Looking for the best anchor

We have a Mainship 2004 34 Trawler. We plan to anchor in the Bahamas in 10-25ft of depth. I am looking at the Rocna 33lb and the 45lb anchors. weight and cost are an issue. We weigh in at 20k lbs. Any thoughts.

bluewater1953 said:

We have a Mainship 2004 34 Trawler. We plan to anchor in the Bahamas in 10-25ft of depth. I am looking at the Rocna 33lb and the 45lb anchors. weight and cost are an issue. We weigh in at 20k lbs. Any thoughts.

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You've come to the right place. There will be plenty of opinions.

bluewater1953 said:

weight and cost are an issue.

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What's the cost of loosing the boat?

In our bay in the summer I see cruisers in trouble all the time because their anchor (It came with the boat) is too small, they don't have decently heavy chain, and they want to drag it around on too short scope.

A cruiser should carry at least 3 anchors. You should have a 45 pound everyday anchor, a 65 pound storm anchor, and a lightweight backup/kedge on rope. If cost is a factor go to a marine exchange and get some used ones, anchors do not wear out.

Do you dive to that depth? If you don't a lot of places to lose anchor in the Bahamas, on wedging into rock much easier to retrieve with a line attached at the front of the shank.
Nice to have all chain for the extra weight and chaffing by sharp objects above and below.

bluewater1953 said:

We have a Mainship 2004 34 Trawler. We plan to anchor in the Bahamas in 10-25ft of depth. I am looking at the Rocna 33lb and the 45lb anchors. weight and cost are an issue. We weigh in at 20k lbs. Any thoughts.

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Yes. Search the archives using the word "anchor" as the key word. You will get more "thoughts" on the best anchor than you would have thought possible.

We have a Rocna 20 (44#) and are extremely pleased with it. However...... we bought ours a long time ago when they were being made in New Zealand and Vancouver, BC by the original company. Some years later the company was sold and Rocna anchor production was moved to China. It made the previous very high cost of Rocna anchors more competitive and it was the same design, which I personally think is the best one for an all-around anchor on the market, particularly in the sizes boats like ours use.

But there were lots of questions about the material that was being used in China to make them. (You can find all this in the archives as well, use "Rocna" as the keyword).

The company has been sold again more recently to Canadian Metals. So far as I know the anchors are still being made in China although the materials controversy seems to have been resolved. I see more and more Rocnas in our marina these days, all of them new ones, I assume from China (the nameplates are different and there is raised lettering on the bottom of the wide end of the fluke which is how one can tell a newer Rocna from the originals). I have not heard or read of any user complaints about the current models.

I work in a marine store in Miami. Most of my customers cruise the Bahamas. The most popular anchor seems to be a Delta. The reason they give is that it will set through the bottom grass found in the Bahamas. A good friend of mine had his 72 foot sport fish in the Bahamas when Sandy went through. The boat was in a slip in a marina. They were expecting 60 knot winds. The boat was well secure in the slip but as the winds went past hurricane force he became concerned that the stern would be forced into the dock. He ran the Delta anchor out as far as he could in a smaller boat. He then put tension on the rope (rope / chain rode) with the windlass. By the time the storm passed the rope was bar tight, but it worked. The winds hit 110 knots and they had 3 to 4 foot waves in the marina. He of course swears by the Delta but I suspect that a Rockna or a Manson would work as well. Danforth anchors don't work well in the grass over there.

We purchased a Rocna 15 (33#) a couple of years ago for our Ennos 32 (12K pounds) and have cruised it for two seasons, primarily in the Desolation Sound area of BC. Generally in 30 - 75' over rock, gravel, and mud.

The performance has been excellent; fast setting, no dragging, and no fouling. In fact we had to relearn anchoring to a degree because the Rocna sets so quickly and firmly relative to our previous Danforth.

And yes, we purchased ours in February 2011 which put it right in the middle of the Chinese manufacturing controversy. For what it's worth, the new owners, Canadian Metals, assured me that our Rocna was not one of the poorly built ones.

I would buy another one in a heartbeat if the need arose.

Did you really start another anchor thread. Well, since you ask, we switched to the Manson Supreme after using a CQR 45 for over 17 years on our 35,000 lb. sailboat without ever dragging. The Manson is my new best friend. We have used it in every condition and bottom from South Carolina to the Chesapeake and back to Florida. We're sitting on it right now in the anchorage at Little Crawl Key in the Florida Keys. It has set immediately and more importantly reset in reversing winds and currents. We'll be heading over to the Bahamas in a few weeks so we'll let you know. Chuck

I'm going to largely stay out of this, mainly because the anchor(s) I would recommend are apparently still not readily obtainable in your part of the world as yet. So I'll just say, of the rest of the ones you can get hold of, the advice Capn Chuck and Marin just gave are the ones to go for...and yes, the Delta is pretty good also.

I have no idea what the best anchor is. My main anchor is a Delta, and so far it has been very satisfactory for east coast to Bahamas'

According to Rocna you want the larger anchor:

Sizing Chart » Rocna Anchors

Moonstruck said:

I have no idea what the best anchor is.

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Bluewater-- That's probably the most accurate answer you're going to get on this subject. There are simply too many variables to allow any one anchor type to be the best.

