anchor

The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Seevee

Seevee

Guru
Joined
Sep 1, 2016
Messages
3,501
Location
usa
Vessel Make
430 Mainship
All,


Looking for some advise.
On my Mainship 430, I have a claw anchor. Never thought much about it, but in checking, seems to be a good anchor.


I also have a 55 lb Mantus but don't believe it will fit on the bow pulpit shoot with the arc bar but feel it's a better anchor.



Is the claw worth keeping? If not, what would you choice be in anchors for intercoastal cruising and inland rivers?
 
Pretty much any of the new gen stuff is good. Personally, I'd choose between them based on the weak points mentioned in the SV Panope videos combined with which one will fit best on the bow.

Personally, on my 26k lb 38 footer (1.5 feet narrower than a Mainship 430 and about 5 feet shorter including pulpit and platform for both, plus about 15k lbs lighter loaded), I'm using a 73lb Rocna Vulcan and I'm quite happy with it. It's one size up from recommended, sets like you're tied to a concrete wall in any bottom I've tried it in (even in weeds). I haven't sat through anything more than 25 kts gusting to 35 with it, but in those conditions at about 5:1 scope (in 50 feet of water) it held perfectly and inspired enough confidence for me to sleep like a baby.

If you want to upgrade from the claw and the Mantus doesn't fit well, you could probably sell both and offset a good portion of the cost of a new purchase. On your boat, I'd probably look at something in the 70 - 90 lb range, depending on your desires and what fits well. I could have just barely squeezed the 88lb Vulcan onto my pulpit, but I decided that the 73lb was plenty and there was no reason to go even bigger. If you've got an enclosure on the flybridge, you've probably got a little more windage than I do. Without, it's probably a little less.
 
I had a claw and didn't like it. It was not an original Bruce. It was a shiny SS thing that came with an earlier boat and must have cost a fortune, but did not set well.

I had better luck with an oversized Delta and my current Rocna.

If I remember correctly Steve's videos showed the Mantus to be top-notch.
 
Last edited:
Xlantic said:
I had a claw and didn't like it. It was not an original Bruce. It was a shiny SS thing that came with an earlier boat and must have cost a fortune. But did not set well.

I had better luck with an oversize Delta and my current Rocna.

If I remember correctly Steve's videos showed the Mantus to be top-notch.
Click to expand...


Steve's videos?
 
I don't think I've posted to an anchor related thread, think it's required?

The latest one I've tried is a Mantus M2. Works well when set, was having trouble getting it to set and they sent out (free) an updated shank for it that puts the point at a different angle but I don't really have any feedback on the change yet.
 
I have been using a claw anchor on my trawler since I bought it in 2008 and the original owners had a claw anchor since the boat was new in 2000. I did upgrade from 22 lbs. to 33 lbs. a few years ago, mostly just because I could.

Neither one ever failed to set or failed to hold the boat overnight, even in reversing tidal currents so I'm pretty satisfied with it.

I do have 30' of 5/16 G4 chain and then rope. I get the anchor down while drifting back and then set it under power. And of course, I use sufficient scope, at least 5:1.

While many folks will tell you that such and such anchor is not the "best", my feeling is, if you drop your anchor and are consistently in the same place in the morning, your anchor cannot be any better. There's no improving over an anchor that sets quickly and doesn't drag.
 
chrisjbell said:
I don't think I've posted to an anchor related thread, think it's required?

The latest one I've tried is a Mantus M2. Works well when set, was having trouble getting it to set and they sent out (free) an updated shank for it that puts the point at a different angle but I don't really have any feedback on the change yet.
Click to expand...


I have a Mantus M2 85# on our Bayliner 4788, have been very pleased but as noted they came out with a new shank, very impressed they supplied free on request, haven't tried it yet but expecting great performance.:)
 
If you have an actual “ Bruce” claw anchor, you are probably good to go. If a copy, DEPENDING ON YOUR USUAL ANCHORING CONDITIONS, you may find a more modern design per Steve @ SV Panope - secret life of anchors, may suit you better.

