Recomended Anchor Wieght for 70 CPMY

[Capt MAP]

We are planning an extensive cruise this summer and want to upgrade our anchor. After reading many articles and blogs I believe a CQR is the anchor of choice for us. We have a choice of a 75lb or a 105 Lb. The 75 is rated for up to 68 ft. boat and the 105 65-90 feet. Of course this is the CQR chart which does not account for the weight of a vessel. Also both anchors are rated for 7/16 chain, we have a Galley Maid vertical model bbhw, rated for 1,200# and have 3/8 BBB chain which is rated for 11,000lbs. Bottom line would like to choose the anchor and be sure the windlass and chain are sufficient. The pulpit seems to be designed to accommodate both anchors. Any thoughts? Capt MAP

[jim rosenthal]

I think you might want to look around a bit more and look at other anchors. There are better plow anchors than a CQR, and you should also have a Danforth type, which for that boat would be a Fortress 125. Email Pascal on this forum. He has extensive experience in that area of the world running a boat about that size.

[PeterK]

Now here is a topic that should generate as much controversy as any other subject on the board, including ones that do not directly pertain to Hatteras boats!

IMHO Jim made a very good response. There was a Danforth on board when we bought the bought and I purchased a Fotress FX85 (54 EDMY) with 600' of 3/4 line and 20' of 3/8 chain (a great deal at Marine Connection in Ft. Pierce). The boat has a BB Galley Maid. On the to do list is to add a wildcat (if this can be done) or replace the BB.

We are somewhat new to regular anchoring (came to the Bahamas mid November and have been on the hook about 90% of the time) but I will relate a recent experience: 2 weeks ago we were anchored off Stocking Island near Georgetown. We had been on the hook for about a month at the same location. Winds got up to 30+ and several boats broke free. One of these was a 40 foot sail cat which caught our line with their CQR which slid all the way up our line and wedged into our pulpit. They had very short scope out so the net result was their stern skewed around and hit us midship on the starboard side. Our Fortress held both boats in place. Rather sold me on my choice of anchors. A goodly amount of cosmetic damage but as they say: you should see the other guy... Bruce Morrison quipped: A fight between a Hatt and a sail cat is like one between a chihuahua and a pit bull.

I'm sure some will say danforth types break out when the boat clocks with wind or current but that has not been our experience. We have done numerous 360 degree clocking and this anchor performed superlatively.

This said, I am also of the opinion that scope is the most important factor. We use a minimum of 7-1 and increase it when we know it is going to blow. We are currently at Big Majors and have have some gusting to 35+ without any issues. I will admit we are borderline paranoiac and sleep in the salon during the worst blows...

[SKYCHENEY]

Now here is a topic that should generate as much controversy as any other subject on the board, including ones that do not directly pertain to Hatteras boats!

IMHO Jim made a very good response. There was a Danforth on board when we bought the bought and I purchased a Fotress FX85 (54 EDMY) with 600' of 3/4 line and 20' of 3/8 chain (a great deal at Marine Connection in Ft. Pierce). The boat has a BB Galley Maid. On the to do list is to add a wildcat (if this can be done) or replace the BB.

We are somewhat new to regular anchoring (came to the Bahamas mid November and have been on the hook about 90% of the time) but I will relate a recent experience: 2 weeks ago we were anchored off Stocking Island near Georgetown. We had been on the hook for about a month at the same location. Winds got up to 30+ and several boats broke free. One of these was a 40 foot sail cat which caught our line with their CQR which slid all the way up our line and wedged into our pulpit. They had very short scope out so the net result was their stern skewed around and hit us midship on the starboard side. Our Fortress held both boats in place. Rather sold me on my choice of anchors. A goodly amount of cosmetic damage but as they say: you should see the other guy... As Bruce Morrison quipped: A fight between a Hatt and a sail cat is like one between a chihuahua and a pit bull.

I'm sure some will say danforth types break out when the boat clocks with wind or current but that has not been our experience. We have done numerous 360 degree clocking and this anchor performed superlatively.

This said, I am also of the opinion that scope is the most important factor. We use a minimum of 7-1 and increase it when we know it is going to blow. We are currently at Big Majors and have have some gusting to 35+ without any issues. I will admit we are borderline paranoiac and sleep in the salon during the worst blows...

Good post. I have to agree that scope is the most important factor along with enough heavy chain.

I sent my BB to Galleymaid and they added a longer shaft to accommodate a wildcat. We run all chain 3/8" HT per recommendation from Galleymaid. I still use the OEM Danforth that came with the boat and also carry a FX55 with 300' rode.

We have "slept" (I use that term loosely) in the Pilothouse during some really bad blows as well and never dragged or broke free (knock on wood). So, your story is not that uncommon.

But, as you stated, this will be a topic for great debate as favorite anchors are like favorite varnishes and favorite marine toilets.