I think the smartest thing is to find out what experienced boaters who anchor out a lot in the kinds of situations you're likely to encounter are using. That will narrow the field for you considerably.

I put the boldface in because what they use may not be the most popular (by the number on boats) anchor in your area. We made the mistake of buying the most popular (by number) anchor used on powerboats in this area when we bought our boat. It subsequently proved-- to us anyway-- that while popular, it was not the best one for the job. So we replaced it.

Marin wrote;

"I think the smartest thing is to find out what experienced boaters who anchor out a lot in the kinds of situations you're likely to encounter are using. That will narrow the field for you considerably."

Sounds like good advice Marin but there are possible flaws in that approach. We're all attached to what we have and don't want to appear stupid so most all will say their anchor is great. Try it. That's what you'll find.

Also (and probably more applicable) is the fact that most all boaters have had rather good experiences w their anchors and will tell you "sure it's fine and it came w the boat". So their questioning those experienced boaters will tell them that it dosn't matter what anchor they choose and that is probably about what one will find out here on Trawler Forum too. Try it. Make a post and ask whose not happy w their anchor. Try it and you'll find out that almost everybody is happy with the anchor or anchors they have. And the obvious conclusion for an intelligent person will be that it basically dosn't matter.

A fisherman told me this anchor holds fine in 50 knot summer gales but drags in 60 knot winter gales.

manyboats said:

A fisherman told me this anchor holds fine in 50 knot summer gales but drags in 60 knot winter gales.

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Well, yeah. Winter winds are "thicker" than summer's.

Moonstruck;"I have no idea what the best anchor is. My main anchor is a Delta, and so far it has been very satisfactory for east coast to Bahamas"


My next door neighbour has a Delta and we were chatting away, and I asked him how he liked his anchor, and as Eric noted, he liked it, thought it was great. Then he looked at me and said quietly "however there are Delta's and there are Delta's Andy". I smiled and said absolutely, I had no idea what he was talking about.

This anchoring stuff is like secret men's business, I wonder if there is an anchor sub branch of the Masons?

Mark the SE Alaska gales are definitely thick .... and COLD.

I have a friend who lives in Maine, on the water in a sheltered bay, who had a 10,000 lbs, granite block mooring drag with his boat attached to it, during a summer storm micro burst.

I agree, there is no perfect anchor.

I use a 55 lb. SuperMax for daily anchoring and I’m happy with it. But... and this is a important, I also carry a Fortress, a Danforth, another Danforth with sharpened flukes, and a original Ronca, purchased years ago when they first came out( all stored in the lazarette since the little DeFever, like all DeFevers, needs weight in the stern)

I also carry 250 feet of extra G-4 ACCO chain as well as 250 ft. of 5/8 3 strand line.

I would still run for the most protected harbor/marina if I had time. I try to make sure I have time.

Mike

Tad Roberts said:

If cost is a factor go to a marine exchange and get some used ones, anchors do not wear out.

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Posts on another of the many anchor threads suggest anchors with moving parts,eg CQR, do wear, if not wear out. This came from Rex, of Anchorright, Sarca designer/manufacturer; and if memory serves it was Eric who found there was indeed work needed to revitalize a used anchor (? Dreadnought)he bought to help submerge the Willard`s already overburdened bow. Sharpening was also suggested as maintenance on some anchors.

Moving anchor parts can/did pinch/hurt my hand. Makes me wonder why I purchased a Fortress as a secondary anchor. Perhaps because it is small deconstructed as well as light weight.

Eric--- I agree with your comments after my post. Most boaters will say that the anchor they have is the best. I was aiming my opinion at the person new to this kind of boating, or like the OP, seemed to have no preconceived notions about what was best for his requirements and wanted to find out.

BruceK said:

... Sharpening was also suggested as maintenance on some anchors.

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Wouldn't sharpening remove the protective, galvanized coating?

Not on an aluminum Fortress or a SS anchor.

[QUOTE=BruceK;
" Sharpening was also suggested as maintenance on some anchors."

Would not sharpening a galvanised anchor tip, grind away the 'gal' leaving it exposed to the elements?

EDIT; you guys are just too quick!

Night shift and bored!

Andy G said:

This anchoring stuff is like secret men's business, I wonder if there is an anchor sub branch of the Masons?

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Andy that is between us Delta guys. If you don't know the secret handshake, we will not tell.

Anchors are a religion , like 1 or 2 engines.

For the Bahamas what 2 annchors is the question as much of the time you will run a Bahimian Moore , with a stern anchor.

Usually a big heavy CQR will fit the boats bow roller best.

For a stern anchor we use a 12H or a 20H Danforth as it sets quickly , holds well and is really easy to rig for the Bahamas.

Size counts , weight counts , "modern" design is basically boob bait.

The Rocna is a great anchor, thoroughly proven in the real world, and extremely well suited to the Bahamas. You see more and more experienced cruisers who anchor all the time trading out their trusty CQRs for them. Actually, "Bahamian moors" are a pretty rare sight. You can sit on a 3-1 all chain rig in most places.

Agree some sort of Danforth style, like a Fortress, makes a good stern anchor when backing up to a beach, or those times when you do deploy a Bahamian. Easy to stow, especially the Fortresses, but we use just plain old Danforths as the back ups to our Delta main.