Anchors, Guns and Strippers!!!!

[Apollo366]

Originally Posted by tarian

And one would not over brake a car, as this could lead to accidents, and fatalities, that is why those in the know the manufactures, have a good guideline and we as paranoid sailors go one size up.
A heavy bow will impair performance to the boat , a overlarge anchor will cause problems to the windlass if not calibrated to the size of anchor , and will cause major problems with a power outage.
This sense of bigger the better is the usual tripe from men who seems to be thinking between their legs , as the old proverb goes it aint the size but what you do with it .!!!
Learn to anchor properly , understand your chain or rode , watch the weather and react accordingly and you will find no problems with anchoring

I totally agree and if the electric windlass fails what do you do with a 70# anchor on 300ft of chain??

I tend to go with several light er anchors, all can be managed with plain ole muscle power, not heavy windlass.

Once u learn good seamanship you can sail out an anchor and not have any problems. remember we are sailboats, not power yachts who have 100kw of aux power to run things.

Keep It Simple my friends,

Capt. Wayne

[Scubaseas]

I totally agree and if the electric windlass fails what do you do with a 70# anchor on 300ft of chain??

Fix the windlass? Or use one of the 8 winches on the boat that could easily handle the weight. I choose not to be a Luddite, If it works for you great.

If you are in 60' of water using 3/8" G4 chain that's 90# of chain at least. Have fun.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Apollo366

I totally agree and if the electric windlass fails what do you do with a 70# anchor on 300ft of chain??

As has been mentioned a number of times, having a backup plan is simply prudent for all boat systems. But this is one of the reasons I prefer my manual windlass. There's really not much that can go wrong with a manual.

Originally Posted by Apollo366

I tend to go with several light er anchors, all can be managed with plain ole muscle power, not heavy windlass.

By this I assume you mean aluminum Fortress-style anchors. Great anchors -- in a specific circumstances. I prefer a more general-purpose anchor as my bower, but if I was only anchoring sand/mud I might choose this style as my bower.

As for deploying multiple anchors, again this is useful in specific circumstances, but generally is not a good idea. In addition to screwing up the anchorage for everyone else (multiple anchors means odd swing motion), simply adding a second anchor doesn't generally add to your holding power. It just adds unnecessary complication.

Originally Posted by Apollo366

Once u learn good seamanship you can sail out an anchor and not have any problems. remember we are sailboats, not power yachts who have 100kw of aux power to run things.

I completely agree that the most important part of anchoring is good technique, but I really don't understand your 100kw aux power comment. What do you suppose people are hauling up?

[billknny]

Originally Posted by Apollo366

I totally agree and if the electric windlass fails what do you do with a 70# anchor on 300ft of chain??

Pretty much every windlass I have ever seen on the kinds of boats we are talking about has a manually operated mode. Slow, but it works. I have pulled up my 105 lb anchor with it just to prove I could. But I take care of my windlass, and it works.

Your argument is on the face silly, because you are saying that the biggest anchor and chain rode any boat should have is the one that the crew can recover by pulling on the rode by hand. That's just not workable for a cruising boat over 25 or 30 feet or so who might need to anchor in storm or hurricane force winds.

[skipgundlach]

Just a note to say that those facing challenges with roll bars may find our solution effective to clear any bars.

We had a significant bonus in that the massive over-center effort to go from vertical (the chain coming up) to horizontal (the direction the shank must change to in order to go over the roller) will be considerably lessened by using a cantilever roller setup.

Here's how we did it after we'd rebuilt our roller system only to find that the big Rocna would hit it:

Pictures: Flying Pig 2011-2012 Refit/Anchor System Refit/6 - Rocna Addition and Modifications

At the top of the page are other upstream gallery links in case you're interested...

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by skipgundlach

Just a note to say that those facing challenges with roll bars may find our solution effective to clear any bars.

We had a significant bonus in that the massive over-center effort to go from vertical (the chain coming up) to horizontal (the direction the shank must change to in order to go over the roller) will be considerably lessened by using a cantilever roller setup.

Here's how we did it after we'd rebuilt our roller system only to find that the big Rocna would hit it:

Pictures: Flying Pig 2011-2012 Refit/Anchor System Refit/6 - Rocna Addition and Modifications

At the top of the page are other upstream gallery links in case you're interested...

