What size anchor should I have on my S/0 37?

[ianqv]

Hi all,

Can anyone tell me what size/weight anchor I should have on my 2002 S/O 37?

Many thanks

Ian

[rockstar]

Hi Ian,
I just got a 25kg anchor for a Jeanneau 42i I would say a 20kg anchor would be fine for a 37.
Regards
Rockstar.

[MartyB]

You are going to get the multiple answer for that one. If racing, you probably need/required to have a 7KG minimum anchor and X ft/meters of rode. If normal winds currents, a 15-25KG would work depending upon the type and design. Hurricane, that is another story, a 35-50KG anchor with lots of chain may be what you want.

There is not a right or wrong answer. From my 6500 lb boat, I need for racing a 4lb min anchor with 3 lbs of chain, or a 7 lb anchor no chain and 150' of line. I could go with an aluminum danforth and use a 6 lb anchor with the same holding strength as a 15 lb steel one. I have a 15lb bruce, as it works better in the ground here where I am vs a danforth. About 20' of chain IIRC. If I was going for stronger winds, then a 10 or 12.5 KG vs my 7.5kg bruce would be my choice........

Marty

[ianqv]

Thanks for that.
I have a CQR with loads of chain and rope....
The size of the anchor is 35kg!!!!

The Mrs has so much trouble getting out of the anchor locker!!!

Thinking of dropping down to 25kg - can anyone see any probs with this?

Best Regards

Ian

[MartyB]

How about an electric windlass?

You could go down to a 25KG, or probably even a 20 frankly. But a lot depends upon the ground you are anchoring in, winds, currents etc.

I'd look up the CQR or manufacture and see if they have charts for the boat length, wt and wind surface area a given size anchor will hold in, before guessing.

Mary

[davideso37]

Ian,
Marty is right. You are going to get multiple answers. If racing there are minimum requirements in the sailing rules for anchors based on length or weight and depending on the safety category under which you are racing different requirements for minimum chain and rope length and diameter.
We have a SO37 and for the SO37 which is just under 11 metres and weighs under 6550 kg the anchor minimums are 11kg CQR or 22S spade type or Danford. For category 1 to 4 safety you need 10 metres of 8mm chain and 50 metres of rope. (20mm if polyethylene and 14 mm if nylon). For categories 5 to 7 the chain length drops down to 5 metres and the rope to 45 metres.
I believe these weights and length are inadequate for anything other than a short picnic stop although it does depend on the bottom conditions. We race only category 7 and we carry the minimum required for category 1 with the chain increased to 10mm. This is OK for a sheltered anchorage with a good bottom. We did have 22 metres of 10 mm chain and 40 metres of rope which held well in 20 meters of water off shore but still dragged on some bottoms. I have 60 metres of 10mm chain in the bilge for ballast and to use if anchoring in coral (Just a dream at present).
As your suggested 25 kg is double the minimum it is worth a try. One manufacturer recommends 18kg in a CQR anchor for our size of yacht.
Re the winch and bow roller, we put the anchor on the roller for cruising and in the stern locker for racing. The electric winch is great and we check that the electrical connection is good before taking off for a cruise.
Regards
David

[dublin]

The first question you should address is the type of anchor will best suit your expected anchoring condition. Bear in mind that many of the modern anchor designs, spade, rocha etc, provide much greater holding a lower nominal weights. I would always recommend going up a weight above the recommended.

If actual weight is important to you (personally i belive that on an 8 ton boat the actapual additional weight is ony relevant if racing) Anchors like the spade recommend a combination of chain and warp for best holding so it can be possible to have a heavier anchor with more holding power without a material increase in weight in the bow due to reduced amount of chain.

Another way of keeping actual wright down is to write the (much larger) cheque for an aluminium spade.

I use a stell spade and find it very good. It just fits on the bow roller of my 39 (because of the near vertical stem) but should be an easy fit on the 37 due to the rake of the stem.

In summary decide on your requirements first and the anchor size decision is easy

[ianqv]

To help decide what to do....

I can never sleep on anchor - so I don't even try anymore!
If we do drop the hook over,, it's only while we have lunch.

We've also of LOADS of chain before it then goes to rope.

So will try a 25lb anchor, and see how we get on.

The CQR website says 25lb should do the job!!

I'll let you know how it goes!!

Regards

Ian

[MartyB]

Ian,

For what you just described, I would bet a 15KG anchor might work. Especially if the wind/current is on the low end of the scale. ALong with as you say, LOADS of chain. You could probably sleep quite well with the current setup in most adverse conditions, knowing you should be set and not drag. I've stopped my boat with a 5lb danforth, 5' of chain and 1/4" rope in some 1ft waves with winds around 10 knots setting this setup for a turn mark buoy in a race. I would think a 25KG is good to about 40 knots of wind as most generally recomended anchor sizes will be rated to those wind conditions. ABout a third less wt for winds to 15, is the lower end of the scale, then upsize one or two sizes for hurricane ie up to about 70 knots of wind. ALong with a bit more chain also upsized.......any way, you are probably on the right track.

marty

[krawall]

Mar 25, 2011 20:31:18 GMT ianqv said:

Thanks for that.
I have a CQR with loads of chain and rope....
The size of the anchor is 35kg!!!!

The Mrs has so much trouble getting out of the anchor locker!!!

Thinking of dropping down to 25kg - can anyone see any probs with this?

Best Regards

Ian

Before you do so, please make sure the anchor is really 35kg because most CQR I've seen are labelled in lbs and MY Mrs could simply not lift a 35kg one from the floor, much less the from the anchor compartment...

20kg is what we have and should be OK for occasional strong winds below gale force if you let out enough chain.

Tom

[rene]

How about a new Mrs?

[tedp]

First, I would like to add that I agree to all that has been said regarding different conditions and having a suitable anchor for the heaviest conditions you expect to encounter.

On my SO32 I have a light 22lbs Delta anchor with a lead weighted line. With a good availability of safe harbours in this country I only anchor in sheltered areas and moderate tidal conditions. The 22lbs Delta holds OK, even in muddy ground between tidal flats with 2 knots of tide. No matter what they claim about short anchor lines being adequate, I always put out more line, at least 5 times the expected depth at high water.

For a 37ft boat in similar conditions a 22lbs Delta is adequate, but I would go for one size up (35lbs). If your cruising area has a rocky bottom or if you expect worse conditions, use a few yards of chain instead of a weighted line.

A good practical account of using the Delta anchor is here: www.multihullsmag.com/magazine/articles/delta.htm. There is at least one other thread in this forum regarding the Delta anchor: jeanneau.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=eq&action=display&thread=1619

It seems however that the Rocna is better than the Delta for a given weight. The CQR to all accounts seems to perform much less than the Delta and you need a much greater weight for a given holding power.

So if you want a good lightweight anchor, I would recommend a Delta, or if you accept the extra expense, a Rocna equivalent.