Are my anchors obsolete? CQR 60 Lbs, Delta 55 Lbs, Bruce 20 kg

[Bill whitmore]

My advice having used all three extensively:The Delta and Bruce are highly reliable and do just fine if oversized. Retire the CQR.

[DMBOS]

I use Delta and Fortress now -
Delta 35 chain rode with Fortress FX23 chain/brait rode on 42' 20K# Lacoste
Delta 55 chain rode with Fortress FX37 chain/brait rode on 50' 30K# Beneteau

Nice combo for reasonable money

[peter loveridge]

I have a stainless, 42lb copy of a CQR as my main anchor, for my 13k lb 30' traditional sailboat. I use 100ft of G40 chain, rest is 1/2 nylon to fit my windlass. I had the misfortune to get caught in a microburst associated with a tornado on the ICW in Florida. Wind over 90knots for 10 minutes. Plotter showed boat going in a perfect circle with the chain as its radius, didn't drag at all. Bottom firm sand and little shells, hard to get it up afterwards. CQR's do not perform well with a short length of chain and then rope, bruce anchors do better if you don't like chain. All anchors are better, the heavier they are, I cant imagine anchoring a 45' with a 30lb anything

[Teej]

Well, you predicttably got a boatload of replies to your anchor question but at the risk of adding further confusion, I'll share my experience. In 10 years of Caribbean sailing up and down the Windward and Leeward Islands, and also down to Panama and up the western Caribbean back to Florida, I can assure you that my genuine 44lb CQR was totally dependable in all kinds of anchoring situations for my 38 ft catamaran. I was certainly aware of the newer anchor options, including the highly touted Rocna, but NEVER found it necessary or even tempting to abandon the CQR. Just sayin'.
Teej

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Hoosiersailor

Do they work for you in the places you anchor?

I won't bother reading the rest of the thread as this is the only pertinent question.

The anchor itself is just part of the equation. If you typically anchor with all chain and better than adequate rode, and make use of shock-absorbing bridles and/or snubbers, and avoid veering at anchor by use of such foregone techniques as riding sails, you may never know you've got a crappy, old-fashioned anchor!

On the other hand, I think admirals off the armchair would suggest that even proper technique is just part of the equation and that just as a variety of holding grounds exist, so should we carry a variety of anchors. The CQR is possibly the weakest link, so why not trade it for something like a Fortress, which can be a lunch hook, a stern anchor or a storm/kedge anchor and is of a type you do not currently have?

Should that not satisfy, consider a Spade or a Sarca Excel. But I have to agree that a vague worry one is insufficiently modern is no basis for dropping money on a "new style" anchor.

[Chanticleer]

Kind of surprised there is not more comment regards how much chain you have! We use a Bruce with CQR secondary and a BIG Danforth for extreme conditions (something we always avoid!).
As long as you are not jeopodising with the weight factor, I like the more chain theory which always enhances the holding power

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Chanticleer

Kind of surprised there is not more comment regards how much chain you have! We use a Bruce with CQR secondary and a BIG Danforth for extreme conditions (something we always avoid!).
As long as you are not jeopodising with the weight factor, I like the more chain theory which always enhances the holding power

Kinda figured as he was carrying Obsolete last century anchors.. he'd have obsolete last century ideas.. like all chain.

[Kenomac]

Our CQR worked fine in sandy bottoms, but was useless in weed. We upgraded to a 45kg Ultra and have never regretted the expense and have appreciated the better setting performance in all types of sea floors.

The CQR and a Fortress 55 now sit in a locker to be used as a spare.

[Polux]

Many use those anchors, the three of them, and they work holding the boat in place...to a limit. As it was already said the Delta is the more modern and better of the three.

My boat come with a Delta and the first thing I do was to sell it and buy a top anchor. The Delta is very good in what regards setting but in what regards holding power on sand has 1/3 to 1/2 of the holding power of a top anchor (a CQR has less than that).

You may be satisfied with what a Delta offers and may not need anything more but I felt more confident on an anchorage in F7 and over knowing that my boat will only drag after all (or almost all) the others start dragging.

However that will not provide a good sleep on a crowded anchorage with very strong wind, since I have to be vigilant to take the boat out of the way of the boats that come dragging in my direction and it has already happened several times.

Regarding comparative holding power of several anchors there are several independent tests made by sail magazines that include all your anchors and others and the values are very similar (among different tests) so I guess they will give you a pretty idea of what to expect.

http://www.manson-marine.co.nz/Ancho...st%20Nov09.pdf
http://www.velerosgrecia.com/wp-cont...ce-Testing.pdf
http://www.spade-anchor.com/IMG/pdf/...E_MAGAZINE.pdf
http://www.spade-anchor.com/IMG/pdf/...CAL_SAILOR.pdf

One thing that it deserves to be commented is that the holding power has not so much to do with weight as with anchor design.

[latka]

Originally Posted by rwidman

That's the key question right there. If your anchor holds your boat, you can't trade for a "better" one.

I don't agree.
I've have sailed halfway around the globe with my trusted CQR on the bow. But technology moves on and I felt it was time to upgrade because most of the information out there shows that the Rocna(that I have now) outperforms the dated CQR in all substrates.
That knowledge has resullted in a great confidence boost while anchored during higher winds.
I still wonder what to do with, still perfect CQR and Bruce but I fear they are headed for the scrapheap as I have offered them for free but no takers so far.
P.s my secondary anchor is a Fortress.

[Scaramanga F25]

Your present anchors, kind and size, served me well for 10 years on my 24,000 lb high windage ketch. Winds to 80 knots on my smaller than your
Delta... ALL CHAIN.

[Dauntlessny]

Your doomed. May as well pull the plug right now.

Are you feeling better yet?

I was at the Hamburg Boat show last summer. Saw an anchor vendor that had set up a cute little sand box.

They are scale sizes of their anchor plus about three or four other types.

Their anchor did really well compared to the others. Almost made me whip out my wallet and fork over the $$,000 they wanted. Oh, yes, they only make those anchors in stainless steel. Why you wonder? Because the people buying them have really small genitalia.

So, back to your question. You have read of all the wreaked boats that were using CQR, Deltas and Bruces?

No, well, look harder, I am sure it's on the internet someplace.

Oh, by the way, have you figured out why the sand box demo shows nothing??

[patprice]

Hmmmm...is my 1985 yacht obsolete?
No I love her and she is a far better blue water job than my more modern job.
Probably an unfair comparison as I have not used any of "today's" anchors. My older ones work.
PS chain, chain and more chain!

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Erik,

If you're still following the thread, please tell us what you decide, given your location, because i think supply may be limited there, for you, even if you do want a new generation anchor, which you really don't need, as long as your present set up allows you to do what you want.

I sure wouldn't like to give away a genuine CQR, my sympathies to the poster who is thinking that.

Don't let the other guys bully you into doing something you don't want to do.

Cheers, mate,

Ann

[frozenhawaiian]

we're talking about anchors, not electronics. they don't become obsolete. if they're working as they should and they're in good shape, keep them.