recommendations for dinghy anchor

[Mr O]

I am also in the mkt for a dink anchor and ran across the Fortress Commando. Anybody have experience with that one?

[skippy]

Got me thinking. Have 12ft 300# dinghy. Came with folding grapple with line. Would you suggest a different anchor, chain ?

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by skippy

Got me thinking. Have 12ft 300# dinghy. Came with folding grapple with line. Would you suggest a different anchor, chain ?

The folding grapnel anchor is only appropriate for rock or coral. It will not hold in sand or mud. In a worst case scenario where your motor has died & the wind is too strong to row against & is blowing you out to sea a good anchor could be a life saver. We use a small authentic Danforth. However, I've shortened the side bars at the bottom of the flukes to make stowing easier.

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp...111&id=3300801

[mayberrybfd]

A Bahamian

[Scout 30]

We also have an antique Benson's Anchor that came with our sailing dinghy. Works well.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Boat-Re-195....c100033.m2042

[nrwian]

I have been using an old Dreadnought in my soft bottomed dinghy . No sharp edges , seems to hold well in sand and in coral . Bit hard to come by but there is a manufacturer in Tasmania . Way better than the grapnel a I have used before .

Have a 17 kg Northill at home , great anchor but very rare . Makes a beautiful light fitting .

[txg]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

The folding grapnel type was good for fishing out bicycles which fell of the dock, but useless as a dinghy anchor.

We use a 5lb folding grapnel as well. It is true that it works very bad when used with rode only.

But since we added about 10ft of chain (cheapest chain from the hardware store) it works fine. At least for our small 8ft aluminium RIB.

And it stores nicely inside a small bag.

[Colin A]

Originally Posted by Mr O

I am also in the mkt for a dink anchor and ran across the Fortress Commando. Anybody have experience with that one?

I have used one works well. I never really had a need to anchor in the dink out in the deep so it was normally a beach or outhaul anchor which means the pull is pretty much in one direction. Hard to do much better then a danforth or fortress in those conditions.

[Mike Banks]

I have used the folding grapnel type anchiors. I would not recommend them at all. Instead, get the smallest plough type anchor, metal not plastic--about twenty pounds or less, and I carry it plus the chain and rode in a polythene box in the bow. If you can not find one--the Danforth type would be my next choice since it holds in sand or mud. Most dinghy anchors are too small. If there is any current at all a grapnel is just too inadequate.


In my opinion, since I have had one failure with them, is that the folding grapnel types are dangerously unreliable. They are too small to hold well and the locking mechanism is not positive enough, and even when open do not grab enough of the bottom.

[evm1024]

I've used a 2.2 pound Lewmar bruce claw for my dink. Someone tried to steal the outboard and used the claw as a lever trying to break the lock. It bent the shank. But it still worked fine for holding the dink next to a sandbar. Good anchor and great price for its size.

Since then I've been using a Mantus dinghy anchor. It holds and sets very well.
But then again I currently have very undemanding use for a dinghy anchor.

I did give a Mantus dinghy kit(anchor, rode, bag, a little chain) to a friend who is currently in the south pacific. He has glowing reports on how it works there.

I have a few Mantus anchors in the garage (the solid ones that do not break apart) still in their boxes. I think that being able to break the anchor down is most important for shipping (keeping costs down) but less so for storage. The anchor does take a little space but not too much for me.

Having any anchor in your dink that needs to be assembled before use is not a great idea to me. Imagine getting caught in a current and being swept out to sea. Losing minutes to assemble puts you further out and perhaps in water deeper than your rode can handle. Plus in the stress how well are you at assembly? Just discounting having it in the dink un-assembled.

N.B. I sell Mantus.

[Mike Banks]

These Fortress (Danforth) types and their derivatives are a good anchor in sand or mud--not so great in weed. The main disadvantage of them in a rubber ducky is the space and the stabilising bar. The plough types, and their non-plasctic modern versions, take up less space and hold as well or better, and are better in weed..

Nothing wrong with that Fortress anchor though. Be careful with it in a rubber hulled vessel.

[Captdd]

Yo
8 LB Danforth w/10" Chain is a Real Anchor!

I coil the chain in between the forks to keep them straight up out of harms way!

Cheers

[Don C L]

Well I’d probably go with a danforth 12h in a rugged bag or a fortress equivalent because, even though it is a lot of overkill for a dinghy, it is small enough and light enough to deal with but has holding power that might even come in handy for the big boat too someday like to kedge off something. You can set that kind of anchor by hand, or at least get it started so that more seriously pulling sets it well.

[HopCar]

Originally Posted by mayberrybfd

A Bahamian

Don’t they object to being used as an anchor? Besides which, you’ve got to fill their pockets with rocks to get them to sink.

Just kidding, what’s a Bahamian anchor. Is it one of those four blade grapnels that will fold so it lays flat? They used to sell them in Nassau.

[Tingum]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

We've been using a folding Grapnel anchor for 8 years, no problems, cheap and easy to use. Won't puncture your dinghy when folded. The recommendation by a previous poster to attach a few feet of chain sounds like a good idea.

Done! End of discussion, I haven't lost a dinghy in over 50 years!