Anchors

New member here and new Trawler owner. 48' Kadey Krogen. Question about anchors. Bought the boat used and she came with a Navy type anchor, don't know Lb's it's not listed on the anchor anywhere, but it is big!. All chain rode. Wondering about changing the anchor to a "new generation" anchor like a Rocna. Any advice?

rpeterson said:

New member here and new Trawler owner. 48' Kadey Krogen. Question about anchors. Bought the boat used and she came with a Navy type anchor, don't know Lb's it's not listed on the anchor anywhere, but it is big!. All chain rode. Wondering about changing the anchor to a "new generation" anchor like a Rocna. Any advice?

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"Stand by for heavy rolls to port......"

Welcome! This is a hotly debated topic an any site, and TF is no exception.

To directly answer your question- we have a 30kg Manson Supreme on our boat, and are very happy with it. It sets quickly and holds on short scope.

We sleep well on the hook.


Pete

Also, search for "anchor", grab a 6 pack, and read away......

I had asked that same question not too long ago as I searched and found a lot of discussion that was dated, given prices have changed etc I was looking for more of "today's" opinion, see link below, some good info:
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s42/your-thoughts-anchors-11617.html

I will have a Northill fabricated if I ever have to replace the current one I use or if I change Vessels

I am now being told that my anchor is a Forfjord put on by the previous owner. He traveled to Alaska every summer fishing.

If you are going to go cruising by anchoring out , rather than running from one marina to the next BIG anchors are better than watchfobs , regardless of the watchfarb mfg claims.

I would be looking for a 60H Danforth or 90H danforth and as minimum a 60 CQR.

The CQR would be best at about 90 Lbs too, If you can find one.

These are the OVERNIGHT anchors , not what you would deploy in a hurricane.

Many folks would go lighter , but I hate getting out of the sack to deploy the second or third anchor in a thunderstorm.

Learn how to do a Bahamian more if much anchoring is in your plans.

Welcome Aboard!

Thanks for the comments. We are currently cruising the San Juan's, Channel, and BC. We anchor mostly even if we are in a bay with a marina we anchor. It is sometimes quicker to get to land in our tender than the walk from a slip out at the end of the marina. We want an anchor that we can depend on no matter. Instead of doing a Bahamian I would rather go a size or two larger in the main anchor but that is another discussion. Just wanted to know if anyone has any experience with a Rocna in comparison. I may add a Rocna as a secondary anchor. Thoughts?

Disregard FF's diatribe. It sounds like he might being giving good advice for Florida, but it seems relatively useless for Washington, BC, and Alaska, as we don't have hurricanes, thunderstorms, or anyone that Bahamian moors here. Danforth's are fine for mud and sand, which gets in limited in supply the further North you go.

There may be a reason the PO had a big Forfjord anchor with all chain rode on the bow.

We're on our second Rocna. The first was a 15 kg/33# on our 32' Ennos Sapphire. We replaced a Danforth with the Rocna and had to relearn anchoring as the Rocna set instantly. It never hinted at dragging ever. (150' chain, 250' line)

When we purchased our Nordic Tug 42 it came with an old Bruce knock off which was okay but didn't engender confidence so it was replaced with a 33 kg/73# Rocna. Same experience; instant setting and no dragging. (400' chain)

The Rocna is our primary anchor; we have a large (forget the exact size) CQR as backup.

From our experience I'd say we are very happy with our Rocna, although we have not needed to rely on it in really heavy weather.

Our Manson is primary, with a Fortress as backup. We've anchored all over Puget Sound with the Manson, and it's never let us down.

We're also all chain (350').

Thanks all, like the comment by Northern Spy, "there must be a reason the PO had a big Forfjord anchor with lots of chain on the bow".
I wouldn't doubt it, but it is different setting it than I am used to. Haven't gotten used to feeling it set yet. Still would like to get a backup. The way the anchor tackle is set up, looks like 300' of chain, and then there is rope with a shackle to hook to the chain? I assume that is what the rope was for in that there is not a back-up anchor or a place on the pulpit for one. I can't imagine needing more than 300' of chain rode out. Don't know yet how much rope, haven't pulled it all out of the locker yet.

