Anchor Sizing/Type

[Jerry]

I know I am going to start a discussion for which many have some serious opinions. What I am trying to find out is what Telstar owners are using (recommend) for primary ground tackle. I think it is a given the 12 Lb Danforth that comes with the boat is maybe good for a lunch hook and that is about it. I see Dan has a 33 lb. Rocna and many others are going with a 22 lb. Delta.

My thoughts are to go with a 22 lb. Rocna as a mix between pure holding power and ability to drop and retrieve without a powered windless.

Thoughts/considerations?

This probably will not be a 2011 project but a winter 2011/2012 bow roller/installation project.

Thanks

[vancouver]

I am using a 16.5 lb Lewmar Claw with 30' of 1/2" chain. I have been very happy with the setting performance and no problem with dragging.

[Dan]

Honestly, it depends on what you plan on doing with the boat.

If you're planning on cruising it on longer trips, then you need more anchor rather than less. I'm of the school of thought to have no "storm" anchor, and that the primary anchor should be your "storm" anchor as well. The reasoning is simple, first, on a trimaran, you don't have the extra stowage or weight capacity to be carrying four anchors and rodes like a monohull often will—so having a primary anchor that can hold you in storm conditions is a solution. Second, trying to deploy a storm anchor just before you need it is generally a PITA and can be very dangerous as well...so why not save yourself the grief and effort. Third, I like my boat to stay where I put her. Having a slightly oversized anchor is a good start to that, and so is having a very reliable and advanced anchor design like the Rocna.

If you're just daysailing or weekending, you probably don't need a Rocna 15 (33 lbs.) on the bow, but I'll bet that once a year, you'll be wishing you had it. Just remember, the anchor isn't just for staying out overnight and cruising, but an important piece of safety gear. Many problems can be made worse without a good anchor. For instance, if you lose the engine when coming into a crowded harbor, having a good anchor and using it can give you time to fix the problem without having to worry about blowing down into other boats or complicating things by going aground.

The reasons I picked the Rocna are because I wanted an anchor that can deal with reversing current or wind situations well, sets quickly in a wide range of bottom types, resets quickly, is robustly designed and has a lot of holding power. While many anchors fit one or two of these criteria, few can do it all.

The CQR and Bruce just don't hold or even set well in many situations. My friend Rod has posted videos showing how the CQR has serious issues when trying to set in conditions where the Rocna sets almost immediately.

The Danforth and Fortress anchors aren't all that robust if loaded laterally and have a nasty tendency to break out if the tide or current reverses. When a fluke anchor breaks out, a multihull can accelerate so quickly that the anchor just planes, and never gets a chance to reset. This is especially true of the aluminum Fortress, which has a very high surface area to weight ratio.

The only real contender was the Manson Supreme anchor, and I decided against it for several reasons.

First, it is a copy of the Rocna in many ways. Considering that Manson Anchors has copied the Bruce, the CQR, and the Danforth, the fact that the Manson Supreme is a copy of the Rocna is not a surprise—they're great at marketing and selling anchors, but Manson is not an innovative company, and I prefer to support the innovators.

Second, the construction of a Manson Supreme is not as robust as that of a Rocna—the main fluke on a Rocna is a single piece of brake-press bent steel that is much heavier than the two-layer edge-welded construction of the Manson Supreme.

Third, the two pieces that make up the fluke on the Manson Supreme are galvanized after welding, meaning there is no galvanization on the surfaces between the two pieces, and the edge welding is ground down to shape the blade, weakening the only connection between the two pieces.

Finally, the "rock slot" on the Manson Supreme sounds like a good idea, but fails in situ. The idea is that you can use the slot and then motor forward past the anchor to easily retrieve it from the bottom, which is useful in rocky bottoms. But, the question I have for every Manson Supreme owner that seems to stupify them is, "How does the anchor know when you're motoring forward to retrieve it, and that a reversing wind or current didn't move the boat past the anchor instead?" They usually sit there with their mouth gaping, and I say, "It doesn't and that means the anchor will drag on a rocky bottom if you're using the rock slot and the current or wind reverses."

I also found that the sizing recommendations of most of the anchor manufacturers is woefully inadequate for storm conditions. A decent rode with 200' of 5/8" octo-plait nylon and 30' of 5/16" G43 high-test chain, a Crosby load-rated shackle and a Rocna 15 anchor are less than $1000. IMHO, it is cheap insurance for you, your family and your boat.

To give you an idea of how quickly and well the Rocna sets, I nearly lost a bowman off the bow of my boat one season. We were anchoring in a sand bottom off of Tarpaulin Cove, and when I started backing down to set the anchor, I said to him, "Hold on, or you're going to get thrown over the bow." The anchor set so hard when we hit the end of the rode that was paid out, that the boat felt like it hit a wall, and Brandon got pitched forward over the bow pulpit and only the fact that he's got really long arms prevented him from going swimming. He had one hand on the ama bow and grabbed the pulpit stanchion base with the other and had his feet pointed up... and he was yelling, "Grab my feet, I don't want to go swimming."

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Vancouver, I seriously doubt you have 1/2" chain on your anchor. I don't believe 1/2" chain will fit a 16.5 Lewmar Claw, because the shackle that fits the chain won't fit the anchor and vice versa. You probably are measuring it wrong. Also, 1/2" chain weighs 2.7 lbs. per FOOT and your 30' chain would weigh about 80 lbs. A Lewmar Claw that size would normally be outfitted with 1/4" chain.

[vancouver]

You are right Dan. My brain must have been out of gear. Lewmar reccomends 3/16. On reccomendation I increased it to 1/4. Only off by a factor of 2.

[Mark]

I used to use an aluminium fortress but then it water skied on the surface of the water when we were hit by a 40 knot gust - an amazing and dismaying sight as the anchor ended up behind the boat and the rode was next to the engine!

[Dan]

Yes, and that's why I refuse to use any type of fluke anchor by itself on a Telstar. They're fine as secondary or stern anchors, but they can not be used safely as a primary anchor.

I used to use an aluminium fortress but then it water skied on the surface of the water when we were hit by a 40 knot gust - an amazing and dismaying sight as the anchor ended up behind the boat and the rode was next to the engine!

[Jerry]

Dan,
In reading you recent responses on Stainless Steel in anchoring gear I am wondering what you think of it (except for the obvious expense) for the anchor itself?
Jerry

[Dan]

The problems with using stainless steel for ground tackle is that while it looks really pretty when sitting at the dock and it's all shiny and polished, it is weaker than the steels used in most anchors, prone to crevice corrosion and can fail with little visible warning. At least with the galvanized anchors, you'll start to see obvious visible signs long before the anchor loses significant strength, which is not always the case with stainless steel. Also, combine the price and appearance, a stainless steel anchor is far more likely to go walkabout to a waterfront thief than a galvanized anchor is.

Dan,
In reading you recent responses on Stainless Steel in anchoring gear I am wondering what you think of it (except for the obvious expense) for the anchor itself?
Jerry