[branwyn]

Good post Peter. We have 300' of 3/8 chain plus another 300' rope. I concur that scope is more important than the anchor itself. We have also spent restless nights in the salon in heavy winds. Our challenges with dragging have been only when less than 7/1 scope out due to tight quarters or rocky bottoms when the anchor can not make purchase. It is an eerie sound when an anchor drags on rock and reverberates back up the chain to the boat.

We also have a smaller Danforth we use for stern tying in tight quarters.

The Rocna and Ultima anchors keep catching our eye at the Seattle Boat Shows but they are expressive and I'm not sure worth the expense if you have a decent anchor already.

[jim rosenthal]

I have looked at the Ultima anchors, but they are very expensive and I have yet to see any objective anchor test that rates them as so superior that they are worth all that money. Or superior at all, for that matter.

For a plow anchor, I have an aluminum SPADE. And a couple of Fortresses, which work very well up here in the Chesapeake. I know that a lot of boats, especially sailboats, have CQRs, and they swear by them, but enough of my friends have had CQRs either not set or "set" and then drag that I wouldn't want one. As far as the swiveling feature of a CQR, I think you get more from a swivel in the anchor rode itself.

The Ultima hardware is very pretty, but they are fond enough of it that they don't let it go easily. Even at boat show pricing it is still very high.

A downside, if you want to call it that, of the Fortress is that it is light enough that it really does need a lot of chain to make sure it stays down while setting. I have two rodes- the smaller one has 15-20 feet of 3/8 stainless chain on it, the larger has 30-35 feet of the same. Each is at least 250 feet long. Scope IS crucial.

[MikeP]

The first thing I would do is determine your cruising ground. That will determine the best anchor for the job. An anchor that works great in one location can absolutely suck in another. Ask folks who anchor a lot what type anchor they use in your area.

We have 300 ft of all chain rode and used a CQR in LI sound where it was totally bulletproof and set itself with ridiculous ease. It held the boat firmly in 40+K winds with the boat yawing/jerking dramatically. We moved to the Ches bay and that anchor pulled loose almost every time, even in rather light winds/current shifts. It became no better than a very casual lunch anchor. Based on local recommendations, we purchased a Fortress FX55 and that anchor can hold as many boats as you want to connect to it! It is not as easy to set as the CQR was but when set, it seriously holds in the Ches. Getting it back in is sometimes a bit of a challenge.

The "weight" of an anchor is not comparable between different types so having a heavier anchor of one design doesn't mean it can hold better than a lighter anchor of a different design. Our CQR is much heavier than our Fortress but the Fort is orders of magnitude more "powerful" in the Ches bottom compared to the CQR. So it's all about anchor design vs bottom configuration.

[Steve Mannshardt]

I have deliberately too much hook and for our 53' YF yet it is good to know that once things are set, they are set. Agreed scope is the primary consideration. We have 300' of 3/8 chain with a 77# Ultima. For use here in the Delta it sets well on the first pass. We then ride of of a bridle from the chain to the bits. Works well.

[Pascal]

I would not use a 75 lbs another on a boat that size.

As others mentioned anchor choice depends on where you cruise and the bottom conditions.

Personally I have become a big fan of Bruce aka claw... Been using them for 7 years now anchoring from Cape
Cod to the exumas, plus one trip to Texas... They just dig in and hold. The only place a delta works better is Eliot key here in biscayne bay where you have a limestone bottom with a thin layer of sand and you need something sharp to hold. Otherwise I find the Bruce to be as versatile as an anchor can be. On average i anchor probably 120 to 150 times a year.

I ve also used a fortress which probably holds better but doesn't not reset well on a wind or tidal shift. A couple of times I ve had to bring it up and clear the mud and weed and then reset manually.

On the boat I run, 70' johnson (almost 20' beam and enclosed flybridge - high windage) I am using a 176 lbs Bruce. We used to have a 105lbs but it would slow drag over 30 kts.. The 176 pounder just holds and holds and holds. 3 or 4 years we weathered a squall in edgartown (Martha's vineyard) during which I clocked almost 60kts sustained and guts over 75. We didn't move a foot. Oh, and that was with a Swan 70 rafted up to us.

But the key, beyond oversizing th anchor is scope. Even with all chain, if I have room I don't go under 6:1

I m not a big fan of deltas or CQR as they don't hold that well in soft mud. On the other hand if you often anchor in grass or hard stuff, thy do penetrate better.

I ve also put a Bruce on the 26' sailboat I built and so far it has not failed to set on the first attempt either

[MikeP]

I agree that the Fortress will not "automatically" reset as out CQR would. OTOH, it has held the boat so firmly that even when the wind/tide/current shifted 180 degrees, it has never pulled loose. Of course, given enough load it would pull loose if the pull was in the opposite direction of the set but the darn thing digs in so deeply/firmly in Ches Bay mud that it just has never done so. The down side is that on occasion it has taken 10 minutes with the chain straight up/down and using a bridle on the forward cleats/boat power to coax the anchor out. It comes up with a good portion of the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay attached.