What anchor??

[jwatson]

What anchors do you guys favour?! I've got two grapnels in the garage & wondering which to use on my 3.8 when fishing. One is 1.5kg. & came with the boat, 'tother is 4kg.

[dave3235]

Hi

4kg is about the right weight but the length and diameter of the chain is just as important to keep the anchor from lifting.

[jwatson]

Yeah I've also got an 8kg danforth with a better chain I could pinch.

[jyasaki]

I find the grapnel anchors to be pretty much worthless. They don't have enough resistance to keep from dragging in sand, gravel, or mud, and get hung up in solid uneven rock.

I'd go with the Danforth style if I were you. 8kg is pretty overkill though; on my 18' RIB, I use a 8 lb Danforth knockoff with about 15' of fairly heavy chain.

jky

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by jwatson

Yeah I've also got an 8kg danforth with a better chain I could pinch.

As stated above the grapnels are useless. Use what you got with the danforth, and some chain.

[m chappelow]

At least you have the sense to have it rigged in a "breakout "set up using Cable ties should it get stuck !

Better than nothing & use the largest one you have though i agree with the others it will need a long chain attached for it to work properly & the flukes need to be wide for it to work on sand .
on some types of hard seabed with the boat drifting in the wind or tide 4 fluke grapples can just tumble about on the bottom for a long time before it will set itself & stop the boat ,
3 fluke grapples if you can get hold of one dont tumble about as much & will set much quicker .
Also on folding grapples make sure the lock ring is tight ( cable tie it secure )
Last thing you want is for it to fold on the bottom !

I use a Bruce type or Danforth depending what i am doing , one thing about the Bruce its designed to hold in much higher angles of scope before breakout & it doesent need as much chain for it to set & hold unlike most other Anchors .
One thing about Danforths they stow flat unlike the Bruce .

[Ovey]

For my 6m RIB I've got a chandlery's own version of a 5kg D Type anchor with 5m of chain, for use as my primary anchor. I find it digs into most seabeds fairly well (I'd guess any anchor would struggle in solid rock though). I also have a 4kg grapnel with 6m of chain as a spare or stern anchor too.

[jyasaki]

Anchors won't dig in on rock, but they should at least snag something. A grapnel will do this, but if it's uneven rock, the tines may get stuck in narrow crevice (occasionally becoming damn near impossible to free without diving on it.) To be fair, it's also happened with a Danforth type anchored up on near-horizontal shale.

jky

[jwatson]

Has anyone used a grapnel with success? I like how easily they can be stored & don't have sharp points!
Surely they can't be that bad, they seem to sell well!

[paintman]

They sell well because they're cheap & also store in small spaces.
For use over rocky ground I made a small grapnel from rebar (reinforcing rod used with concrete). Holds when it catches & - so far - has always come back up as the bar is thin enough to bend if its still stuck after the cable ties have snapped. I carry a short length of steel tube to bend them back again.
Doesn't fold up like the bought ones, but they don't need to be big.
Danforth for everything else.

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by jwatson

Has anyone used a grapnel with success? I like how easily they can be stored & don't have sharp points!
Surely they can't be that bad, they seem to sell well!

If you never leave the boat unattended, and never have to rely on an anchor to keep you offshore, then sure a grapnel will work. On the other hand if you boat on an ocean with shores you can not get washed ashore on, then you need a real anchor.

[jwatson]

It would only ever be for fishing from the boat. It's a 3.8m sib so storage is at a premium! I don't have room from 2 anchors so need an all rounder. I fully understand that the danforth is the better anchor but if it snags I'm goosed! I'm currently making a storage box for underneath my the front bench seat. I could probably just get a 4kg danforth in.

[m chappelow]

Just for fishing & with a decent length of chain attached i dont see a big problem & you have sensibly rigged them looking at your 1st photo with cable ties in trip mode which gives you a better chance of recovery should they get stuck , but You could always join/link both grapples together in tandem , i knew a neighbour who had a small yacht who did that with his 2 Grapples for added security if he ever wanted to anchor & go ashore for a few hours .
He used to keep them sleeved inside some cutoff lengths of plastic drain/fall pipe .

[Poly]

Originally Posted by jwatson

It would only ever be for fishing from the boat.

its not an anchor is an essential piece of safety equipment. A grapnel is fine for "a spot of lunch" or "fishing" but if the shit's hitting the fan you might be wishing for something more trustworthy. I've used grapnels on small boats and they are not absolutely useless, but I have a 3.9m boat and chose not to buy a grapnel.

I fully understand that the danforth is the better anchor but if it snags I'm goosed!

why is it any worse if the danforth snags than the grapnel?

[m chappelow]

If your worried You can still rig a Danforth so it will trip out & come out backwards if it gets stuck most i have seen have another hole & its easy to drill one out to take a small shackle if it hasn't one .

[lewsimm88]

I use a 4kg grapnel on a 3.3 meter Rib it seems to do the job for fishing but I have never used it in a strong current as I only go on Windermere. But it holds well in a decent wind.

[Nick Hearne]

I favor Bruce type anchors and use them on all my boats and a 1Kg will do the job for you Sib
I use
5kg for 6 metre rib (also have a 2kg which will hold!)
2kg for 4 metre rib
1kg for 3.8 metre sib

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Anchors-Br...item56695ccb1c

[paintman]

I should have added that I only use the grapnel when I'm in the boat for fishing over rocky ground. The Danforth is used if I want to leave the boat. Both are in the boat.
Sorry if I gave a wrong impression, that wasn't the intention.

[jwatson]

Originally Posted by m chappelow

If your worried You can still rig a Danforth so it will trip out & come out backwards if it gets stuck most i have seen have another hole & its easy to drill one out to take a small shackle if it hasn't one .

We'll I didn't know that, interesting!
Also if such a low weight Bruce will do the trick (which also looks to be able to accommodate a break-out rig) then that could be the answer, easy to store, good hold, no pointy bits and lightweight!

Thanks chaps

[Boatnomad]

Gotta like the Bruce