Weigh Anchor! - Page 2

BogMonster · 03 October 2006, 09:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jono Garton

As anyone come across an Anchor that looks like a 10kg Danforth in size, however is about 2kg? and cost about £150 - £200

How do they manage that then, is it aloooominum?

I would have thought it needs a decent weight to set? I was faffing with mine yesterday when I had it out of the boat and couldn't get it to set at all in my yard, having said that it is a fairly hard surface but it wasn't even trying....

Is there anything to choose between, say, a "proper" Danforth and a clone? I'm pretty sure mine is a cheap copy...

jwalker · 03 October 2006, 09:35

I have a wee CQR which I rarely use but I don't understand how it works. Once a pull is applied it falls over and because it has a pivot the flukes then just scrape on the sand. If it was sitting square to the seabed, perfectly balanced and dragged directly forward it would be a plough but that is unlikely when setting it.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Lostboy · 03 October 2006, 10:04

As I predominantly use the boat in and around the Solent (sand, silt, mud etc) I use a 13lb danforth with a reasonable (4m) length of chain and then make the depth up with warp. It's never dragged, always bitten and has proven very effective. Not sure I'd be using it on a rocky bottom (ooerr missus) though.

One minor modification was that I rather naughtily ground a bit of the width off the top (to fit the locker) but this appears to have made no difference to stability.

MikeCC · 03 October 2006, 10:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jono Garton

As anyone come across an Anchor that looks like a 10kg Danforth in size, however is about 2kg? and cost about £150 - £200

Something like the Fortress or Guardian anchors?
Plastimo list price for 3.2Kg Fortress (4-6Kg steel replacement is £134+vat, 3.2Kg Guardian £96+vat. Basically they are half the rated steel replacement weight. Fortress has 'lifetime' guarantee, Guardian is 1 year.

Richard B · 03 October 2006, 10:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jono Garton

As anyone come across an Anchor that looks like a 10kg Danforth in size, however is about 2kg? and cost about £150 - £200

Is it a Fortress ?

MikeCC · 03 October 2006, 10:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard B

Is it a Fortress ?

Tim M · 03 October 2006, 10:58

I have 8kg Grapnels (with a couple of meters of chain) in two of my boats and have never had any problems with them.

alystra · 03 October 2006, 12:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Well the Delta is the same shape as a CQR......

:-) :-) :-). More or less, but as someone said, it doesn't fall over as readily. Also, it's on my 5.3 m RIB. Not much weight and little windage or tidal drag. Really just a comment on the Delta and I'm surprised it holds so well.

On a 13 ton displacement ketch, with masses of windage and a long deep keel, I'll have my Danforth thanks. :-) (I think the Fortress is similar).

I think for ultimate holding on short scope, something like the Bruce is great, but I think setting them (in the smaller sizes anyway) is a bit iffy. They use them on oil rigs - or used to.

As with a CQR, a Bruce can be awkward to stow except over the bow. The Danforth stows well on deck, though its good at trapping fingers when handled.

Tony

IBWET · 03 October 2006, 12:21

jono I've just bought one it called a fortress, mine's a FX-7 made of alloy, not steel.... still to see if it's as good as it's makers claim it to be.

Jono Garton · 03 October 2006, 15:18

Yep Fortress was the one !

Jono

jyasaki · 03 October 2006, 17:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by BogMonster

They feed the warp through ring attached to a large buoy, then tie it to the back of the boat and take off at full speed. The drag on the buoy is more than the force required to lift the anchor, so the anchor comes up, and eventually the chain pulls right up through the ring on the buoy and is left hanging through the ring.

With pictures, even.

http://www.fishing-catalog.com/other...nchor_ball.htm

jky

codprawn · 03 October 2006, 19:35

The Fortress is a bit of a con in the way they are selling it. They always claim a 10kg Fortress will outperform any other 10kg anchor which it may do but it is only because it is 2x the size - with an anchor it is surface area that counts - NOT weight!!! Weight only helps when you set it.

