400: L400 with Rocna Vulcan 25 Anchor

[AZ_Zoner]

Thinking about a new anchor. Has anyone installed or seen a Rocna Vulcan on the L400? Looking at the 25 (55lbs).

Thanks for any input!

Craig


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[Scottster]

We loaded up with a stainless Rocna 33.
It makes sleeping at night a whole new experience.
The bigger the better, one thing you will never hear while at anchor
" I wish I had a smaller anchor"
Cheers Scott


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[Scottster]

Same with solar, you won't here these words
" I wish I had less solar"


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[katsumi]

We went for the Rocna 25, I would say it is sufficient. I was happy with our choice until I read Scottsters post. We have only tested it on the Pittwater and Sydney harbour so far, mud and sand also some weed, still need to spend the time setting the anchor and scope.
We kept the old Delta as a back up anchor.

[Scottster]

I kept my Delta but it was not very reliable

So my 33kg is to long to fit the allotted space on the chain raceway.




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[gspeak]

Just as a comparison. We have a #6 / 30kg Sarca Excel on our L380 .... Yeah 1 size oversize, but we have slept well for the last 2.5k nautical miles since we took off last October down & up the QLD coast.

Rex from Anchor Rite suggested the size when I told him our intentions. Plus he supplied to North QLD for a great price. The Excel is an awesome anchor & made in Oz 😃

Not trying to hijack your thread.

Dave


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[tuskie]

The Rocna Vulcan should fit well on a Lagoon 400. However, I've not seen one fitted. They are prohibitively expensive in Australia. It has a shorter shank than the original Rocna, so will not give the problem that Scottster illustrated. Most testing report that the original Rocna holds better than the Vulcan. The chief reason for the Vulcan design is to allow the company to sell anchors for boats that won't accomodate the roll bar of an original Rocna. An added benefit reported to me by a friend with a Vulcan on a FP catamaran is that the shank curve helps to rotate the anchor to the correct orientation as it comes over the bow roller.

We looked at Rocnas but decided the 33kg didn't fit and the 25kg was probably ideal, but the 28kg Manson Supreme was cheaper. I have a friend with a 33kg Rocna who modified the trench in the bow walkway to fit one. I won't use the anchor swivel that Scottster has. He may have an excellent swivel, but I've seen several fail due to sideways force opening them. That wouldn't help me sleep at night. Particularly in a tidal anchorage where the anchor must rotate and reset every 6 hours. If the anchor is held by rock or coral the chain may pull on the swivel at 90 degrees, causing it to bend open.

I don't wish to add to the overdone discussion of anchors on CF, but a couple of points are specific to L400s. Firstly, the bow rollers are only riveted on. I know of several that have been lost at sea. A good upgrade is to drill out, tap a thread and screw in round head machine bolts. Plenty of Duralac or Tefgel, of course. Secondly, the screw down anchor retainer is fine but it doesn't take the load off the windlass. If you wish to carry oversize anchors and hope to get a reasonable and reliable life from your windlass, it is desirable to fabricate something to pull back the anchor, so that the windlass bearings and seals are not under constant load. We use a short stainless rachet strap from the walkway cleat to the anchor eye.

[Scottster]

The mention of my swivel is noted and dealt with.
I only use that swivel coastal cruising, a Robinson shackle takes its place when offshore.
The big drawback is the space in the channel, on a passage I attach a rope from the anchor hoop to the cable above the anchor then release the tension from the windlass.
Further I have a replacement windlass 1500w in stock that uses the same bolt pattern for the day the 1000w blows up.
I also have pick up bed liner to apply to the anchor track to clean up the chips and facilitate a clean look that is rubber based.
I will update later when it's complete
I have talked with a L400 owner that destroyed their anchor roller and now that I look at it it does look dodgy.



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[Scottster]

My chain now has fresh markings, it still looks good.


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[tuskie]

Originally Posted by Scottster

The mention of my swivel is noted and dealt with.
I only use that swivel coastal cruising, a Robinson shackle takes its place when offshore.
The big drawback is the space in the channel, on a passage I attach a rope from the anchor hoop to the cable above the anchor then release the tension from the windlass.
Further I have a replacement windlass 1500w in stock that uses the same bolt pattern for the day the 1000w blows up.

If you look after the original windlass you may never need that upgraded spare. Isn't that "Murphy's Law of Spare Parts"?

