Ground Tackle Upgrade for 6 Ton 35' Rasmus... Generally Speaking

[Scrimshaw4]

Primary anchor: Mantus, mine is 65# for a 16 ton boat
Chain: G43 sized to fit your gypsy, length 200', additional rode is your choice but at 7:1 that's 28' depth
Swivel: Yes, saves headaches particularly in foul weather and allows anchor to nest to the bow roller more easily
Secondary Anchor / rode your choice
The above: JMHO based on East Coast, Bahama & Bermuda anchoring

[noelex 77]

As others have indicated, the best single improvement you could make would be to update your primary anchor. The Fortress is an excellent kedge. Keep this anchor. The Bruce has some unique properties and I would use this as your back-up anchor in case of loss of the main anchor. Ditch the CQR and replace with a modern anchor. The Mantus M1, steel Spade and Rocna are all excellent choices.

The size should be the maximum size you and the boat can comfortably handle. The best way to gauge this is to talk to other owners, but check their windlass model is the same or similar.

You could reduce the chain size and this will save far more weight than you would add by increasing your anchor size. Unfortunately, anchor windlass gypsies tend to be very expensive and you are almost certainly going need to change.

The length of chain required depends very much on the cruising ground, which you have not specified.

A metal chain stopper is a helpful addition, but it is not essential and it does not look like your bow has enough room to mount one. At least fit a short strop that can be attached to chain (I use a soft shackle, but some prefer a chain hook) to take the load off the windlass when breaking the anchor out. You will also need a long elastic snubber 10+m to reduce the snatch load when anchored. On some boats a bridle is best, but for others a single line is easier. Try some experimentation to see what works best for you. There are many threads on this forum discussing snubbers/bridles.

A swivel is not essential. Personally I do not use one. A good quality rated shackle is the KISS approach . Try this first, you can always add a swivel later.