What Size Anchor?

[Keiron]

Been thinking about the size of the anchor and chain fitted to our new B40 Cruiser and personally I think both may be on the small side.  We have a 16kg Delta with 50m of 8mm galvanised chain.  95% of the time this has been fine for anchoring overnight but we have had an incident where the anchor dragged during a particularly high wind event (hit 40kts).

Any feelings on if a 16kg anchor is heavy enough for a boat weighing in at best part of 12tons and is 8mm chain heavy enough?

If we were to up size are there any feelings on different anchors, such as the Rocna et al?

What do others with a 40ft have?

Cheers

Keiron

[Stuart]

Hi Keiron

On our Bavaria 42 we have a Rocna 25Kg it sets very fast and we always have to run over it to pull it out  I sleep very well with this anchor down. We also have a 45 lb Delta  and a fortress for the soupy mud.
The Rocna is an original one from New Zealand.

[Anthony]

The general rule of thumb is to have an anchor heavier in pounds than the boat length in feet..
therefore on my Bav 40 I have installed a 20Kg Manson supreme from New Zealand which looks very much like the more expensive Rocna and may explain why Rocna have invited manson into the courtroom to discuss it!
A Bav 40 weighs around 7 tons unladen, you must have a heck of a lot of gear to nearly double that!
It's not the thickness of the chain that matters but the length you put out so that the pull on the anchor is horizontal rather than upward. An extra weight halfway down the chain works wonders in flattening the catenary.
Cheers
Anthony, Simpatico
Brisbane

[Sweet As]

A Rocna 15kg with 8mm chain works well for us on a Bav36. Dosn't look as pretty as a CQR in the roller and wont fit in the chain locker when not required - but small price for the peace of mind an efficient anchor delivers.

[stevem]

Hi Stuart,

Would like to know how one can tell if a Rocna is from New Zealand, as I have one on my 38?

[njsail]

45 lb CQR on our Bavaria 40 Ocean (on all chain).  I sleep well.

[Odysseus]

A few facts:-

As A diver since 18 (now 70) I have seen a fair amount of anchors on the bottom and my conclusion is a fixed shaft heavy pointed tip type anchor is the best for all types of bottom.

Swivel type anchors (like CQR) just run across the bottom surface and do not as a rule dig in, only on soft bottoms like mud do they perform well, or like NJSAIL CQR twice the weight needed. Remember the anchor holds the chain not the boat, so enough chain out is critical. You could throw a concrete block over as long as the chain is long enough to support the conditions.

For personal reasons and local conditions (France hard sand strong tides)  I have a 20 kilo Kobra 2 on a Bav 38 and it digs in immediately. However getting it out you have to run over it.

I also have a Australian "Flying  anchor" looks a bit like a stingray fish used for winching off sideways, hits the water and goes down at 45 degrees , hence the name flying anchor.

Hope this helps

Odysseus 

[Stuart]

Hi Stuart,

Would like to know how one can tell if a Rocna is from New Zealand, as I have one on my 38?

Hi Stevem Can't remember but I think it was written in the paperwork that came with the anchor. I do remember though" made in New Zealand" 

[Keiron]

Based on the rule of thumb mentioned it seems like we could do with upgrading to a 20 kilo anchor as a 16kg equals 35lbs which is light.  Generally we are anchoring in sands or very fine limestone pebbles with the occasional weedy bed thrown in for excitement (it was in weed that we dragged with 40kts of wind).

I could be wrong but I am 99% certain the unladen Gross Weight according to the "Owners Manual" said 11000kg for our boat although we don't have that much stuff onboard as there is only 2 of us.

Thanks for the info and advice, definitely something to think about for this coming season.  That and a bucket of 15ppg cement to sling over the side on the chain :-)

Keiron