I'm not familiar with a Robinson shackle. Is that a brand or a type?
Your anchor swivel may be super strong and never break. It's just that I haven't found one that I could trust.

We had a regular problem with "wrong way round anchor" on many retrievals. Mostly due to us slowly motoring forward with the anchor splashing around in the water in order to rid it of mud. We could have achieved this in reverse and correctly orientated the anchor, but the crew would rather steer out of a crowded anchorage going forwards. After tiring of twisting the chain or leaning over the bow with a boat hook, we fitted an anchor "boomerang". They are probably available elsewhere in the world but not named after the Australian prototype of the Surface to Air Missile. Works a treat, but make sure you use quality rated shackles. They are easy to make yourself, and I have no commercial interest.

How to boomerang you anchor right back at you - MySailing.com.au

[Scottster]

The original Windlass will more than likely hang in there and I hope it does,



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[Steve_C]

Originally Posted by tuskie

The Rocna Vulcan should fit well on a Lagoon 400. However, I've not seen one fitted. They are prohibitively expensive in Australia. It has a shorter shank than the original Rocna, so will not give the problem that Scottster illustrated. Most testing report that the original Rocna holds better than the Vulcan. The chief reason for the Vulcan design is to allow the company to sell anchors for boats that won't accomodate the roll bar of an original Rocna. An added benefit reported to me by a friend with a Vulcan on a FP catamaran is that the shank curve helps to rotate the anchor to the correct orientation as it comes over the bow roller.

We looked at Rocnas but decided the 33kg didn't fit and the 25kg was probably ideal, but the 28kg Manson Supreme was cheaper. I have a friend with a 33kg Rocna who modified the trench in the bow walkway to fit one. I won't use the anchor swivel that Scottster has. He may have an excellent swivel, but I've seen several fail due to sideways force opening them. That wouldn't help me sleep at night. Particularly in a tidal anchorage where the anchor must rotate and reset every 6 hours. If the anchor is held by rock or coral the chain may pull on the swivel at 90 degrees, causing it to bend open.

I don't wish to add to the overdone discussion of anchors on CF, but a couple of points are specific to L400s. Firstly, the bow rollers are only riveted on. I know of several that have been lost at sea. A good upgrade is to drill out, tap a thread and screw in round head machine bolts. Plenty of Duralac or Tefgel, of course. Secondly, the screw down anchor retainer is fine but it doesn't take the load off the windlass. If you wish to carry oversize anchors and hope to get a reasonable and reliable life from your windlass, it is desirable to fabricate something to pull back the anchor, so that the windlass bearings and seals are not under constant load. We use a short stainless rachet strap from the walkway cleat to the anchor eye.

Hi Tuskie,

When you are setting the anchor do you use your bridle or the windlass? I have read that most people set the anchor before letting out the final amount of rode, so it dawns on me that you would either have to put that strain on the windlass or have to set the bridle, set the anchor, unhook the bridle, put out final amount of chain and rehook the bridle????

[SVNeko]

Originally Posted by Steve_C

Hi Tuskie,

When you are setting the anchor do you use your bridle or the windlass? I have read that most people set the anchor before letting out the final amount of rode, so it dawns on me that you would either have to put that strain on the windlass or have to set the bridle, set the anchor, unhook the bridle, put out final amount of chain and rehook the bridle????

The lofrans tigres has a handy cleat on top for that purpose. We have a piece of big dyneema with a loop on one end and a hook on the other. Put it on the chain and let a link or two out to put the strain on the dyneema. Set the hook and then switch to the bridle.

And as for the swivel, I know it is a debatable subject, but we have done 20,000 miles with a quick swivel. Its twice oversized and stronger than the chain. We don't worry about that.

[tuskie]

Originally Posted by Steve_C

Hi Tuskie,

When you are setting the anchor do you use your bridle or the windlass? I have read that most people set the anchor before letting out the final amount of rode, so it dawns on me that you would either have to put that strain on the windlass or have to set the bridle, set the anchor, unhook the bridle, put out final amount of chain and rehook the bridle????

We set the anchor once the bridle is attached, but Neko's procedure would work fine and save the hassle of unhooking the bridle if the anchor didn't set on the first attempt. It's just not good for windlasses to be subjected to large shock loads.

[cdiversions]

Katsumi (and others with an original Rocna 25 kg on their 400), does the shank of the 25 kg fit in the chain raceway and avoid the issue Scottster had with the 33 kg?

Thanks,
Tom