Danforth type anchor question

[Sailing Drummer]

When I bought my current boat it had 2 Danforth type anchors (along with a CQR and a Bruce). But these Danforth anchors had something I've never seen before and I'm not sure if it makes a difference. On each end of the stock there is a ball (a little larger than a tennis ball but smaller than a softball). I haven't used these anchors and I'm not sure if I want to keep them as extras because I don't know if these "balls" will affect anchoring. The picture is not that good but you should be able to see what I've got.

Anyone have experience with something like this???

[Jim Cate]

No specific experience, but obviously those balls would inhibit burying.

But are y ou sure that they are part of the anchor? I've seen folks who put real tennis balls on the ends of the stocks to keep them from damaging the boat whilst the anchors were stowed. REmoved, of course, before deploying.

Jim

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

I've seen folks who put real tennis balls on the ends of the stocks to keep them from damaging the boat whilst the anchors were stowed. REmoved, of course, before deploying.

Jim

Yup, that's what they are.

[Jon Hacking]

Can you attach a different picture, something with more frames of reference & less clutter? I can identify a grab rail (? presumably on your deck), a ball (attached to ??), a shaft with some bungee cord, but not much else.

If the balls are on the ends of the shaft that holds the blades (the shaft perpendicular to the shank) then they shouldn't make any difference. They're probably there to stop people from impaling themselves on the ends of the shaft accidentally.

The Danforth needs to raise the base of the blades up enough that their points can start to penetrate the bottom. Danforths have tremendous holding power but one weak point is getting them to set (another is getting them to turn). The balls could also be to keep the ends of the shaft from digging into the bottom, so the anchor sits flat on the bottom & sets more evenly.

Nice that your new boat came with so many anchors, & of different designs.

[Sailing Drummer]

I'll take another picture and try to get a better angle showing more of the anchor.

The balls on the end are not removable. I thought they might be there to protect the boat and people also. But it also seems to me like it would inhibit the anchor from burying.

This picture is of the other anchor and it shows what I'm referring to better.

[CarstenWL]

... I have 'balls' too (on our Danforth :-)) ...

They should prevent the the crossbar from getting buried.

Carsten

[Cheechako]

The ends of those anchors tend to ding up the boat as they are a bit ungainly to handle. That's all those balls are about. I doubt they will inhibit anything on that anchor. It has generally twice the holding power in sand of any other out there and doesn't rely on the crossbar being buried that much.

[reed1v]

The balls are to protect toes and the deck from getting gouged. Take them off when anchoring.

[SpiritofGlenans]

I reckon they are there to help keep the anchor on a horizontal plane, thereby encouraging the flukes to dig in sooner. They will not adversely affect the functioning of the anchor, as you can see that their diameter is a good deal less than the height of the central boss which raises the stock so that the points of the flukes assume a downward angle. By keeping the shaft horizontal they prevent it leaning to one side thereby inhibiting the efficient action of the flukes.

[CarstenWL]

@SpiritofGlenans:

+1 :-)

Carsten

[anacapaisland42]

OR to stop people from walking into them, especially when slung on the bow
Bill

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

No specific experience, but obviously those balls would inhibit burying.

But are y ou sure that they are part of the anchor? I've seen folks who put real tennis balls on the ends of the stocks to keep them from damaging the boat whilst the anchors were stowed. REmoved, of course, before deploying.

Jim

[zeehag]

theballs are for protection of boat from anchor damaging it... i keep my danforths in my hold for use only when i need a kedging off a shoal. so far, not needed..mebbe because i have em......

[anacapaisland42]

PS, the brighter the better ...yellow great

Originally Posted by anacapaisland42

OR to stop people from walking into them, especially when slung on the bow
Bill

[Jim Cate]

One of the reasons that Danforth style anchors can develop such great holding power is that they DO bury deeply. Various blurbs by the Fortress folks talk about this at length. It is an important factor in the anchor's performance.

Thus, IMO, the balls will impair the performance of the anchor in some substrates.

YMMV.

Jim

[Jon Hacking]

I agree with SpiritofGlenans. They're there to help the anchor sit flat on the bottom so it digs in better, & they also limit damage to toes, deck & hull. They won't significantly inhibit the anchor from digging in. In fact, they look like an excellent idea for Danforth &/or Fortress anchors. I may have to do something similar to my Fortress...