anchor

[irwinsailor]

I need to buy another anchor. I have a 45lb and 75lb CQR and they work well most of the time but I did have trouble the other night and I think a different type of anchor is in order. I am thinking of a Bruce. Is a Bruce a good choice for a different type of anchor or is it another plow?

[Vasco]

Here we go. Anchor wars! Everybody has a different opinion. My favourite is the Bruce or Bruce knockoff which is considerably cheaper. The only time I use my CQR (actually a Kingston plow) as a primary anchor is in a grassy bottom where the Bruce has difficulty digging in. As you already have a couple of CQR's I'd suggest the Bruce rather than a Delta which I really like. I'd love to replace the Kingston plow with the Delta but the plow works quite well and other things are higher on the list.

[CSY Man]

The Bruce Anchors sets easily, but have low holding power for their size.

(44 lbs Bruce = 1800 lbs holding power
44 lbs Delta = 3500 lbs holding power)

Therefore, the Bruce fans need to double the size / weight to equal a Delta plow.

It gets a bit expensive and a bit heavy, but it looks impressive on the bow.

Smart money goes towards a Delta.

PS: The above is not my biased opion, but raw facts:
There has been enough tests and compariosons among all them anchor types and the numbers are out there on the net and in books and magazines.

Do yer homework and ya shall sleep good at night when them squalls blow up and drag yer neigbors across the harbor.

[Vasco]

CSY Man,

I have yet to read an anchor test that replicates real world anchoring conditions in blustery weather. Most of them are just straight pulls. I have yet to be anchored in a blow where my boat just pulls straight back.

[irwinsailor]

It looks to me that the Delta and CQR are the same basic anchors both are plows and made by the same company (Lewmar). Is it smart to have 3 plow anchors?

[tenknots]

Good point Irwinsailor. It doesn't make sense to have all the anchors of the same basic type.

If it were me, I'd get the appropriate sized Delta as the bower and a Bruce as the secondary.

If you want to keep what you have, get a big Bruce as your backup. Use lots of chain, especially on the Bruce.

I've used Deltas and Bruces and prefer Deltas over all others. The Delta set when the Bruce didn't, but since the Bruce is different, it may work better in some places.

If you want to get laughed at by world cruisers, use a Danforth, especially with no chain.

[CSY Man]

I have yet to read an anchor test that replicates real world anchoring conditions in blustery weather.

Well Mr. Vasco, I only quoted "Holding Power" results, and those should give a fair indication of how much the anchor will "hold: before it starts dragging.

As far as your real world anchoring conditions in blustery weather, the only difference from the pulling tests would the pitching and yawing that could rip an anchor out, I that case I suspect somebody did not use proper scope or proper rode.

It looks to me that the Delta and CQR are the same basic anchors

Not so, 2 quite different designs, the CQR hinges and the pin can wear out over time. Proven design however.
The Delta has much of the weight in the pointed end and therefore tends to "Dig in" better.....Or so they say.

I have owned a few QCR and liked 'em till I started dragging the first time...In all fairnes that was a bottom with bad holding and blowing near gale. Also the anchor was a size "recommended" for my size boat...That was my biggest mistake..Always go up a size or 2.

At any rate, did a bunch of checking and studying up and ended up with a 55 Delta...That was 4 years ago...Never dragged an inch since and sleep very good at night when the wind pipes up and the other boats in the anchorage startes holloring and crancking their engines 'cause they are dragging backwards at a good clip.

In that case, the real world conditons mirrors the test results

[Vasco]

CSY Man,

You hit it on the nose by getting a proper sized anchor . That and the proper scope and no one anchored too close makes for a good nights sleep. Now what's to say that a similar sized Bruce wouldn't have given you the same results.

[CSY Man]

Now what's to say that a similar sized Bruce wouldn't have given you the same results.

Well, the 66 lbs Bruce is certainly a substantial piece of anchor, BUT again, they have lower total holding power for the size.
(I owned a 66 Bruce and had in on my previous boat)

I tend to listen to the Dashews, (They wrote the crusing bible)
they said that the Bruce is a good anchor, but to equal the total holding power to a plow, ya need to double the size...They also practiced what they preacehd and put a 110 lbs Bruce on their bow.

So did one of my CSY 44 buddies, 110 lbs Bruce, whereas several other CSY 44 guys got the 88 Delta and swears by it.
(My CSY is a 33, hence I got the 55 Delta, storm anchor, working anchor and lunch-hook all rolled into one big mother..Love it.. )

[Talbot]

The delta anchor is the anchor of choice for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute in UK - good enough for them is good enough for me. But as has already been said, only use the guide for correct anchor size as a way of knowing that yours will be the one 2 sizes larger! and make sure your chain is also a decent size. 30 m of 3/8" chain, and the rest 14 or 16mm nylon octoplait is better by far than all 5/16" chain.

[Vasco]

Where are you folks?

[svJasmine]

delta beat our cqr in first time sets and did a great job in the bahamas.

We put the cqr down in the bilge.

rich

[CSY Man]

He-he, thanks for the support from the "Delta Force"

Yes, I do have a secondary storm anchor, a Fortress FX 55, a huge piece of aluminium with a reported holding power of 16,000 lbs in hard sand.
It is disassemled and stowed under the cockpit hatch.

Also have 2 extra rodes, chain and line combo.

Happy with the set-up, but then again, my crusing grounds are limited to South Florida and the Bahamas. Other parts of the world with rocky bottoms could require different ground tackle.

[snakebird]

irwinsailor once whispered in the wind:
I need to buy another anchor. I have a 45lb and 75lb CQR and they work well most of the time but I did have trouble the other night and I think a different type of anchor is in order. I am thinking of a Bruce. Is a Bruce a good choice for a different type of anchor or is it another plow?

Here's some more anchor info:

http://www.noteco.com/bulwagga/multi...pdf_Jan_01.pdf

http://www.ussailing.org/safety/Stud...est1.htm#INDEX
http://www.ussailing.org/safety/Stud...20on%204/24/94

http://www.fortressanchors.com/AnchorTestSand.html

http://www.fortressanchors.com/AnchorTestNavy.html
http://www.practical-sailor.com/pub/...es/4892-1.html


http://www.fortressanchors.com/Ancho...chHolland.html

http://www.anchorbuddy.co.nz/royalnavy.html

http://www.fortressanchors.com/weigh_options.html

[CSY Man]

It was the opinion of the testing crew that the Delta has the best overall performance of any of the anchors tested on May 20.

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The above quote from the famous San Fransisco anchor test in 1994.