Florida Gulf coast anchors

If swivle is not the answer then what do I need to do to get the anchor to come up with the point facing the boat?

Rogerh said:

Well back to the question.......... Will a swivle fix the problem with the delta wanting to come up backwards which causes me to go back down to the deck and turn it while coming up with the windlass for the last couple of feet?

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Yes and no. A swivel will release the 1/2 turn you put in your chain when you secured it to the new delta. It will also introduce a new pint of failure to your anchor system. Just say no to swivels and learn to release 1/2 turns from the roller when they happen. Once you get the hockles out you should be good for a while.

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Why is it unacceptable to have to twist the chain by hand when the anchor breaks the water in order to have it line up properly?

Rogerh said:

Well back to the question.......... Will a swivle fix the problem with the delta wanting to come up backwards which causes me to go back down to the deck and turn it while coming up with the windlass for the last couple of feet?

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I have a swivel, and can retrieve my Delta with not having to turn it. It fits perfectly on the bow roller. It usually comes up clean, but in sticky clay sometimes have to hose it off.

"Why is it unacceptable to have to twist the chain by hand when the anchor breaks the water in order to have it line up properly?"

I often do this by myself, and need to be at the helm in tight anchorages and also with a 5800 lbs boat I need to power up to the anchor. Hard to be two places at one time. I can and have pull it up to break water and just leave it hang till I get clear of the other boats, shallows etc, but if the windlass ever let loose at that point it could cause a big issue... If it can't be solved I will do it the way I have in the past.

Rogerh said:

I can and have pull it up to break water and just leave it hang till I get clear of the other boats, shallows etc, but if the windlass ever let loose at that point it could cause a big issue... If it can't be solved I will do it the way I have in the past.

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I'm not sure what some of that specifically means - it could be read in different ways. I would hope that no trawler powers against anchor chain/anchor set with just a windlass making contact with the chain. That's a pretty sure recipe to break the windlass out and watch it plop over the bow with electrical wires dangling behind. You should always have some way to lock the rode ahead of the windlass and only use that to pull out an anchor. This becomes even more critical when using one of the newer types of anchors. In my case, my 2,500 lb windlass won't break my 121 lb Rocna out of a well-penetrated set without using the mass of the trawler itself to pull it out. I'm only ever able to pop the anchor loose with the windlass about 20% of the time and I'm always surprised when it happens.

Larry M said:

I am not sure it's the design of the anchors as much as the size of them vs your displacement/windage. Isn't your displacement over 55000 lbs? A 45 lb anchor seems small. I would up the size significantly.

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What he said
I am thinking something in the 80- 90 pound range would be what you need

Rogerh said:

Thanks for all the inputs so far. Yesterday I removed the CQR 22KG, I know it is too small. I installed the Delta 45 just as a test. It does not sit as well on our anchor roller but I am only using it as a test. Then I will try the Fortress FX37, (again too small but she has held us in everything so far) with the all chain rode and see how it does. At least that way I will have some test cases before I buy. I tell you after lifting even the small anchors I am leaning more toward the Fortrest if it will set well and work in the mud as well as the sand with the all chain rode. I will let you know how the testing goes. Thanks again and any other ideas are always welcome....

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the problem I have had with fluke style anchors is when the tide reverses they can pull out, often times they do not reset and they can get tangled on the rode. this has been my experience your experiences may vary.

Rogerh, when your anchor comes up facing the wrong way, doesn't it just flop over when the shank gets on the roller? Mine comes up pointing all kind of ways but once on the roller it turns so that the point is facing the bow and the anchor hangs nicely on the roller just as it should.

Like you, I almost never go forward when dealing with the anchor. I love to sit up on my bridge and push a button to raise or lower the anchor.

Be sure to let us know how your test of the Delta and Fortress goes.

nope, don't power against the windlass. Power the boat up to the anchor while I am running the windlass is what I do to make the load easier on the windlass. Understand that you can't use the power of the engines to break loose an anchor without the anchor being secured to something other than the windlass. The whole issue with the turn of the anchor is doing it by myself.

HopCar wrote
" Rogerh, when your anchor comes up facing the wrong way, doesn't it just flop over when the shank gets on the roller? Mine comes up pointing all kind of ways but once on the roller it turns so that the point is facing the bow and the anchor hangs nicely on the roller just as it should"

I don't see how an anchor attached to chain could do otherwise. If the chain dosn't twist on the bow roller it would have to come up the way it went over. However this "clocking" feature may not work if any line is deployed. Could be a plus feature for all chain.

I wonder if all I have to do is turn the anchor chain over 180 degrees on the windlass. I never tried that. Could it be that simple..........

Rogerh said:

I wonder if all I have to do is turn the anchor chain over 180 degrees on the windlass. I never tried that. Could it be that simple..........

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Or remove the anchor, rotate it 180 degrees and reattach it.

rwidman said:

If my current anchor has never failed to set or hold, how can anything be "much better"?

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Kind of what my wife said when I told her we had to get a new $1200 anchor because we are going to explore the west coast of Florida next year. She went on to observe that "$1200 can buy us a lot of time in some really nice marinas. "

She's the navigator...