(rpeterson-- Sent a Private Message re Rocnas.)

rpeterson said:

I am now being told that my anchor is a Forfjord put on by the previous owner. He traveled to Alaska every summer fishing.

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Welcome to T.F,

I to have the dreaded Forfjord anchor... someone told me Forfjord means P.O.S. in Norwegian and I totally believe it . I have the worst luck with the dam thing as far as setting it.. I think even a CQR plow is better (and I think CQR's are a P.O.S.) Other than in rock any anchor I have ever used sets and holds better than the F Anchor.. ironically it is a "F" word on our boat in more ways than one.

You would be so much better off with any of the newer tech anchors and will be amazed at how well the newer anchors set. The Rocna's are a great anchor and I don't think you could do much better.

As soon as I quit reeling from the purchase of a complete nav,sounder,HD radar a new anchor is next on the list..

HOLLYWOOD

rpeterson,
Give me the width and height excluding the shank and I can tell you basically how much it weighs + or - about 10%.

If the Navy anchor is heavy enough it should serve you well as many large yachts and lots of ships use them. A normal anchor for your boat may be 75 lbs or so and if your Navy is 175 lbs perhaps you'd be fine w an extra 100 lbs of ground tackle. The very dependable and wide range of performance may be worth the 100 lbs. They are probably good for any bottom generally speaking and short scope as well.

But if you do get a new anchor my choice would be Manson Supreme.

One season on a 15K Rocna, and I have been using Hi-Tensile Danforth 20's for the last 25 years. There is no comparison. The Rocna sets instantly, never drags, and I always am confident of a good night's sleep. The best scope is 4:1 instead of 7:1, and with only 400' of 5/8" line, that is a good thing. The Danforth (and the Hi-Tensile's are the best of the lot in my opinion) often dragged before setting, and I got up many times to re-set the hook in the middle of the night. The high tidal ranges here work a hook and the Rocna has been outstanding. I would never waste "new" money buying an "old" technology anchor, the new designs are simply better.

AKDoug said:

I would never waste "new" money buying an "old" technology anchor, the new designs are simply better.

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I`ll avoid the "my ** anchor is better than your*** response" and agree with the above. There have been huge advances in design, a man would be "a fool unto himself and a burden unto others" not to go with a new proven design. Which one? Unless you have tried or tested them all (Eric may have), take advice and make a choice. I`m happy with my new Super Sarca, probably not available to you there, there are others of similar, not identical, new design.

To sum up, as the Sarca range seem still difficult to obtain in the northern hemisphere thus far, (more's the pity), then yep - go for Rocna then Manson Supreme, (possibly the newer Boss, but I have heard little feed back on it yet), in that order, would also be my advice. Either way, you would sleep well at night.
But do some Googling on Sarca, because they are organising Northern Hem. distributors, so there may have been some progress there I am not aware of....
Rex...?
PS. I sent Rex of AnchorRight a PM...and email, in case he's off watch...

Ah yes, an anchor discussion. 18 posts in a matter of hours.

Without discussing which anchor is best, the original poster mentioned a Rocna for a Krogen 48. We have a 40kg Rocna on our Krogen 42 and would suggest a heavier Rocna for the larger Krogen 48. Unless people laugh at the size of your anchor it is not big enough.

One downside I see with heavier anchor is the ability to lift it off the bottom if the windlass fails. Rocna makes a 55kg and a 70 kg anchor. Suggest looking at these models for a Krogen 48.

Can't say that a Rocna is the best anchor, however, our Rocna sets almost immediately, pivots when the wind shifts and has held us steady when all hell broke loose and other boats were dragging.

Marty

rpeterson said:

I am now being told that my anchor is a Forfjord put on by the previous owner. He traveled to Alaska every summer fishing.

