39' Californian on Columbia w H-20 Danforth

[Restitution]

39' Californian on Columbia w/H-20 Danforth?

I am getting my sea legs underneath me with this boat that I bought a month ago. The PO said that I might want a larger anchor. From what I read, the H20 Danforth is large enough for my 39' Californian?? Presently, I have 180' of rode, mostly line with 10' or so of chain. I havn't tried anchoring yet and my concerns, of course, are with dragging anchor. I will be boating mostly in the Lower Columbia. What input do any of you have on the size of this anchor vs. my needs with this boat? More rode? More anchor (35lb?, more?)

Thanks,

sam

 

[Marin]

If the bottoms you are going to be anchoring in are primarily mud the Danforth is a good choice in my opinion unless the bottom of the river is really hard-packed mud or clay. Then you'd want something that will pierce down through the surface. Others will probably have other opinions.

What do most of the other boats that are actively used in your marina have on them? That can be a helpful indicator of the best anchor type(s) for your environment.

I think for a 39' boat you'd want more than a 36 pound anchor however. Maybe 44 or even 50 if your windlass can handle that. In the river you'll be anchoring against a current I assume so too large is probably better than too small. The exception is if you get a Fortress, in which case I'd think you'd want a pretty big one even though it will be relatively light in weight.

I would also suggest increasing the amount of chain on your anchor. The rule of thumb is one foot of chain for every foot of boat. The main rode for our 36' boat is all-chain but our stern anchor (Fortress) and its combination rode are sized to be the main anchor and rode for the boat, too. We have 40 feet of chain on the end of the nylon rode.

This is assuming you want to stay with a combination rode instead of going to an all-chain rode. I would think that for river work a combination rode would be ideal as long as you or your windlass can deal with it.

I would also suggest you buy and read a copy of Earl Hinz's outstanding book, "The Complete Book of Anchoring and Mooring." It contains pretty much everything you want to know about both subjects. It has certainly been invaluable to us.

 

[Scary]

Marin is dead on.

You need much more chain to effectively anchor. Save the h20 for a backup picnic anchor and get something larger. The Danforth is easy to store on deck.

 

[Restitution]

My windlass is of drum type. I am fit enough and don't mind doing some manual labor. With that in mind, what size Danforth and how long chain? I want to anchor off in Columbia and Sturgeon or Salmon fish. Would one be able to fairly easily pull of 40' of chain with 35# anchor, albiet with the aid of a drum windlass for line section? I would think so myself? Larger thanb 35#?

 

[FF]

get a Danforth 35H , and use the 20 as a lunch hook or as your stern anchor.

The 20H is fine for normal anchoring , say 30K in a protected anchorage , but more wind and the swell will tax it too much.

A 60 H would be a great storm anchor, with different line.

FF

 

[jleonard]

I used a 20H for many years on my old 34 Mainship, but it is definately too small for my current 40 Albin, although I do have it mounted on the bow as my secondary. It will hold the boat in light wind, but I would not trust it in anyting over 15-20 knots (although it did save me a$$ once in the Harlem river).
I just bought a 35H and that will become my main (with all chain rode). The 20 will go into the lazarette as a backup to the backup or for use as a stern hook.

 

[Marin]

Would one be able to fairly easily pull of 40' of chain with 35# anchor, albiet with the aid of a drum windlass for line section? I would think so myself? Larger thanb 35#?

It all depends on your physical condition. I had to pull our 44# anchor up by hand when the big no-name windlass that came as original equipment on our boat lunched a couple of gear teeth. I am in pretty good shape, particularly strength-wise, but it was a chore I would not want to do on a regular basis. We have all-chain rode which means you're pulling weight all through the manual retrieve. But once that anchor left the bottom and I was pulling it and the chain between me and it (about 30-35 feet) it was not a fun experience. And this was in calm water (actually, it was the day I took my avatar photo) with no wind. Pulling the anchor by hand with the boat pitching and rolling would be something I would rather not do.

This is one reason we got rid of the heavy Danforth knock-off that came with the boat as a stern anchor and replaced it with a large Fortress. It was such a pain to use the Danforth knock-off that we rarely did even when it could have been beneficial to have it out. The Fortress, while large, is very light and so encourages its use when we need it.

On a boat the size of yours with the size of anchor you should have for it, I would certainly not want to be relying on arm power to get the anchor up and stowed.