anchor size for my

[motion30]

I have a 44 foot motor yacht weights 40000 pounds. I want to upgrade my anchor .I am looking at a mantus. I'm trying to decide between 85 pounds and a hundred and five pound anchor. is the hundred and five pound anchor ridiculous for my boat? I do a lot of anchoring in the Florida Keys although the water is shallow sometimes the seagrass is quite a problem

[nes]

I have a 32 foot sailboat, and it weighs about 10,000 lbs. It had a 16 lb Bruce, and I replaced it with a 35 lb Manson Supreme (very similar in design to the mantus). My experience with the Bruce in Southern California, was that it was ineffective at best. I now keep it on board as a backup.

When I looked at anchors prior to buying my Manson Supreme, many of the forum's and the individuals that I spoke with who had experience with a variety of anchors told me two things, 1st, whatever size is recommended for your boat go up by at least one. 2nd, use more chain and put out more rode.

So, I bought a 35 lb Manson Supreme, and increased the chain on my anchor from 30 feet to 50 feet. On the west coast, San Diego to Catalina, I found that it was almost enough to make me feel comfortable. I did not have any problems with it, but I did not have any periods of high wind either. Now, I am on the west side of Florida (near Tampa), the water is much shallower, and I have had a little experience anchoring here. On one occasion while waiting for the tide, so that I could enter the channel, I thought, well lets use the lighter anchor, after all we only have to wait about an hour or so, three attempts later and I gave up and went to the Manson Supreme. First time I tried it caught, and we waited for the tide.

One more comment, many of the comments that I have seen about anchors, suggest that it is a good idea to have two different styles of anchors, as not even a plow/rocna/manson/mantus anchor will actually work in every condition. If your specific situation does not allow two anchors with the 105 lb anchor, but it would work with the 85 lb anchor, then IMO, that should be factored into your decision.

Another thought, while your boat is at the dock have someone (or a couple of people) who total about 200 lbs sit on the bow of your boat, (105 lbs for the anchor and the rest for the chain), make sure your tanks are all full, now go look at your boat from the side. Does your boat sink down to the bow? or is it still pretty much where it belongs.

Bottom line, I really like this style of plow anchor. One of the calculators that I looked at suggested that at 85 lbs you are about 1 size bigger than you "need", and that at 105, you are probably about 2 sizes bigger.

Of course this is another of the famous anchor threads at the very start.

[csmithers]

I know of cruisers with boats your size who bought 100LB bruces because, pound for pound, the 100 lb bruce is an amazing deal. So, 100lb anchors on your boat are not *so* absurd. The manson, however, may not need to be oversized like that. At the very least, the general rule is to go one size above what is recommended by the manufacturer. You are on the outer cusp of the Mantus' recommended size of 65lb so you would need to size up to 85lb no matter what. I don't think you'll regret getting the 85lb at all, but you may sleep a bit better if you have the 105 lb. So, if the only reason to not buy it is because it's absurd - that's exactly what you should buy it. If on the other hand it's a question of money, windlass, boat balance, or something else, you should do fine with the 85lb.

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by motion30

I have a 44 foot motor yacht weights 40000 pounds. I want to upgrade my anchor .I am looking at a mantus. I'm trying to decide between 85 pounds and a hundred and five pound anchor. is the hundred and five pound anchor ridiculous for my boat? I do a lot of anchoring in the Florida Keys although the water is shallow sometimes the seagrass is quite a problem

The best calculator I know of for a 3rd generation anchor is the Ultra site: Anchor Selection

If this is correct, a 60# will be more than adequate, and the 85# appropriately oversized for the paranoid anchorer, like me.

[Dhillen]

As Steve Dashew says, your anchor isn't big enough until people walking down the dock laugh at it.

Go for the 105 pounder, your windlass won't notice the difference and you will sleep with both eyes closed.

Dhillen

[Bash]

On the Mantus size recommendation chart, you're on the border between a 65# and 85# anchor. Unfortunately, if you'd asked this forum whether you should purchase the 105# or the 125# anchor--the largest size Manta makes--a significant number of forum members would have told you to go 125#. You'll sleep better, apparently, knowing that you've spent twice as much as you needed to.

Never mind the fact that Mantus recommends the 125# anchor for boats up to 70' and 70,000 lbs. What do they know?

[noelex 77]

A bigger anchor does have significant advantages other than just increased holding power. (and the piece of mind that comes with that)

It enables you anchor in areas of questionable holding and on a shorter scope than could be used normally. This opens up both new anchorages and enables you to anchor in corners of established anchorages that are not available otherwise.

The setting of multiple anchors is generally unnecessary.

Many people that claim larger anchors are totally unnecessary place undue restrictions on themselves. "Its not safe to anchor there", "that anchorage is only safe in light wind" , "its OK for daytime, but not overnight", "avoid this bay the weed is thick". This even extends to whole seasons "it is not safe to anchor in the Mediterranean over winter", or certain conditions "if the forecast is over force 8 we always book into a marina"

There is nothing better than watching all the boats disapear from a beautiful anchorage to be left to enjoy the sunset on your own.

These restrictions can be largely removed by adding 10-15 kg to the anchor size. For me this slight extra weight and increased cost seems a small price to pay.

I find it a puzzle that some people predict such doom and gloom from such a modest increase in weight. The same philosophy does not seem to extend to other items that might be much heavier and stored near the ends of the boat. We are encouraged (correctly in my view) to carry plenty of spare water, diesel, propane, spare parts, chain, larger tenders etc, but somehow an extra 10- 15kg on the anchor sends some people into apoplectic shock.

Just my 2c on anchor size.

Oh, and my vote is for the 105 Lb

[Normanby]

Originally Posted by Dhillen

As Steve Dashew says, your anchor isn't big enough until people walking down the dock laugh at it.

