What Anchor Should I Buy ?

[illiniphoenix]

I recently purchased a Macgregor 26 which came with what I believe is a 15 lb Danforth anchor. I will be sailing in the Long Island Sound, which I believe I will find a significant amount of rocky anchorages. My understanding is that the Danforth is not the best anchor for rocky bottoms. I have been looking at a Seadog Folding Grapnel anchor, which is supposed to be good for rocky bottoms, a Lewmar claw style anchor, and a Lewmar self launching delta anchor. What would you recommend I purchase for my second anchor?

I'm inclined to purchase either the grapnel anchor, to use when the Danforth will be ineffective (rocky bottom), or the delta anchor, b/c it sounds like it is a better all around anchor that I could use for my primary anchor. What do you guys think?

[Paul L]

delta and use it as your main anchor.

[colemj]

If you are sailing out of New London to areas within 60 miles of New London, you will primarily be encountering thick mud (the good kind), muddy sand and eel grass over mud. There will be shells mixed in all of it. There will be very few rocky anchorages. The Danforth will get jammed easily by the shells, have a difficult time setting in the eel grass and is a poor anchor for the area. A grapnel will be useless. The Delta is a good choice - inexpensive and works very well in that area.

Mark

[skipmac]

Forget the grapnel. Not strong enough to hold your boat in any kind of a blow. Useful only for a few specific applications, not as a primary anchor for a boat, especially not overnight.

Could be handy for a dinghy anchor or we used a large grapnel to hook into the deck of the ship when we were wreck diving. In that case there was always someone manning the boat in case the grapnel came free.

[illiniphoenix]

Thanks so much for the detailed replies! Sounds like there is a consensus that the delta is clearly the anchor to buy. I appreciate the help!

[Cruiser2B]

FWIW, I have a delta too and like it. I would head down to local marina and see what others are using in you area. Maybe some people who are local to you will chime in here. good luck

[belizesailor]

Best to have a couple of anchor types aboard for different anchoring situations. So, you might pick up a Delta (or CQR or Bruce...) and keep the Danforth for other applications. They are great for clear sand and mud.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Cruiser2B

I would head down to local marina and see what others are using in you area.

Its been a while since I have walked a marina but I did get to do it a couple of days ago looking for Manson Supreme bow rollers to copy.
I didnt have a result there, but I was gobsmacked at the vast majority of what I would consider grossly undersized anchors.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Its been a while since I have walked a marina but I did get to do it a couple of days ago looking for Manson Supreme bow rollers to copy.
I didnt have a result there, but I was gobsmacked at the vast majority of what I would consider grossly undersized anchors.

The good thing is that most of those folks NEVER anchor in anger... ie overnight in less than perfect conditions. Lunch in Horseshoe Bay is a big adventure for many...

Not sure which marina you walked, but I suspect that they are the same the world over!

Cheers,

Jim

PS For the OP, grapnels are not really anchors. They are, well..., grapnels --something to temporarily hook onto something else. good advice to not use one.

[klem]

The advice on bottom types above is good. I would recommend that you be more specific about your anchoring so that you can get the best system for you. The biggest question will be, what are the worst conditions that you will anchor in? Since you will be anchoring in an area prone to severe thunderstorms, I would recommend getting a setup that will hold in a decent anchorage in at least 50 knots of wind. If you plan to be extremely conservative about when you choose to head out or you never go far from your home mooring and watch the weather, it may be practical to size for something like 30 knots.

Here are some specifications that I like to use in anchor selection:
Holding power (>1000 lbs in mud/sand would hold you in most squalls)
Sets reliably in mud, sand, grass
Resets/veers reliably in mud,sand, grass (important if you plan to leave the boat or sleep)
Stows well on the boat
There are probably others that you should think about too.

Starting with setting, this is an area where there has been a lot of progress recently. The new generation anchors (Manson, Rocna, Spade, Mantus, etc) will outset just about all of the other anchors out there in the bottoms that you choose. The delta will do a fair job but there are places where it will struggle. The danforth will struggle a lot in some of the bottoms. The grapnel will actually "set" well in all of the bottoms meaning that it is buried but it will not generate significant holding power.

Looking at veering next, the new generation are the best here as well. The delta will do okay here but it is not ideal. The danforth does particularly poorly in this area. The grapnel will do okay.

For holding power, the absolute king is the fortress anchor which is similar to a danforth but it does not do well in veering and can be difficult to get to set in some bottoms. The new generation anchors do quite well here. The delta does okay but tends to plow a furrow in some types of bottom. The danforth will do well if you can get a good set. The grapnel will do particularly poorly. The trick with holding power is figuring out how to size the anchor for the holding power that you want. Using data from anchor tests can help a lot here and looking at manufacturers recommendations can help a lot. I particularly like the recommendations of Rocna as they are based on 50 knot winds with moderate fetch and decent holding bottom which is not that dissimilar to some T storms you may encounter. Most manufacturers base their recommendations on something like 30-40 knots of wind so going up 1-2 sizes is needed if you want more than a casual anchor.

My personal recommendation would be a 25 lb new generation anchor unless you don't worry about T storms and then it would be a 15 lb. The reason that I recommend this is that I feel it represents the most well rounded anchor. A delta would certainly do the job but you probably need to go up a size and be a bit more careful when setting it.

[capngeo]

BRAVO! Klem!

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

The good thing is that most of those folks NEVER anchor in anger... ie overnight in less than perfect conditions. Lunch in Horseshoe Bay is a big adventure for many...

You are correct of course but there were a few that looked well travelled.

Not sure which marina you walked, but I suspect that they are the same the world over!

RQ and you would be right
It's just that its been a while since I looked and I couldn't help giggling and thinking I must be doing something horribly wrong seeing 40 to 50 ft boats that weigh considerably more than mine with 35 to 55lbers on the bow.
I currently have a 125lb supreme though I am about to swap that for 100lber as I thought it was just a bit too silly.

[Cheechako]

for rocky bottom I would use a bruce or bruce copy.... probably the only time you will hear me recommend that anchor.... We have a lot of rocky bottom up here in the PNW.

[Cormorant]

We have a somewhat similar boat -- 31-foot trailer sailer, 5000 lbs fully loaded. We use a 25-lb Manson Supreme with 20 feet of 1/4" G4 chain and 275 feet of 1/2" nylon 3-strand rode. We have anchored all over Maine and Cape Cod in every bottom type without trouble. In Maine it held well on rocky kelpy bottom or in harbor mud; on Cape Cod it holds well in sand. It feels rock solid, and I highly recommend it.

[carstenb]

If the bottom is rocky you will need a bruce (copy). On most anything else one of the new generation, Rocna, Spade etc is best.

Someone mentioned - think about what you will be anchoring. If you are thinking "lunch anchor" then any ole thing will do since you'll be sitting right there and it doesn't really matter at all.

Overnight? Just how gutsy are you? Ever going to be out in 50+ knots? Better get a really good anchor.

And do yourself a favor - oversize it a little. First because you know when the weather is going to suddenly get really nasty and exceed the wind/waves you were counting on when you bought and secondly the greater the anchor weight the more soundly you will sleep at night.

Anchor weight (and design) are the two major factors in getting the hook to bite and stay there.

PS - I have a bruce copy and a Rocna. And a small Grapnel I use if I'm just having lunch with no wind/current