Having said that if you can afford a Fortress it is ideal in a RIB becuase you get the most anchoring power for the least weight. It is less of an advantage in a full displacement boat.

codprawn · 03 October 2006, 19:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyasaki

With pictures, even.

http://www.fishing-catalog.com/other...nchor_ball.htm

jky

I believe it's called an Alderney ring - I assume the technique was perfected there???

jellis · 05 October 2006, 18:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jono Garton

Yep Fortress was the one !

Jono

It is a Fortress

jellis · 05 October 2006, 18:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

The Fortress is a bit of a con in the way they are selling it. They always claim a 10kg Fortress will outperform any other 10kg anchor which it may do but it is only because it is 2x the size - with an anchor it is surface area that counts - NOT weight!!! Weight only helps when you set it.

Having said that if you can afford a Fortress it is ideal in a RIB becuase you get the most anchoring power for the least weight. It is less of an advantage in a full displacement boat.

It's so big I have had to remove all the seats!

ATB

Jon

wavelength · 05 October 2006, 18:48

Quote:

then tie it to the back of the boat and take off at full speed.

We have used that method in small angling boats at deep water venues and some of the lads around here still use it though its not so deep in this area as to warrant bothering with it. Boats have had problems using this method-everything goes well until one day ..........! Then a snarl up give all sorts of problems. Set off at a steady pace not flat out! Never tie to the back of the boat when lifting - always keep the pull from the bow cos if it all goes wrong and that anchor drops and digs in again the boat will whistle back with the tide and then you will spin round and be anchored by the stern! Similarly if you get wrapped up around the prop your are in deep S**t. Old guy I went afloat with off Dover was telling me how good it was for him to use an alderney ring cos the water was deep (unlike when he lived around here) and the anchor was heavy and he had never had a problem with it.Went to lift the 'ook and got the whole thing snarled up and would have had to cut it if he had been out on his own. Personally if I have to use an alderney ring thingie I always make sure the anchor is tripped with the zip tie method as I dont want it to be stuck fast when I am uptide of it!

BogMonster · 05 October 2006, 20:23

Dunno Dave that is just how it was described to me

I'm not going to be anchoring in deep enough water to do that myself in fact not going to be anchoring at all if I can avoid it because anchors are nasty pointy things and I have enough holes in my toobs already

wavelength · 05 October 2006, 21:54

no critcism intended steve - just years of experience with folks using that method and tying it to a rear cleat was advocated at one time-until some folks managed to sink their boat in a v strong tide. When we used to run training courses under the national assn of boat angling club scheme we used to show how it was done (but was not recommended)until we had an in-house revolt of instructors who didnt want to be at all involved in showing a method they thought dangerous in a small boats which were lacking the inherent buoyancy of a rib.

nearly half past October-soon be warming up down there then eh? Be positively tropical by xmas

jyasaki · 12 October 2006, 18:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

I believe it's called an Alderney ring - I assume the technique was perfected there???

No idea where it was perfected. Never used one, either.

jky

al40 · 13 October 2006, 22:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwalker

I have a wee CQR which I rarely use but I don't understand how it works. Once a pull is applied it falls over and because it has a pivot the flukes then just scrape on the sand. If it was sitting square to the seabed, perfectly balanced and dragged directly forward it would be a plough but that is unlikely when setting it.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Yip, I remember seeing this in yachting monthly ages ago - they took pictures of various anchors digging in.

When it hits the bottom is does as you say lie on it's side (at least the shaft does). As you start to pull it along the botton, beacuse the head is a plough shape, it always wants to do just that, ie plough (the tip still digs even if anchor is lying side on - try it on the beach!). The natural movement is for the head to dig into the bottom, strightening up as it digs in. We anchored once in beatiful clear water in Orkney (sand, no weed) and you could actually see this happening. It didn't have to dig in very far before it stopped the boat!