Anchors aweigh

[nwboater]

I've never plugged marine products here before, but I just learned that boating friends of mine, Steve and Ann Bedford of Burgess, VA, have acquired the assets of Super MAX anchors from inventor and founder, Andy Peabody of Nachez, MS. Steve and Ann are life long boaters and the proud owner of No Regrets, a Willard 40 trawler. Those of you on the east coast or along the Gulf are probably familiar with this heavy duty anchor. I'm hoping we'll soon see more of these rugged anchors in the PNW. If you're considering a new anchor, talk to Steve about your needs. Thanks!

Home - Max Marine Products

 

[SCOTTEDAVIS]

Oh boy! Another one.

The link seems to not be working for me, my anti virus software is not happy with the link.

 

[hmason]

Link works for me but there ain't much to see.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I think the Max anchor is kinda like a Bruce on steroids.
Or a Bruce with duck feet.
Lots more fluke area.

Five or six years ago there was a member on the forum that had one. He had lots of praise fot it and lived in Seattle.

 

[Larry M]

Saw one of these a few weeks ago and was wondering what it was. Looks like this one had a few modifications. It was pretty big. My shoe is size 13.

 

[Catbird]

I am also getting the Malwarebytes warning that the site is not safe to visit.

 

[jwnall]

I am also getting the Malwarebytes warning that the site is not safe to visit.

Site is OK with my computer and browser. (A Mac with Waterfox)

 

[Moonstruck]

Saw one of these a few weeks ago and was wondering what it was. Looks like this one had a few modifications. It was pretty big. My shoe is size 13.

Looks like a backhoe bucket. It should do some digging. Could be tough to break out.

 

[BruceK]

Neat advertising.

 

[Nomad Willy]

The Max comes in two versions. One w a fixed angle shank and the other w an adjustable angle shank kinda like the Fortress. The one in the pic above is the adjustable shank variety

 

[siestakey]

Looks interesting but wow does that website need some work

 

[Peter B]

's'ok by me as well, but wow, that is one ugly anchor.. It looks even more agricultural than my beloved Super Sarca. I bet it digs a really good trench, but..?

 

[BruceK]

Now you mention it Peter, I think I`ve seen something similar on the back of a trench digger. But, handsome is as handsome does.

 

[ranger58sb]

I've never plugged marine products here before, but I just learned that boating friends of mine, Steve and Ann Bedford of Burgess, VA, have acquired the assets of Super MAX anchors from inventor and founder, Andy Peabody of Nachez, MS. Steve and Ann are life long boaters and the proud owner of No Regrets, a Willard 40 trawler. Those of you on the east coast or along the Gulf are probably familiar with this heavy duty anchor. I'm hoping we'll soon see more of these rugged anchors in the PNW. If you're considering a new anchor, talk to Steve about your needs. Thanks!

Home - Max Marine Products

Thanks for posting, Had heard Andy might have been looking for an exit strategy; good to hear your friends have stepped up.

I offered Brian (Fortress) my 44-lb adjustable SuperMax for their Chesapeake mud tests last summer, but he was trying to limit testing to mainstream products... and wasn't sure SuperMax would continue to be any stream, let alone mainstream. (Brian may choose to better state their position at the time, in case I didn't quite word that right.) And I didn't know about the test until they were almost started, so adding another anchor at that point could well have added another logistics issue, anyway.

I was able to get to the new site with no problems. The previous site was here, and also not great:

Super MAX Anchors


FWIW, last week we saw another SuperMax mounted as one of the two anchors on a (probably 42') Nordic Tug. I think that's the first time I've seen another one actually on a boat.

Looks like a backhoe bucket. It should do some digging. Could be tough to break out.

Yes. Sometimes near impossible to break out. And our common description to others has been exactly that: the business end of a backhoe.

's'ok by me as well, but wow, that is one ugly anchor.. It looks even more agricultural than my beloved Super Sarca. I bet it digs a really good trench, but..?

Now you mention it Peter, I think I`ve seen something similar on the back of a trench digger. But, handsome is as handsome does.

It doesn't dig a trench in the sense of a continuous shallow ditch. Our experience here is that it digs southward, sometimes until the whole shank is buried. (Some of that is deduction based on what it looks like when we bring it up out of the mud.)

