Do you typically anchor for two hours or for two weeks, in a lake or in the Atlantic Ocean? The recommended anchor sizes from our website will work well for most boaters, under most conditions. If your engine fails and you are drifting toward a lee shore, having a properly sized anchor ready could save your boat. But raising the anchor by hand, with no electric powered windlass, calls for light and efficient ground tackle and a strong back.
When an anchor penetrates the surface of the seabed, suction created by the bottom material, plus the weight of the material above the anchor, creates resistance. This means that some anchors that weigh only 5lb. Although the data is now a few years old, the technology is virtually unchanged. Anchor Rollers.
Anchor Testing. Anchoring for the Racing Sailor. Selecting an Anchor Rode. Upgrading Your Anchor Rode. Anchors need to develop enough resistance in the seabed to withstand the environmental forces on the boat—the wind and the waves.
In all of our anchor tests, there always seems to be one undeniable conclusion: the selection of a suitable bottom for anchoring is a much more critical factor than the design of the anchor. So how do you choose the right anchor design? You must take expected bottom conditions into account. Here are some potential options, based on the seabed:. Sand: Fine-grained sand is relatively easy for anchors to penetrate and offers consistently high holding power and repeatable results.
The Bruce anchor, also called the claw anchor, is essentially shaped like a clawed palm facing upwards. The relatively wide claws of the anchor give it holding power in a soft bottom, though not as much as a style like the Danforth, and it also does well on rocky bottom, but often has issues with hard clay or grass bottoms.
For years, this anchor was the one that salty types specified, and it still has lots of loyal fans, so it has passed the test of time. This type of anchor has two wide flukes that pivot on a shaft, and is very effective in mud, sand, and other soft bottom materials. But, on rock and packed shell, and a on hard bottom a Danforth will tend to skip along without firmly digging in. On wrecks and reefs, they may hold if the pointed flukes grab in a lucky spot, but quite commonly, they hold a little too well — becoming stuck and potentially irretrievable.
Nevertheless, a Danforth anchor is a good, all-around anchor to have aboard because it is so light. The difference between a genuine Danforth anchor and the many less-expense copies is usually the quality of the materials and the angle of the flukes. The Danforth folks say their angle is optimum, and they have lots of test data to prove it.
We think they are fine as the primary anchor in certain locations on all kinds of boats, and always good as a back-up anchor, which all large boats should have. They are relatively lightweight for the holding power they have because they have a lot of surface area and surface area is one key to holding power.
This makes them effective over anchors that are typically twice their own weight. They are one of the few anchors on the market that can be adjusted on the fly, and can be angled for various bottom conditions. The degree angle is best suited to hard sand bottoms, whereas the degree angle will hold better in very soft sand and mud.
Fortress anchors are known for their ability to be easily disassembled and stowed. Their advantage over Danforth anchors are their weight, non-corrosion qualities, ability to choose the bottom penetration angle, and the ability stow, so they make good small boat anchors and are excellent choices as a backup anchor. They are generally considered to be better than Danforth anchors, and they are certainly more versatile.
These anchors have multiple arms poking out like a giant treble fishing hook. Note: they can also damage living reefs and as a result, are banned in certain areas. Check local regulations, before using a grappling anchor. The Fortress is also a popular Fluke style anchor, different from the Danforth in that it comes apart and it constructed of light-weight, high-strength, aluminum.
The Fluke performs well in mud and sand, potentially the best of any anchor style. The downside is that outside of these bottoms, it is not a good performer. Whether or not it is used as a primary anchor, a Fluke anchor makes an excellent choice as a secondary or stern anchor. Pros: Performs well in mud and sand. Stows easily on most bow rollers.
Performs poorly in other bottoms. There are several anchors on the market today that are essentially plow anchors with roll bars. These include the Rocna, Manson Supreme, and Bugel. Each of these anchors are essentially a variation on a plow style anchor.
Analogous to a knife through butter, these anchors can penetrate the sea bottom a lot easier than the other anchor styles. The roll bar also helps them orient themselves upright when setting. These anchors have performed extremely well in third party tests.
The biggest downside to these anchors is that because they are still patented, they can be very expensive. The roll bar along with the elongated plow can also make storing these anchors on bow rollers difficult. Pros: Very high holding power for many models. Cons: Difficult to stow on a bow roller. Bottoms : Performs well in most bottoms. A Grapnel anchor is generally used for small boats such as Kayaks, Dinghies, Canoes, etc.
They fold up very compactly and are easy to stow. When it does hook, it can create immense holding power, which can also make retrieving the anchor difficult.
Pros: Great for use as a lunch hook. Folds to allow for compact storage. Cons: Not appropriate for non-temporary anchorage. Bottoms: Rock or other situations when it can hook onto an object.
Large Mushroom anchors are often used for permanent mooring buoys. As the silt from the sea-bottom builds up over these anchors, it can result in extreme holding power, up to 10 times the holding power of its actual weight. As a mooring buoy, the mushroom anchor is an excellent choice, however, it is not as useful in some temporary anchoring situations.
An exception is that smaller versions of these anchors are good for use in small boats for anchoring while fishing or for a lunch stop over silty bottoms where the mushroom can penetrate. Pros: If large, great for permanent mooring buoys. If small, good for use while fishing or for a lunch stop. Cons: If large, not appropriate for non-permanent moorings. If small, only good in soft bottoms. Bottoms: Silt, soft mud, unpacked sand. Boat anchors come in a variety of types, the most popular being mild steel, high-tensile steel, stainless steel, and aluminum.
Most of the traditional steel anchors we are accustomed to seeing are likely either mild or high tensile steel.
Mild steel and high-tensile steel are nearly indistinguishable from one another appearance wise. However, high tensile steel is times stronger than mild steel. This isn't to say that a high-tensile steel boat anchor has times the holding power of its mild steel counterpart, but it will nonetheless be stronger.
Both mild steel and high-tensile steel anchors are not corrosion resistant, and therefore need to be galvanized to prevent rust and other corrosion.
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