Nice set-up. I'm planning to add in a similar cantilever for our Rocna. Is that custom-made or off-the-shelf? Do you have an issue with the anchor coming up backwards?

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

Nice set-up. I'm planning to add in a similar cantilever for our Rocna. Is that custom-made or off-the-shelf? Do you have an issue with the anchor coming up backwards?

Yes to both.

Custom because of the fitment.

Backwards because it digs so deep that it comes up loaded. I clean it by motoring forward as long as it takes.

Eventually it's clean and by judicious bouncing with the windlass I get it not less than 90 degrees turned; at that point the weight straightens it out.

MUCH easier and no more bent 5/8" bolts and cut rollers!

[billknny]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

Is that custom-made or off-the-shelf? Do you have an issue with the anchor coming up backwards?

I have never understood why people think this is a problem.

We have had Rocna and Mantus, and they frequently come up "backwards", maybe half the time, maybe more-- but who cares?

They roll over EVERY TIME as soon as you start to pull them over the anchor roller. Pretty much the same as my experience with my old CQR too. We do have a Mantus swivel on our anchor, but it is irrelevant to this process.

If your anchor will not park itself correctly on your roller starting from ANY orientation there is something wrong with your roller setup.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Scubaseas

With all due respect, if you want to send me a Spade S160 I would be happy to use it.

To be clear, I am not associated with Spade or any manufacturer. The advice is only given because the steel Spade is an excellent anchor and I think would be a better choice.

Of course it is your boat and your decision, but sorry, no free Spade from me.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

... Is the Excel better?

Yes, the testing I've seen suggest it is on a par with other NG anchors. It is NOT a Delta look-alike.

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by billknny

I have never understood why people think this is a problem.

We have had Rocna and Mantus, and they frequently come up "backwards", maybe half the time, maybe more-- but who cares?

They roll over EVERY TIME as soon as you start to pull them over the anchor roller. Pretty much the same as my experience with my old CQR too. We do have a Mantus swivel on our anchor, but it is irrelevant to this process.

If your anchor will not park itself correctly on your roller starting from ANY orientation there is something wrong with your roller setup.

Lucky you. Ours, if allowed, would seat perfectly, nose up. Every time.
Despite the AnchorLift swivel.

You can see our setup; what's wrong with it?

[thinwater]

a. Are you moving forward when lifting the anchor? This will make most anchors reverse. Stop and drift backwards and it will come up straight.
b. Use an anchor flipper, not a swivel. They work. But I can't say I ever needed one, since "a" works for me.

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by thinwater

a. Are you moving forward when lifting the anchor? This will make most anchors reverse. Stop and drift backwards and it will come up straight.
b. Use an anchor flipper, not a swivel. They work. But I can't say I ever needed one, since "a" works for me.

No, as noted, we use the forward motion to clean it. Monster loads in anything other than pure clean sand, usually, cuz it digs so deep.

Once cleaned and clear of the water it remains in that position until otherwise disturbed.

Once under way, post cleaning, reversing isn't an attractive move; in any case, the assertion was that it is supposed to self right or there's something wrong with my anchor roller/storage setup.

What would that be?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Yes, the testing I've seen suggest it is on a par with other NG anchors. It is NOT a Delta look-alike.

Thanks. I assumed/hoped this was the case.

Originally Posted by thinwater

a. Are you moving forward when lifting the anchor? This will make most anchors reverse. Stop and drift backwards and it will come up straight.
b. Use an anchor flipper, not a swivel. They work. But I can't say I ever needed one, since "a" works for me.

What's an "anchor flipper"? Never heard of this, and my quick Duck Duck search didn't hit on anything. Is there a more official term?

My rocna tends to come up backwards about 1/2 the time. I assume it's purely random. I sometimes am motoring forward with it in the water -- helps to get it cleaned this way. Not sure which way this tends to spin it, but I think it doesn't really matter. The random chain twist will determine which way it is oriented once it hits my roller.

Most of the time when mine comes up backwards I can get it to pivot around on the roller, but sometimes it just gets stuck there. Has to do with how fast I pull it over the roller (momentum). If it gets stuck I just lower it a bit and rotate the chain. No biggy...

[Tayana42]

Mike, my Rocna25 also comes up backwards some of the time. If I motor forward to clean the mud off it will be backward most of the time. A short time moving in reverse will always turn it around to the proper orientation to come over the roller. Easy and reliable. Just need to watch out where I’m backing.