Mainship 34 Pilot - Anchor Suggestions

[aviator7836]

At the risk of starting an argument (please don't!), can anyone provide some suggestions for a replacement anchor for our 2005 Mainship 34 Pilot Rumrunner? The ground tackle on our recently purchased boat is woefully undersized in my opinion.

As I have shopped around for anchors, one of the considerations has been the short distance between the bow roller and windlass limiting the length of the shank. Another is the shape of the anchor flukes and how they would ride nestled up under the bow pulpit. Are there any good self-launching models? And of course, there is the ever hotly debated holding ability of anchors in general. FYI, I live in Maine where the bottom ranges from vey soft mud, to rock, to fouled with kelp and weed. I tend to cruise and like to anchor out; guest moorings are scarce in these parts. I also like to sleep at night so good ground tackle matters.

Any suggestions for brands and sizes that fit the boat well and do a good job securing the vessel to the bottom? I have looked around the Mainship threads and only saw one reference to a Rocna Vulcan 33lb. anchor being applied to this model of Mainship. Thoughts? Other suggestions/experience?

With a bit of trepidation, I thank you all in advance.

Doug

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. Do you have some photos with a tape measure showing the size of the area?

 

[DavidM]

I used a 35# Manson Boss on my Pilot 34. With no hoop on top and a short enough shank, it fit on the bow perfectly. The Rocna Vulcan and the Spade are built similarly.

All three get good ratings on anchor tests: quick setting and good holding.

David

 

[backinblue]

At the risk of starting an argument (please don't!), can anyone provide some suggestions for a replacement anchor for our 2005 Mainship 34 Pilot Rumrunner? The ground tackle on our recently purchased boat is woefully undersized in my opinion.

As I have shopped around for anchors, one of the considerations has been the short distance between the bow roller and windlass limiting the length of the shank. Another is the shape of the anchor flukes and how they would ride nestled up under the bow pulpit. Are there any good self-launching models? And of course, there is the ever hotly debated holding ability of anchors in general. FYI, I live in Maine where the bottom ranges from vey soft mud, to rock, to fouled with kelp and weed. I tend to cruise and like to anchor out; guest moorings are scarce in these parts. I also like to sleep at night so good ground tackle matters.

Any suggestions for brands and sizes that fit the boat well and do a good job securing the vessel to the bottom? I have looked around the Mainship threads and only saw one reference to a Rocna Vulcan 33lb. anchor being applied to this model of Mainship. Thoughts? Other suggestions/experience?

With a bit of trepidation, I thank you all in advance.

Doug

Hi and welcome. When I bought my MS Pilot a few years ago, it came with the standard "Danforth" which dragged on me more than once the first season. I bought an Ultra and also new chain and rope rode and have never been happier. Closest thing I've ever seen in a lifetime of boating as "set and forget". It just fits on my pulpit with no issues. Arguably expensive, but I try not to skimp on ground tackle. As Boar's Head likes to say "compromise elsewhere". There are other similar less expensive options. The Vulcan is likely just as good. LMK if you have any addtional questions.

 

[Duetto]

we have a 2003 pilot 34 and have used a 45 lb spade with 100' chain and the rest 3 strand. we anchor a lot and this setup has worked well. we are in ct/ri/ny/ma(south of canal) so no rocks.

 

[rgano]

Welcome aboard, fellow Piloteer! I tossed the toy anchor my 30 Pilot II came to me with and replaced it with the SuperMax SM15, a 35-pounder, in the photo. It will work well on your vessel too. Tell Steve, the owner of the company, I sent you.

 

[backinblue]

Rich, no windlass on your boat? How much chain/rope. I ended up with 40' SS chain and 8-plait nylon, much better than 3-strand IMO.

 

[ranger58sb]

FYI, I live in Maine where the bottom ranges from vey soft mud, to rock, to fouled with kelp and weed. I tend to cruise and like to anchor out; guest moorings are scarce in these parts. I also like to sleep at night so good ground tackle matters.

Any suggestions for brands and sizes that fit the boat well and do a good job securing the vessel to the bottom? I have looked around the Mainship threads and only saw one reference to a Rocna Vulcan 33lb. anchor being applied to this model of Mainship. Thoughts? Other suggestions/experience?

If you haven't already, you could look at anchor test reviews by S/V Panope (Steve Goodwin) on YouTube. His #131 has a decent review of all tests to that date at the end... and he may have posted some more recent updates since then too.

We've had very good luck with pivoting SuperMAX anchors, but I wasn't able to cobble together a mock-up to see if a Max20 would fit on our davit...

And we like Fortress anchors but they make good back-ups since they dismantle, and versions light enough to deploy/recover by hand make good kedges...

So we bought a Vulcan 40 based on Rocna's mock-up, Steve's reviews, my additional weighting. Haven't yet gotten it wet, though, so that's not a recommendation.

-Chris

 

[rgano]

Rich, no windlass on your boat? How much chain/rope. I ended up with 40' SS chain and 8-plait nylon, much better than 3-strand IMO.

I have a Lewmar V700 windlass and 180 feet of 1/4" G4 chain because I did not like having to go forward to help the thing shift from plait to chain. Also found that wet plait was rusting the chain after a few years. When I get to shore water after anchoring, I open the chain locker hatch and just hose the whole place down and leave it open for a day or two to dry out.

 

[Bacchus]

Doug
Welcome aboard TF.
It would be a good idea to solicit some local inputs as the "best" choice for one area may have some deficiencies in a different area & conditions.

 

[backinblue]

I have a Lewmar V700 windlass and 180 feet of 1/4" G4 chain because I did not like having to go forward to help the thing shift from plait to chain. Also found that wet plait was rusting the chain after a few years. When I get to shore water after anchoring, I open the chain locker hatch and just hose the whole place down and leave it open for a day or two to dry out.

Post a pic when you get a chance Rich. Must be a different location than on my boat.

 

[aviator7836]

Thank you all for the quick and helpful replies. I think we have zeroed in on the Rocna Vulcan 15Kg (33 lb.) anchor because it seems to fit the bow pulpit well, has a short enough shank to fit between the bow roller and windlass (including swivel fitting), and is fairly versatile in terms of bottom holding conditions. It is also self-launching negating the need to be on the bow when the anchor is deployed other than removing the securing line. No matter what, it will be a whole lot better than the cheesy 15 pound anchor that came with the boat! I will follow up with a report later in the season after I gain some experience with it to pass along what works and doesn't about this anchor in this application.

Thanks again!
Doug

 

[backinblue]

I'm sure you'll be happy with it. Anchor upgrade was one of the first things I did when buying my boat. No regrets.

 

[Warnercons]

Aviator - suggest you take a look at the Vulcan 20 kg (44 lbs) to provide some extra holding power. May not be much larger for the additional weight.

We use a Vulcan 20 kg on our Ellis 36 (about 18,000 lbs) and have had good results along the Maine, MA and RI coasts over the last 6 seasons. We have 150' of 5/16 GR40 chain backed up with 8 plait line.

Always like to go up one size from recommended or the larger of 2 anchor size range if boat falls in that bracket.