I've never had to use the adjustment mechanism. So far, it's always been set in the middle position.

Our anchor is also slightly too small for our present boat (we brought it over from the last boat); the 50-lb version would be better for us now, according to Andy's table. That said, we've never pulled loose, in any weather.

-Chris

 

[timjet]

My recent experience

This is a timely thread as it relates to an experience I had 3 weeks ago on the Chesapeake. We cruised from Harrington Harbor on the western shore over to the touristy town of St. Michaels on the eastern shore with intentions of anchoring in Fogg Creek, a small well protected anchorage with easy access to the town. On arrival a large sailboat was taking up most of the space so we decided to anchor just outside the town entrance markers. There’s not much protection here but thunderstorms were not forecast this evening. I did my normal anchoring routine by power setting the anchor with one engine in reverse at 1000 rpm for about 15 sec and then the other engine for 15 sec.



We toured the town deciding to grill dinner on board and wait until tomorrow to sample one of the many fine restaurants for lunch. We had an uneventful evening and the next day we again toured the town and had lunch at the Crab Claw restaurant. Tstorms were forecast and as we were eating one was approaching from the SW. We decided to finish eating and not linger hoping to beat the worst of the Tstorm winds back to the boat. As we were motoring in our dinghy the rain started and winds were picking up to about 20 kts.
As we cleared the entrance to the harbor which has limited visibility due to a strand of large trees on the south side (where our boat was anchored) I couldn’t see the boat. A quick scan of the area revealed the boat about a quarter mile north of where we anchored, seemingly not moving. Moving as fast as the dinghy would in the building seas we reached the boat and once safely aboard I checked the depth on the gauge. We were in 8 ft of water. Apparently the anchor had dragged and dug in about 100 yards before a shoal just north, the direction the boat had dragged.


Realizing just how lucky we were we decided to motor to our next planned anchorage on Dividing Creek just off the Wye River, an easy one hour cruise with the Tstorm passing mostly to the south of us.
Once there I notice another boat anchored about 2/3 up dividing creek. The creek is about 50 yards wide, at most 75 yards so there is good protection but not much swing room. The shoreline of the creek is lined with many dead limbs and fallen trees. T storms were forecast this evening so I decided to anchor at the mouth of the creek where there was more swing room and thus more space to set lots of scope.
I set about 150 of our available 200 ft of scope which consists of 50’ of 5/16” chain and 150 of braded rope connected to a 35lb Lewmar Delta anchor.


About 0300 (of course when else) thunder woke me up and a quick look at my cell phone wx app showed a fast approach Tstorm cell. I got up on the fly bridge where the wind was already blowing pretty good and started both engines and powered up the chart plotter. With no moon or stars and in a very rural area it was pitch black. I also got our hand search light but with the entire fly bridge enclosed in eisenglass the glare off the eisenglass made it worthless. The wind was really picking up now (I later estimated it to be about 50 kts) with heavy rain and wind driven spray from the creek hitting the fly bridge eisenglass. We also have a bow mounted search light and as I was referencing the plotter and using the bow mounted search light I was pretty sure we had dragged but was uncertain if we were aground. The depth gauge read 0 so either something was interfering with the transducer signal or it was broke.
I took the hand held search light and looking out the aft part of the boat saw a limb running underneath the boat, right where the rudder and props are. This probably explained the 0 reading on the depth gauge.


Typical of most Tstorms this was short lived and by now the wind was dissipating but still blowing about 20 kts. I decided to use our collapsible boat pole to push the stern away from the limb not wanting the props to entangle the limb and perhaps damage the rudder and props. Plan was to then power into deeper water and re-anchor. At this point I had no idea the condition of the running gear but I felt I needed to get the boat in deeper water. Using the pole I could feel the bottom about 4 feet down (we draw 4’) and I started to push. In retrospect this probably was a poor plan. Trying to push a 25,000 lb boat against 20 kts of wind with a boat pole is an exercise in frustration. Well I never found out because as I was pushing on the boat pole it collapsed and in I went. Fortunately I missed the limb and fell into clear water. As I was getting out via the swim platform I noticed the boat had moved away from the limb and was no longer captured by it.
The year before I had installed a solar powered light on our sundeck roof and it illuminated the entire swim platform. This really was a lifesaver as it made it easy to get back aboard and I could see the limb was free of the boat.


