SO43DS Anchor size

[Amun Ra]

There have been a number of posts about ground tackle on the 43DS, or 43, but only one or two people have mentioned what anchor size they have.

I am replacing my plough/CQR style with a Delta and it would be really interested to know what anchor size other 43 owners have.

Seems to be a choice between 16kg or 20kg, and I am trying to decide between the utility of 16kg vs the 'insurance' value of carrying a 20kg instead.

Best wishes

Julian

[rxc]

My main anchor is a 20kg Delta, which has worked very well, on 250 ft of 5/16 HT chain. I also have a 33 lb genuine Bruce on 75 ft of the same chain, right next to the Delta. I modified the Lofrans Airon windlass to be able to use it for either anchor.

I also have a Fortress FX-37 in a bag inside the boat, and have a short length of chain and a long length of nylon 3-strand for it.

[Deleted]

Albeit on a 45DS, I have a Rocna 25KG, which allows me to sleep well with 250 ft of 10MM HT Chain. The boat was delivered with a 35lb Delta, which the brochures say is fine, but I always felt uncomfortable in a blow, but it always held. Now I have no worries.

I have backed the Rocna up with as Fortress FX 37 with 50 ft of chain and 200 ft of triple braided rode 0- admittedly never used.

[MartyB]

When buying an anchor, it helps to know potential wind speeds you will need the anchor in. Some manufactures have charts that show minimum up to say 15 knot, then a 40 knot, 60 and 60+. In ALL instances, they have some words of warnings, ie if current, waves, a bit more windage, or wind strengths on the high end, or sometimes even bottom types, they will recommend a size or two bigger.

many will also do as the two previous posters. Have an anchor that works well in the area they are, a back up of different style, ie bruce as main, with as mentioned a danforth style, or another style of plow/spade type like the Rocna, Delta, bruce styles are.

Some will have a lighter anchor for normal use, then a HEAVY monster for hurricane force winds. depending upon the type of cruising and where you cruise.

I have a bruce as primary with half a boat length of chain, rest is 3 strand. A basic size for my boat. Have been thinking of boat length one size up in chain, maybe a size bigger anchor, this will be kept below, and going down a size anchor, one size lighter line for on the bow when racing, as rules require an anchor up their. but one goes for minimum size in this case. In my case, the smaller would be a 5kg vs a 7.5, larger would be a 10kg. BUT, I am 30' and 6500 lbs.

Marty

[sailbleu]

Julian ,

definitly go for the 20 kg one.
In 2010 I was fed up with my 16kg Bruce anchor , man that has let me down many many times.
In some occasions it nearly had me crash on to a pier (luckely my raymarine anchorwatch did what he's supposed to do) , and once it actually was responsable for a collision in anchor bay , (again luckely without damage) .
I consider these anchor to be rubbish and extremely dangerous.
Can not be trusted IMO.
Therefor I bought a secondhand CQR 16 kg last year (before season) as a tryout.
Sweet lord , what a difference .
Now a new 20 kg CQR is mounted giving us peace of mind during the nights.
Sold the 2 SS Bruce anchors right out of the gate , the 16kg CQR is now my spare.

Strange though , you replacing a CQR .
OK , a delta also reliable , but I would think it's not worth making the investement when you have a CQR.
Always nice when you have the money to spent :-)

Kind regards

[Amun Ra]

Thank you everyone, most helpful.

I think it will have to be the 20kg. It's on a self-launcher anyway, so I shouldn't need to worry about the extra weight.

Sailbleu - Perhaps I have just been unlucky with my CQRs on this and my previous boat, but I always had problems bedding them in. I think that once you have lost confidence in a design, you'll never be really happy again at anchor. For me CQR came to equal all-night anchor watch. I also think there is reasonable evidence to show that the more modern designs do, generally, outperform the older ones.

Best wishes, and thank you again,

Julian

[MartyB]

Julian,

If you can find some of the magazine articles done in the past, some show that some designs work better in some conditions. Not ALL of them work in ALL conditions. Where I am at, the Bruce is hanging on boat 2-1 vs all others. I would imagine on the east coast of the US, where it is mud, some of the danforth styles work better than plow styles if you want to call a bruce, CQR, Delta those in a generic fashion. For me around here in Puget sound, with the shifting tides, danforths are horrible at resetting, where as the plow types will reset in the sand to gravel style bottom better. There is some grassy areas, and mud too.......

Hence the above, why some of us will carry more than one style, sometimes in more than one wt too.

Marty

[Amun Ra]

Thanks Marty,

I also have a decent sized Fortress as a second Bower which hopefully will compliment the Delta. I will probably keep my smaller CQR as a kedge.

I agree, not all work in all conditions - I just hope I can find the right combination that will work in the majority of conditions I am likely to encounter in southern UK and France!

Best wishes

Julian

[rxc]

My anchor selection is based on Marty's observation that you need different types for different situations. When I was in the Chesapeake Bay, a Danforth was almost always the most effective, but I do remember one anchorage where we dug a number of trenches with one before we hooked "something".

In Guadaloupe, at the mouth of the Riviere Salpietre(?) we had a CQR on a charter boat that could not hook at all in the soupy bottom, but a Bruce did well. Here in France and in Scotland, the Delta and the Bruce have worked well, and we received one report that the Fortress worked extremely well on its own, when we loaned it to someone who lost their (only) anchor. We used it once in a tandem anchor set with the Delta during a gale, and we did not move at all.