Dhillen

Great quote, I'll use that.
In fact, reckon I'll apply that philosophy to much of my equipment. Whatever it is, if people don't say "that's overkill" then it's not big enough!

[sailorboy1]

If it fits the bow and your windlass etc can handle it; I vote for the 105#

cheapest insurance around is a oversize anchor

[Stu Jackson]

You need to size the anchoring SYSTEM, including all its components, for the way you boat.

Anchor System Sizing Tables (Reply #6) Ground Tackle & Anchor System Sizing TABLES & SwivelsGround Tackle & Anchor System Sizing TABLES & Swivels

[Bash]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

Many people that claim larger anchors are totally unnecessary place undue restrictions on themselves. "Its not safe to anchor there", "that anchorage is only safe in light wind" , "its OK for daytime, but not overnight", "avoid this bay the weed is thick". This even extends to whole seasons "it is not safe to anchor in the Mediterranean over winter", or certain conditions "if the forecast is over force 8 we always book into a marina"

Let's look at the other side of the picture, just for the sake of an alternate perspective.

Those of us who tend to be adventurous anchorers rightly consider the anchor to be a disposable piece of gear. I myself lose an anchor about every ten years or so, which is usually at the point where I need to replace the chain anyway.

There are some folk who won't anchor in anything other than sand or mud because they've invested so much into their ground tackle that they can't afford to lose it. These people place as many undue restrictions on themselves as the folk to whom noelex refers in his previous post.

I'm a diver. Twenty years ago I used to run a dedicated dive boat in addition to a sailboat. When I sold my house and moved aboard, however, it no longer made sense to keep a second boat, so I moved to a sailboat that would serve as a dive platform. This isn't an ideal setup, but then owning a single boat seldom is.

The first time I had to abandon an anchor was because I'd already done a couple deep dives, and we'd breathed our way through the four tanks we had onboard. Even if I'd had more air, it would have been a five-hour wait before I'd outgassed enough to be able to return to the anchor safely. I'm glad I didn't have a super-expensive anchor at that point, because I would have been tempted to try a quick up-and-down with limited air, and it was better just to write the anchor off.

Until this summer I hadn't lost an anchor in quite some time. My chain was 13 years old, and the anchor on it was seven years old. I left a buoy on it and came back with a diver the following morning, but it was so weirdly tangled that we couldn't free it, largely because we'd only brought a hookah rig and couldn't safely navigate the terrain that had swallowed the anchor. We could follow the chain to the point of entanglement, but couldn't find the anchor at the other end of things. At that point I had a decision to make: how much did I want to risk/spend to salvage that anchor, when I could buy a new one for $450 through Port Supply? Especially given the fact that I needed new chain anyway.

I use the exact-size anchor Rocna recommends for my size boat. This is my working anchor, and I have a storm anchor in case the need for one should ever arise. I've never yet dragged on the working anchor. When I replaced the Rocna 25 kg I lost in July, I did so with another Rocna 25 kg.

My new Rocna is just as disposable as the old one was. I'd love to think it might be the last anchor I'll ever buy, but I also know that if I ever need to cut and run, I won't hesitate to do so.

[noelex 77]

I think your point of loosing an anchor is a valid one.

However the incremental cost difference of anchor couple sizes up is not that great especially considering chain, swivel etc is likely to be lost. With any boat gear 10 years is not a bad life. With safety equipment (and the anchor qualifies) I would not buy on cost just because the expected life was a decade (and I think that is pessimistic).

Personally I have never lost an anchor (in 3,000+ nights at anchor) although I have come close. I can free dive to the anchor and normally I have scuba on board (although mine is US at the moment) however not all cruising sailors are so equipped and there are situations like crocodile infested waters this is not possible.

The small risk would not influence my decision on anchor size.

Having a larger storm anchor and a smaller working anchor was a popular philosophy in the days before powerful, reliable electric anchor winches.
These days I feel the practice is unnecessary and unwise, unless your boatbuilder has installed an undersized anchor winch. With good gear large anchors are easily handled. Most of the weight is in the chain anyway.

Having the "storm anchor" in the bilge rather than on the seabed means you miss out on the advantages I listed in my earlier post.
In addition there is a risk of unforecast storm. The worst wind I have ever experienced at anchor was when the forecast only predicted a force 7. Local meteorological events such as microbursts are still poorly predicted.

Oh and I fixed the quote for you

Originally Posted by Bash

I've never not yet dragged on the working anchor.

[Kenomac]

For those folks worried about loosing an anchor.... that's what scuba gear is for. Regarding anchor and size, we just spent 80 days on the hook in a variety of conditions and bottoms using a 45kg Ultra anchor without budging an inch, never even bothered to do anchor checks after a couple of days, even a couple of anchorages off the beach beyond the surf. The thing is amazing and surpassed my expectations. We used to own a Rocna and CQR. I'd recommend going one size smaller with an Ultra 33kg for your boat. We use the 45kg, because our boat is 25 tons.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

Oh and I fixed the quote for you

you're too kind!

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

For those folks worried about loosing an anchor.... that's what scuba gear is for.

I'm a retired scuba instructor who has logged over 5,000 dives. Scuba is not always a solution. As I pointed out in my earlier post, a professional diver was aboard when I attempted to retrieve the anchor I recently lost, but after an hour we decided that the risk and expense of retrieving it was too great. One of the problems was that he was using a hookah system he uses to clean bottoms because we had not anticipated that the recovery would be as involved as it turned out to be.

I readily admit that I sometimes anchor in places other boaters would avoid; one of my interests is exploring dive sites that no one has previously dove. However, the point is that anchors are disposable gear despite anectodal evidence that cruiser X or cruiser Y have never lost one.