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That is a great anchor and the primary on the Eagle. Most of the commercial fish trawlwe that go to Alaska have them and depend on them. It is not a quick set or short scope anch but it will hold. Requires 3 to 5 scope and all chain.

So let me offers some opinions and reasons for them:

Whatever anchor you use it needs to be BIG. A Krogen 48 is a heavy boat with a lot of windage. So go up at least one size from the manufacturer's recommended size for your boat.

You can get by with 50' of chain and the rest nylon but I prefer all chain rode. No chafe breakage possibility, no keel wrap (really applicable to sailboats), the windlass pulls the whole rode up easily and the chain weight helps with holding.

You will need at least 3/8 HT chain for your boat. The maximum working load for that chain is about 5,500 lbs which is consistent with the holding power of a big anchor.

For total length of rode on board, take your maximum anchoring depth, add 5' or so for bow roller height and multiply by 6. You can get by with less than 6, down to 4 or so in tight anchorages with light wind. But go up to 7 for maximum holding power.

And of course you will need a beefy windlass to pull up a big anchor and its chain rode.

The newer designed anchors: Rocna, Manson Supreme, etc set very well, dig in deep (at least in mud or sand) and hold very well. They set much better than the equivalent sized CQR or Delta which are older designs.

I used a 55# Rocna when I cruised on a 35', 18,000 lbs sailing cat and anchored at least a 100 times one year. The Rocna always set first time, would reset when the wind or current shifted and when I finally pulled it up, it came up with a LOT of stiff soil, meaning it dug in deeply.

David

When I was considering ordering a new fangled, whiz-bang modern anchor, the owner of a store in Prince Rupert listened quite patiently about new anchor designs, then nodded toward his extensive array of cheap galvanized Lewmar Claws and said, "Yeah, well, I get a lot of repeat customers".

I pondered that for a while, then bought the next size up Lewmar Claw that was already on our boat.

You just have to see any bay or estuary in this area at an extremely low tide to understand what he meant...there are stumps, root wads, logs, and/or whole trees laying on the bottom all over the place.

Still, I intend to get a modern storm anchor before we start exploring BC's north coast in the winter months, which should be next year, but it sure won't be used on a regular basis!

Walt, maybe this would work better.

"fouetter un cheval mort"

djmarchand said:

no keel wrap (really applicable to sailboats)

David

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That one caught my eye, as I've never heard the term. What is "keel wrap"?

Conrad said:

That one caught my eye, as I've never heard the term. What is "keel wrap"?

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I think that's where your rode wraps around your keel. We've had our rode on our stern anchor wrap around our prop when the tide changed. Also had a spinnaker sheet, and actually a spinnaker, get wrapped on our keel in our sailing days. Ah, good times.

Conard, when the anchor rode gets wrapped/tangled around or on the keel. Can be a real problem if the keel has wings or bulges at the bottom usually on sailboats.

Yes Jennifer, I remember the good(bad) times sailing as well.

Pan Pan re Sarca anchors. No, I'm not panning the anchors, far from it. Just that I have some information of importance re the above. As I have no pecuniary or personal interest in this whatsoever, (other than the fact I love these anchors), I think it is ok for me to pass on the following.

Rex of Anchorright has indicated to me personally, that it is ok for anyone interested in one of these anchors to contact him personally (look up 'contact us' on the website), and he is doing deals around the globe whereby, allowing for negotiation re discounts and shipping, you can have one of these shipped to you at a price is similar to what they are retail here in Australia.
That has to be a pretty good deal.

rochepoint said:

"fouetter un cheval mort"

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Very witty! I suppose one could "whip" a dead horse as opposed to Beating one.
(Oui, je parle un petit Francais!) (Sans doute mieux que Marin.)

Thanks Jennifer and Mike. Never experienced a keel wrap in our sailing days. Never even thought about it, which is good, as there was/is always enough to worry about in the wee hours at anchor!!!