Oddball anchors you have loved?

[Kettlewell]

Another oddball I have had some experience with is the 3-piece Luke Storm Anchor. They're basically a classic Herreshoff design, with somewhat bigger flukes. Used one to try to kedge off an extremely rocky bottom and the anchor held well, but by the time we deployed the monstrous thing we were hard aground. Not sure they really qualify as a "storm anchor" in my book, unless you are trying to hook into rocks or penetrate a very weedy bottom. Recommended size is something like 2 pounds per foot of overall length, so 76 lbs or so for my boat. And, then you still have that extra fluke sticking up waiting to foul your rode.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

I always knew about the Northill because I read all the books back in the day, and they were mentioned. But, that second fluke sticking up seemed to be a real Achilles heel unless one routinely anchors someplace where the wind rarely shifts, or if you always use two anchors. I particularly liked the idea of the stainless folding versions as a spare anchor that could be relatively easily stowed.

I mostly use the Northill as a fishing anchor. I'm not there long enough to care about fluke fouling.



But it better than anything else at grabbing the local hard pan and jointed mud stone. I've used Mantus, Bruce, Rocna, and Excel. Northill wins. It is also very, very good in sand and mud, and one of the best in weed. But not for overnight if a spin is possible. That said, they fold, making for a good kedge. There are reasons fishing boats use them.

[thinwater]

I generarally dislike the Lewmar Claw as a very poor Bruce copy.


I've done a lot of anchor testing. The folding grapnels held so poorly it was easier to pull them to me than to walk over to them. Barely a good paper weight.

As a dinghy the Claw has some strengths:
* Does not have sharp points.
* Cheap.
* less of a crap shoot to set than a Danforth clone ... which has points and does not like shifts.

I guess that is about it. Not great, but there are no great dinghy anchors. Mntus made a neat one, but it was expensive, the point was a hazard, and the folding mechanism jammed with sand.

[Jim Cate]

^^^^
We used a folding grapnel as a dinghy anchor for a while when we first set out cruising. In our usage it had terrible holding in most bottoms due to the lack of fluke area and often needed hand setting to work at all (used mostly whilst diving, so hand setting was easy). The only time it set well was when it fell into a crevice in a rocky bottom... and then you had to dive to get it out!

An inexpensive Danforth copy, bad as it is, has been used ever since with adequate results... not a great solution IMO.

Jim

[Kettlewell]

I've always used a small genuine Danforth as a dinghy anchor with perfect results, even on very short scope. Always with just nylon line. Never dragged one, but the dinghy doesn't create much pull. Many times I have just thrown the Danforth out from the beach into deeper water to get the dinghy off the beach and it has always been there when I came back. Never use Danforth knock offs, except for maybe the West Marine versions that used the correct dimensions. On my first cruising sailboat we had a small Danforth knock off and it just wouldn't hold. Got myself a genuine Danforth and solved the problem.

[Bowdrie]

Not easy to find, but Edson makes a bronze dinghy anchor.
I guess you could also polish it up and use it for a desk top ornament.
https://www.docklinesales.com/edson-...-for-dinghies/

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by Bowdrie

Not easy to find, but Edson makes a bronze dinghy anchor.
I guess you could also polish it up and use it for a desk top ornament.
https://www.docklinesales.com/edson-...-for-dinghies/

Thanks for the link.



I have a galvanized version of that anchor [of unknown provenance.] It works well for our RIB, and is just heavy enough to be a finger cruncher if carelessly handled.

I wish I could swap it for a bronze version.

Cheers, Bill

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by ggray

How does the Super Max do in grass?

Ours is 80 lbs [with adjustable shank] and the only Super MAX I have ever used. Most of the time we are anchoring in deeper water [say 50-90ft] typically in sand, sand and shells, mud, glacial ooze, and a combination of these. Occasionally we anchor in hard sand, grass, kelp, etc.

It is my bower of choice when anchoring in soft bottoms.

It has not had problems setting in eel grass [and the like], kelp, hard pan, etc. Rocks are the only thing that has thwarted my setting attempts with this Super MAX [and our 99 lb Spade.]

Follow the manufacturer’s setting recommendations [about halfway down the linked page] and it is very reliable- including extreme and multiple changes in direction of pull.

FWIW

Cheers, Bill

[Greatest Lakes]

I have a little tiny Bruce anchor for my dinghy. It sets fast and it was the right price of $5 at a garage sale.

[Kettlewell]

I have a little tiny Bruce anchor for my dinghy. It sets fast and it was the right price of $5 at a garage sale.

Nice find! I think I would still stick to a small Danforth for a dinghy anchor. Another attribute is it easily lays flat in the bottom of the dinghy with little sticking up to snag shins.

[David Mathis]

After having a couple tense experiences with the Danforth releasing after the wind shifted 90 degrees or more, I tried a Bruce based on recommendations as to the ability to maintain a hold when the wind shifts. We used it for a year or two with good results then tried it on a very hard packed sand bottom and found it dragged, and dragged, so we tried again with the same results. It was theorized that the blunt leading edge prevented penetration so an angle grinder was used to sharpen it then polish the galvanizing to reduce friction when penetrating. An application of spray cold galvanizing finished the project. The edge isn't knife sharp but it's sharp enough to quickly penetrate the hard sand where is would only drag before sharpening. A storm gave it a gold star on the improvement. The next day it was difficult to retrieve so a mask and snorkel was used to check it. It had completely buried along with a couple feet of chain. The small effort to sharpen the leading edge made it perform much better.

[pekabo]

Loved our Bulwagga! So much so that when we sold our Bristol 45 in Antigua, we shipped it home. I figured if we didn’t buy another boat it could be yard sculpture. We did buy another boat in Antigua with a Rocna, the Bulwagga is still in the barn. Only negative was when not anchoring and attaching to a mooring ball, we had to watch for chafing due to the cleat placement on the Bristol.

[wgerstmyer]

Anybody know this flat when collapsed anchor? Came with the boat, deceased owner (no, the anchor was not the cause) and I have no clue. But it sure Stows easily. Thanks in advance for any help on identification or functionality.



https://i.ibb.co/bQqp7Kq/IMG-1325.jpg

[wgerstmyer]

Or:
[IMG]<a href="https://ibb.co/bQqp7Kq"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/bQqp7Kq/IMG-1325.jpg" alt="IMG-1325" border="0"></a>[/IMG]


https://i.ibb.co/bQqp7Kq/IMG-1325.jpg

[Lew M]

Yes, I have a lot of experience with the Barnacle. Excellent versatile anchor. My father got me hooked (heh-heh.) They don't sit in a roller well. Otherwise, excellent. I still use one. Hey Jim Taylor (inventor). Are you still out there?