The rest is anticlimactic as the wind now had dissipated and as we were re-anchoring was actually calm. I held my breath as I engaged the tranny with the depth gauge reading 6’. I later dived the boat and found nothing amiss and at 2300 rpm no vibration.



Later that morning we dinghed over to the boat anchored further up the creek, a beautiful 38’ Monk, expecting to hear they had a pleasant stress free night. Not so as they had also dragged but as the wind had come right up the creek, they dragged further into the creek until the anchor caught again. In conversations with them we learned they had been boating for 40 years and this was the first time they had experienced a dragged anchor. Until this experience our anchor had never dragged either.


We may have experienced a small micro-burst, we’ll never know for sure.
On the way back to the boat in the dinghy we found the limb that had captured us the evening before. It was easily identified by the blue bottom paint on it.

 

[ranger58sb]

I set about 150 of our available 200 ft of scope which consists of 50’ of 5/16” chain and 150 of braded rope connected to a 35lb Lewmar Delta anchor.

We had a 35-lb Delta on a previous boat, and dragged a few times in the soft mud around here, in much less wind than your experience.

They're about as common as dirt in this neck of the woods, though, and usually seem to be at least one size smaller than I'd use, so I guess most folks -- who actually anchor out -- usually have OK experiences with them. But then I think the majority of boaters in the Chesapeake with Delta anchors mounted only use them as lunch hooks... or boat decoration in the marinas.

Can't say as we've been anchored in winds over about 20 kts and gusts to maybe 25, though... so I can't prove our SuperMax is the greatest anchor in the free world... even if our experience in soft mud and slime has so far been favorable.

-Chris

 

[Moonstruck]

Capt. Tim.

While Dividing and Granary Creeks off the Wye River East are usually good secure anchorages, they are very popular with the sail boat crowd. We usually anchor across the river in Quarter Cove. Much more area to put out scope and swinging room. Never dragged with a Delta there. We have spent many a quiet night there. Wye East is one of our favorite spots.

 

[Nomad Willy]

The Max is much like a sheet metal version of the Claw. Most complain that the Claw dosn't have enough fluke area ... not a problem apparently w the Max. Both the Claw and Max have heavy shanks and the shank weight always limits the size of the fluke .. unless you go for a bigger anchor .. and the Max website clearly thinks "bigger is better".

 

[BruceK]

Interesting story well told. With a lot going on in terms of conditions, it would be tough to blame the anchor.

 

[timjet]

Thanks Chris, I intended to place this post in the General Discussion section replying to the post “Dare I Say Another Anchor Article” but somehow it ended up here. Because of my experience I was considering taking the Defender deal and buying the Rocna anchor mentioned in that post.

The Rocna looks to me like a delta anchor with a roll bar. Can it be that much better than a delta? Several posts in that article praised the Rocna. Before I buy it I need to make sure it will fit on the slotted anchor pulpit that my delta so nicely fits now. The roll bar on the Rocna is mounted forward so it should fit. I just have to decide if it’s better.

 

[timjet]

Don, we enjoyed the Wye River area mostly for it's remoteness. We were there on a week day and the Monk previously mentioned was the only other boat on Dividing Ck. As you mentioned my research indicated the Wye River anchorages are popular.

We absolutely loved the Chessie. My favorite part is the southern and western part. We were considering keeping the boat for another season up there but have decided to return the boat to Tampa this fall/winter. As much as we liked it on the Chessie, we miss using the boat for the long off season they have up there.

 

[timjet]

Interesting story well told. With a lot going on in terms of conditions, it would be tough to blame the anchor.

Yes I tend to agree. I will however power set the anchor with greater force and for a longer time from now on.

Not mentioned in my post was the fact that the limb we pushed up against probably prevented running gear damage.

 

[psneeld]

Tim....not sure what anchor will have held you in those places.

Many of the creeks and hollows in the Chesapeake are filled with very soupy mud...normal "silting in" of an estuary. Even the Fortress anchor test I believe looked for that type bottom...maybe a little firmer than where you were.

