FL Keys Anchor

[Drift Woods]

Cruisers,

My new to me 11,000 Lb Sailboat needs a second anchor. I have a 35 Lb Delta with 25 Ft of chain that came with the boat. It works well in the deeper sand in Biscayne bay. For years in my other boats I used Danforth with mixed results. But that style of anchor was worthless in thin bottom conditions, and god help you if they drag in grass. I tried a search and found most discussions were for heavy anchors. I don't want to find out that the lighter version of a great anchor doesn't work as well.

Thanks, Woody

[a64pilot]

I'd get rid of the Delta and go with a new gen roll bar anchor and a Danforth type, although to be honest I have yet to find a bottom the Danforth holds better than My Rocna.
My old CQR is in the barn

Of course you know that you will not get just one opinion on anchors, right?

[HopCar]

Woody, sounds like you and I spend a lot of time in the same areas.
I have been using a Delta for about twenty years and except for those areas that just have thin layer of sand over rock it has held well.

Since Canada Metal talked me into stocking their anchors, I thought I should try one. The Rocna won't hang on my pulpit so I got a Vulcan the same size as my Delta. It will be a while before I get a chance to try it. It looks really cool!

We will have some really good deals on Rocna and Vulcan anchors at the Fort Lauderdale show next month. Stop by and say hello.

[Drift Woods]

Yes the Rocna is the anchor du jour. But to me it looks like a inverted Delta with a hoop welded on the back. It looks like a great multipurpose anchor. But Im not sure exactly how much that will help in thin sand. The video's on youtube of anchor testing are misleading at best.

I plan to be at the boat show HopCar, see you next month.

Woody

[a64pilot]

Don't get hung up on a Rocna, there are quite a few very similar design anchors, find one priced right and that fits your boat.
I got my Rocna as it was the one on sale

[sck5]

Thin sand over rock? Aint nothing gonna work very well in that. I have a rocna for my primary, with a delta for backup and a fortress in pieces in the anchor locker. I have yet to use anything but the rocna from Chesapeake Bay mud to the Caribbean.

[HopCar]

Woody, Nothing works well in that thin sand over rock behind Elliot Key. Your only hope is for the tip of the anchor to catch in a hole or crevice in the rock. Actually a grapnel works pretty good in that situation but who carries a grapnel these days?


Well I do but I've never actually used it.

[Drift Woods]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Woody, Nothing works well in that thin sand over rock behind Elliot Key. Your only hope is for the tip of the anchor to catch in a hole or crevice in the rock. Actually a grapnel works pretty good in that situation but who carries a grapnel these days?


Well I do but I've never actually used it.

A64pilot is right, get a good one on sale.

As for Elliot Key, I stay out away from the Key in 8 to 9 feet of water to get a little more bottom for my anchor to hold. I was down there this last Labor day weekend and the thunderstorms built up over Turkey Point. It was a mess!

[noelex 77]

Hi Woody
Sorry I am not sure what you mean by "second anchor". If you want a spare primary anchor, given the developments in anchor design, I would replace your existing anchor and keep the Delta as your spare.

You have a 32.5' or 9.9 m vessel with a displacment of 11,300 lb or 5,200 kg. The Rocna anchor sizing tables list your the recomended anchor as 12kg.

Lewmar ( who in my opinion seem to specify very small anchors) recommend between a 6 kg and a 10 kg anchor.

Your existing 35 lb (15.9 kg) anchor is well within the ball park of most serious cruisers who tend to use anchors significantly above the size listed on the Delta chart.

Manufacturers would like us to believe that if you choose an appropriate sized anchor for your vessel, that the actual size makes little difference. So a 10 kg anchor on a small yacht will perform identically to 100kg anchor on a large yacht, providing the anchors are the recommended size for the vessel. This is an oversimplification, but with some exceptions (like the Bruce which seems to work much better for larger vessels) the concept is perhaps the best we can do.

Most anchor tests are conducted on very small anchors (because they are easier to handle). Most user reports are from cruisers using larger anchors (because larger cruising yachts are more common). However, the most highly rated anchors according to both methods of evaluation are broadly similar.

Anchors like the Mantus, Rocna, Manson Supreme and the Steel Spade are excellent anchors. The size (providing it is appropriate for the vessel) does not effect this recommendation. My advice, for serious cruising, would be to choose the largest anchor you can resonably handle. At +1 (one size larger) than the Rocna table and +1.5-2 over the Delta table, your existing anchor size is already suitably generous.

I have never cruised your area, but as a general recommendation a upgrade to one of the more modern anchors I listed above should be significantly better than your existing Delta. The Delta would become a good second anchor.

If you want a stern, or kedge anchor my advice would be different, but the most important priority should be to get the best anchor on your bow. This is what will hold you most of the time.

[HopCar]

Alex over at Spade anchors just talked me into stocking his anchors as well.
So now everybody needs to carry a Spade, a Rocna, a Vulcan, a Delta, a Fortress, a Danforth and a folding grapnel to be safe.


Wish you guys would settle on one anchor. It would make my life easier.

[Spade Anchor]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Alex over at Spade anchors just talked me into stocking his anchors as well.
So now everybody needs to carry a Spade, a Rocna, a Vulcan, a Delta, a Fortress, a Danforth and a folding grapnel to be safe.


Wish you guys would settle on one anchor. It would make my life easier.

We wish everyone would settle on one anchor as well!

[HopCar]

Alex, I know which one you want them to settle on!

[travellerw]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Woody, sounds like you and I spend a lot of time in the same areas.
I have been using a Delta for about twenty years and except for those areas that just have thin layer of sand over rock it has held well.

Since Canada Metal talked me into stocking their anchors, I thought I should try one. The Rocna won't hang on my pulpit so I got a Vulcan the same size as my Delta. It will be a while before I get a chance to try it. It looks really cool!

We will have some really good deals on Rocna and Vulcan anchors at the Fort Lauderdale show next month. Stop by and say hello.

When would this sale be going on? I'm in the market for a new anchor and will be in the keys in late November. I would love to support you, but not sure I can get all the way up to Miami.

[HopCar]

Travellerw, Send me an email through my website, www.hopkins-carter.com, and we'll work something out.