Dave

magicbus said:

Kind of what my wife said when I told her we had to get a new $1200 anchor because we are going to explore the west coast of Florida next year. She went on to observe that "$1200 can buy us a lot of time in some really nice marinas. "

She's the navigator...

Dave

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It will buy about a week at South Seas unless a holday is in there, then less.

We finally got out and tried the Delta. Worked much better. Set quickly without issues. Sure is nice not to need to set a second anchor every time. The first time we bought the Delta up she came up facing correctly and pulled right in. The second time I had to use my boat hook to get it turned around to pull into the pulpit. Not that big of a deal but sure would be nice to have it facing correctly everytime. The next project is replacing the badly worn wroller in the pulpit and install the Maxwell switching relay so that we can go up or down. Manually lowering (somewhat freefall is a pain) which is what we need to do now. I also need to pull the windlass and replace the backer plate and reseal. Presently 3/4 inch rotted plywood. Any recommendation on a better backer plate? Again, thanks for all the help.

Rogerh, glad to hear the anchor worked out well. G10 Fiberglass panels seems to be the go to backer board these days. Just Google it and you'll find lots of sources.

Rogerh said:

The first time we bought the Delta up she came up facing correctly and pulled right in. The second time I had to use my boat hook to get it turned around to pull into the pulpit. Not that big of a deal but sure would be nice to have it facing correctly everytime.

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When my Delta comes up backwards, when it hits the roller the weight of the anchor flips it over to the correct position. Then just bring it on it.

Moonstruck said:

When my Delta comes up backwards, when it hits the roller the weight of the anchor flips it over to the correct position. Then just bring it on it.

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That's what my claw anchor does as well.

Don, I now understand why your anchor flips over if needed and ours doesn't. Our anchor comes up through a slot in the bow pulpit and the slot is only wide enough for the flat side of the anchor neck. So as soon as the anchor comes up into the slot it can't turn over. Hmmm, not sure what to do about that.

Rogerh, my anchor comes up through a slot in the pulpit as well but I guess my Delta is small enough that it doesn't have a problem flipping into position. The obvious answer for you is a wider slot but that means a wider roller assembly as well. Probably worth the effort. Windline makes some pretty big roller assemblies.

https://windline.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=60&product_id=78

Hopcar you suggested using G10 for the backing plate for the windlass. The present rotted backer is 3/4 inch plywood, 12" x 12". Should I use 3/4 G10 or since it is so strong a smaller thickness?

I used 3/4" solid wood, not plywood and painted it.

Roger, I've never used G10 but I think it is stiffer than plywood and you could probably use a thinner piece. Maybe someone on this forum with more experience with it will comment.

A backing plate can never be too thick as long as the bolts are long enough.

Rogerh said:

Don, I now understand why your anchor flips over if needed and ours doesn't. Our anchor comes up through a slot in the bow pulpit and the slot is only wide enough for the flat side of the anchor neck. So as soon as the anchor comes up into the slot it can't turn over. Hmmm, not sure what to do about that.

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Do you have any sort of swivel?

If not, you can usually spin it simply by twisting a little the chain twixt windlass and roller.

Or you can go deluxe:

Ultra Flip Swivel | Quickline USA

The swivel could be the difference. I have a swivel, and as soon as the anchor touches the roller it starts to flip before coming into the slot. My slot would also be too narrow for it to flip after the shank is in very far.

Interesting comments about not powering against the windlass to pop the anchor out of the bottom.

I always tie off to our sampson post when I anchor to take the strain off of the windlass.

Upon retrieval I power forward with the engines until we are right over the anchor, picking up the almost slack rode with the windlass as we go. Then I pull hard with the windlass until the rode is tight. If the anchor doesn't come loose I power forward until it does. With such a short scope (we usually anchor in <20 feet of water) there doesn't seem to be much strain on the windlass. It would be a pain to wrap the the chain around the post at that point as the post is BEHIND the windlass. I'd have to slack the chain.

Plus my post is really shiny....I wouldn't want to scratch it it.

It would be a pain to wrap the the chain around the post at that point as the post is BEHIND the windlass. I'd have to slack the chain.

Simply engage the chain stopper , it should be happy to take the weight of the boat.

GalleyMaid Product 5

www.[B]galleymaid[/B].com/deck.htm‎
A chain stopper must be installed on every installation using chain. If chain is not used a suitable cleat or Sampson post must be installed to secure the anchor ...

Dougcole said:

Interesting comments about not powering against the windlass to pop the anchor out of the bottom.

I always tie off to our sampson post when I anchor to take the strain off of the windlass.

Upon retrieval I power forward with the engines until we are right over the anchor, picking up the almost slack rode with the windlass as we go. Then I pull hard with the windlass until the rode is tight. If the anchor doesn't come loose I power forward until it does. With such a short scope (we usually anchor in <20 feet of water) there doesn't seem to be much strain on the windlass. It would be a pain to wrap the the chain around the post at that point as the post is BEHIND the windlass. I'd have to slack the chain.

Plus my post is really shiny....I wouldn't want to scratch it it.

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Agree a chainstopper is best practice. Or put a snubber on there, can be as simple as a line attached with a rolling hitch. If anything, the shallower the more stress on the system. Be nice to your windlass and it will be nicer to you. Your described technique is decreasing its useful lifespan.