What's the Best Anchor ?

[David Wills]

I've recently purchased a 52' motor yacht. We are avid cruisers, but are more accustom to boats with less free board than the current one. As with most of us, when anchoring we're always face with currents either in the Chesapeake Bay or cruising South down the ICW.
I know I can't put too much anchor down, but I curious as to what anchor would be best, plow, Bruce or QRC etc. I'm looking for the right piece of metal to put in the ground that will give me peace of mind at night... Any suggestions??

Synergy
Va Bch

[rebel heart]

[Rolf the Rotten]

[Sailmonkey]

Have you tried to search the forum?????

[Sea Yawl Later]

The Rocna or we have the Manson. We have had many others but I wouldn't sail without our Manson. When you feel that anchor set....nirvana.

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Originally Posted by Rolf the Rotten

The two funniest replies I've seen in a long time. 'emoticon-only' replies at that. Priceless, though not a great welcome to a new member.

David, I'll assume your not trolling. While this is probably one of the most legitimate questions to ask, it is also one that has not only been asked, but asked A LOT. It is one that generates a lot of 'animated' back and forth amongst members. Take a look in the 'Anchoring and Mooring' section. There is a veritable encyclopedia of threads dedicated to the topic. After spending a number of hours reading through them all you'll understand the inside joke.

Basically, asking about anchors or guns on this site seems to be akin to asking people about their thoughts on religion and politics. Everyone has an opinion and most disagree.

I had the same question earlier but managed to somewhat avoid stepping in the pile. After a lot of reading, I'm in the process of buying a Rocna.

[rebel heart]

Should I bring a gun?

[boatman61]

The one that holds......

[cat man do]

Cheap generic Chinese made ploughs are the best anchor by far.
Especially if they are several sizes under what other manufacturers recommend
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Personally, I have an oversized manson supreme for a primary with a lewmar delta as a day anchor

[rgscpat]

Oh dear good lordy some of the old-timers may be salivating at the thought of renewing the Anchor Wars. But is there a way you could have worked guns, pets, corruption, excess law enforcement zeal, marine sanitation devices, fickle customs officers, boater licensing, and whacko crew in with the anchors so as to maximize entertainment value? Then we could haul out the economy size popcorn for this thread.

What bottom types do you anchor in?
Do you already have an anchor winch? Electric? Manual? With chain gypsy or not? What size? What size rope and/or chain is it designed to handle? Heavy duty bow roller?
Do you have strong young backs or bad ones?
Do you have good coordination between the helm and bow crew (hand signals etc.)?
Do you need to be able to anchor solo?
How well insured is the boat and how nervous are you about protecting her?
How big is your anchor locker? How much other stowage down below? Room for a few hundred pounds of ground tackle?
Do you have a good list of "hurricane holes" or storm refuges for your route and what is the worst-case exposure in any of the places where you cruise?
Is your mast tall enough to force you to avoid some protected passages such as portions of the ICW? Does your keel depth limit access to any ports of refuge in your cruising area?
Would your crew have the stamina to check and adjust chafing gear and ground tackle through the duration of a blow? Is the crew well protected on deck and is the bow a secure place to work in bad conditions?
In case of a storm prediction, how quickly can you reduce the windage of your boat? And how much windage and weight does your boat have in the first place? Is it a big towering power sportfisher or a long skinny traditional sailboat? Does the shape of the boat work for anchoring fore and aft if necessary?
In a blow, would you trust your life with being able to use your engine(s) to relieve pressure on the anchors?
Would you anchor in crowded moorings where you need to compensate for limited scope by using heavier anchors and rode?
Do you scuba or have a system for retrieving a fouled anchor?
Does your boat tend to "sail" or "hunt" at anchor? How does your boat lie at anchor when wind and current differ?

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by cat man do

Cheap generic Chinese made ploughs are the best anchor by far.
Especially if they are several sizes under what other manufacturers recommend
.
.
.
.
..
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
Personally, I have an oversized manson supreme for a primary with a lewmar delta as a day anchor

[Islandmike]

We have an oversized Manson Supreme as our primary anchor for our 30,000 lb sailboat. Best anchor we have ever used....

[cliffdykes]

Originally Posted by rgscpat

Oh dear good lordy some of the old-timers may be salivating at the thought of renewing the Anchor Wars. But is there a way you could have worked guns, pets, corruption, excess law enforcement zeal, marine sanitation devices, fickle customs officers, boater licensing, and whacko crew in with the anchors so as to maximize entertainment value? Then we could haul out the economy size popcorn for this thread.

What bottom types do you anchor in?
Do you already have an anchor winch? Electric? Manual? With chain gypsy or not? What size? What size rope and/or chain is it designed to handle? Heavy duty bow roller?
Do you have strong young backs or bad ones?
Do you have good coordination between the helm and bow crew (hand signals etc.)?
Do you need to be able to anchor solo?
How well insured is the boat and how nervous are you about protecting her?
How big is your anchor locker? How much other stowage down below? Room for a few hundred pounds of ground tackle?
Do you have a good list of "hurricane holes" or storm refuges for your route and what is the worst-case exposure in any of the places where you cruise?
Is your mast tall enough to force you to avoid some protected passages such as portions of the ICW? Does your keel depth limit access to any ports of refuge in your cruising area?
Would your crew have the stamina to check and adjust chafing gear and ground tackle through the duration of a blow? Is the crew well protected on deck and is the bow a secure place to work in bad conditions?
In case of a storm prediction, how quickly can you reduce the windage of your boat? And how much windage and weight does your boat have in the first place? Is it a big towering power sportfisher or a long skinny traditional sailboat? Does the shape of the boat work for anchoring fore and aft if necessary?
In a blow, would you trust your life with being able to use your engine(s) to relieve pressure on the anchors?
Would you anchor in crowded moorings where you need to compensate for limited scope by using heavier anchors and rode?
Do you scuba or have a system for retrieving a fouled anchor?
Does your boat tend to "sail" or "hunt" at anchor? How does your boat lie at anchor when wind and current differ?

No, no, no - don't encourage the OP by asking him QUESTIONS

All the answers are already here and we'll all start losing the will to live

Cheers
Cliff

[capngeo]

[Hud3]

Using the handy-dandy CF custom Google search feature will keep you reading about anchors for hours, and hours, and hours...

"best anchor"

"rocna manson delta fortress cqr"

Be sure not to miss the classic 20 page, 295 post thread, http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ter-31321.html