no rollbar, but rather a heavy weighted section to aid in proper setting). The rollbar version would not have fit well with my bowsprit. While I never had an issue with the CQR, my sailing was becoming more adventurous (longer trips and to new places (for me)) and I like to be able to sleep at night without much concern about the anchor dragging. The Rocna Vulcan as performed very well, and has held with no issues even in 30+MPH wind conditions (much higher than that I play it safe and splurge for a dock). I find it sets quickly and firmly, if one follows proper anchoring techniques. The only time I recall having an issue was at Block Island in what appeared to be a heavily shelled bottom… took 3 tries to get it to grab properly, but on the third try it was in soldily (may also have been because it turns out I was trying to anchor on a raised mound (shallow spot) and it may have been pulling out of the side of the mound - just a guess. When it grabbed and held we were in slightly deeper water).
I have 30’ of chain and 200’ (perhaps 250’) of rode.
When we go on extended trips (a week or more) we take the CQR with us as back-up, but have only once thought about deploying it… got a mooring ball instead - I was able to sleep that night!
Peter Grabow
S/V CAKE WALK III
1987 30U 430
Jersey City, NJ
Nocturne sports a 35 lb CQR on 100 feet of 5/16” G4 chain, mated to 300 feet of 1/2” nylon rode. I’ve anchored in rock, sand and mud with no issues, and deployed once in 70’ of fast running (3kt) current and a nasty 4-6’ sea when my diesel died. For nearly an hour it kept me from being driven onto a rocky lee shore outside the Portsmouth/Kittery harbor until the Harbormaster arrived with TowBoat US. My inflatable/outboard were under tow (my error), flipped over, ripped open and tore away, but I was safe onboard.
Though some people say the CQR is not up to the task, I believe it is a fine anchor as long as you deploy a sufficient mass of chain to weigh the catenary close to the sea floor. Of course, a stout windlass helps recover the whole shebang when you want to move.
Mark is correct regarding weight. Within reason more is better. As far as chain. I think minimum of double boat length, maximum of 100. These boats don’t need more weight up front and the chain juts serves as a catenary and protection from the bottom.
Anchors inverting is generally due to backing down too quickly.
Interesting that Peter Smith has a disclaimer about biased testing and reporting.
Just sayin’….
It is notable that none of the independent tests he presents were conducted in mud bottoms where the Rocna (developed by Peter Smith) can have significant problems.
I like Peter Smith’s article however, in the interests of full disclosure, I think he should have mentioned that he was the designer of the Rocna anchors.
I also like Steve Goodwin’s tests but I prefer the actual test data to the summary he has provided. Some of the numbers he assigns are arbitrary (he acknowledges this) but they get included when giving the anchor a final scoring.
All of the anchor tests have limitations but the better tests give some information upon which a decision can be made.
Paul is correct about the anchor rabbit hole. Few topics are more eye watering than anchors. The one thing that strikes me across all the testing is how “Bruce” is always at the very bottom, but the original “Bruce” is widely used. I have looked at some of the “knock off Bruce’s” now sold and the geometry is different and quality very poor, cast vs forged steel. I think this shows how even small changes to testing, design and manufacture can greatly impact real world results.
I have had a bruce on numerous boats. they usually hold fine, with one big exception. They slide through mud without resistance. no matter how much chain or rode
Chuck Mitchell
Chill
NS 30, #90
Marstons Mills MA