Anything but a Danforth/Fortress type anchor struggles in that as the test showed (to a point).

In that test the Roca did very poorly I believe.

Hard to find quickly...but there are firm bottom areas all over the Chesapeake...not always as protected....but for Summer cruising where you just have to survive short duration thunderstorms....you might consider less protected...stand watch thigh them and enjoy the firmer bottom and wider swing/drag room than holing up.

 

[ranger58sb]

The Rocna looks to me like a delta anchor with a roll bar. Can it be that much better than a delta?

No experience with Rocna, so no opinion.

I gather the roll bar's purpose is to be sure the anchor is properly oriented during setting. If so, I'd maybe guess a well-set Delta and a well-set Rocna -- of similar sizes/weights -- might be about the same?

Just my speculation, though....

-Chris

 

[Moonstruck]

Don, we enjoyed the Wye River area mostly for it's remoteness. We were there on a week day and the Monk previously mentioned was the only other boat on Dividing Ck. As you mentioned my research indicated the Wye River anchorages are popular.

We absolutely loved the Chessie. My favorite part is the southern and western part. We were considering keeping the boat for another season up there but have decided to return the boat to Tampa this fall/winter. As much as we liked it on the Chessie, we miss using the boat for the long off season they have up there.

Tim, there is a happy medium. You could store the boat in ice free Hampton, VA or just below the Great Bridge Lock at Atlantic Yacht Basin. That would be in fresh water. The boat would be usable for the winter, and could return to the Chessie in spring. I am thinking of just that. Leaving it there for a little over 6 months gets away from the Maryland tax problem.

 

[healhustler]

Tim: psneeld and Don are dead on. I used to swim off the boat in that area and the mouth of Dividing creek might as well be a delta....a silty, dusty mud that isn't even enough to stand on. A Delta anchor (or a Rocna, for that matter) could grab all it could handle and still drag in a blow. The plus part of your experience is that, save for the frequent impact upon sunken limbs, you could probably sit aground there through the tide cycle and never harm anything except maybe your ego and some silt in the intakes.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Since this is a thread about the Max anchor and everyone's talking about mud now I have this to share re a Mud Anchor Test Practical Sailor Mag April 06. The following is in hundreds of lbs holding power. First # is at 3-1 scope and second at 7-1 scope.

Super Max 300 500
SARCA 420 500
Bulwagga 450 480
Fortress 375 475
Spade 80 250 460
Davis Talon 450 450
Rocna 300 440
Kingston Plow 450 380

Other than the Rocna's 3-1 scope problem they all performed very well so it's clear there are many anchors to choose from. Surprising the Plow had better holding at short scope than at 7-1. And if you look it up you'll see a lot of evidence that give credit to anchors that do everything well and aren't top dog at anything. Broad excellent performance and no superlatives. My first XYZ anchor was in this test and out performed all others but it set so infrequently I eventually put it in the landfill.

Other anchors in the test were;
Danforth (WM), HydroBubble, Spade 80 and XYZ that tested at 500lbs at both scopes.

 

[Codger2]

My first XYZ anchor was in this test and out performed all others but it set so infrequently I eventually put it in the landfill.

....and reports are that it's still moving!

 

[ranger58sb]

Since this is a thread about the Max anchor and everyone's talking about mud now I have this to share re a Mud Anchor Test Practical Sailor Mag April 06. The following is in hundreds of lbs holding power. First # is at 3-1 scope and second at 7-1 scope.

Super Max 300 500

I think that's the test that the SuperMax guy had some heartburn about.

See here: Super MAX Anchors

The gist is that he says the test was in soft mud, and

1) the testers used 3:1 scope for the SM instead of the 5:1 scope recommended by the maker... (his comment on his main page about reading the instructions seems to apply), and

2) the testing was limited at 500 lbs, which he felt makes many of the anchors look equally capable anyway.

-Chris

 

[BlueYonder]

The bottom of Dividing Creek is soft, soupy mud. I often had problems getting the anchor to set there when I had a plow style anchor (CQR). Next time you head up the Wye, try the small cove just prior to Dividing Creek on the same side of the river. This spot opens up to a nice anchorage just right for 2 or 3 boats and carries 10 ft well back into the cove. The depths shown on a Garmin Bluechart are accurate