Agree if the Mantus doesn’t fit your pulpit, best to sell & change to a better fitting modern anchor. I bought a Rocna for my GB36 - PITA kept hitting the FRP pulpit. Sold it and bought the Vulcan version - perfect!

Though I must admit now I have a 100lb. Spade on my DeFever after watching so many of Steve’s videos. Only used it about 30 times so far-slept like a baby despite the 7-9’ tides in SC.
 
Seevee you’ve been on this forum long enough to know better. Starting an anchor thread! Bad Boy!

If you’re unhappy with the claw, there is no shortage of new generation anchors without roll bars that will fit in your pulpit.
 
HopCar said:
Seevee you’ve been on this forum long enough to know better. Starting an anchor thread! Bad Boy!

If you’re unhappy with the claw, there is no shortage of new generation anchors without roll bars that will fit in your pulpit.
Click to expand...




:mad: I accept my scolding..... should have known better.
 
Another vote for SARCA Excel.
And fir Steve Panope’s vids and comments.

Re the Bruce copies they vary among themselves and nobody really knows how good the clone Claws are. I’ve seen Claws I wouldn’t buy for next to nothing.
I have a hunch, notion or theory that Claws w a low numerical throat angle are more likely to be good Claws. And the Bruce has a narrow throat angle. But at least two in the Bay area Fly-Wright and Mark love their Claws. But they probably have 100% mud bottoms. But actually most of us have mud bottoms and the bottom is the biggest variable in anchoring. But to the Eskimo there is 27 different kinds of snow. And it’s likely to certain there’s at least 27 different kinds of mud bottoms. Once you’ve got the right anchor for sea bottoms in your area everything else is far less important.

To the OP many times only slight modifications of bow pulpits is necessary for a nice fit. But as long as a pulpit is long enough so the anchor toe does not bang on the bow my vote for you (we are voting aren’t we?) is the SARCA Excel.
 
Last edited:
A big question is which claw? If it is a real BRUCE they were good anchors. Of course what size, you did not say?
I had one, a Bruce, and was looking for a larger unit as I originally bought a tad on the small size. I was to late and could not find an actual BRUCE when I was looking so I went for a Rocna.

Many, most of the copies were a waste of otherwise good material.
The only semi decent copy I have seen is the Lewmar but I have not used it.
 
A quick look online it appears the SARCA Excel isn't very available in the states. Does anyone have a source for them in the US?
 
There's an active guy on cruisersforum.com (sister site) who imports them, makes them available for US customers. Forget his name, but a search there will find him...

-Chris
 
One of the first upgrades I made to the boat(48’ loa, 60-70k lbs) when we got it last year was to replace the 60lb CQR(undersized and I’m not impressed with CQRs) with a 105lb Mantus M1. I’ve been very happy with it so far, it hasn’t dragged and sets quickly(we anchor out 80%+ of the time)
 
after spending the last 10 days anchoring in the carrib with a 'new style' anchor 2x a day and night, but also setting an 'old style' danforth stern anchor sometimes, I am really impressed at how well the danforth works. At least in sand.

I know the rocna, mantus, etc. are better; we were using one at the bow, but just saying that the backup undersized danforth really held much better than we expected.

So if you are using recommended size of one of the newer anchors, and you get it to set, it probably is going to be excellent. Going up a size probably doesn't hurt, except for fit and cost.
 
jbinbi said:
after spending the last 10 days anchoring in the carrib with a 'new style' anchor 2x a day and night, but also setting an 'old style' danforth stern anchor sometimes, I am really impressed at how well the danforth works. At least in sand.

I know the rocna, mantus, etc. are better; we were using one at the bow, but just saying that the backup undersized danforth really held much better than we expected.

So if you are using recommended size of one of the newer anchors, and you get it to set, it probably is going to be excellent. Going up a size probably doesn't hurt, except for fit and cost.
Click to expand...

Danforth is great in mud and sand. Where it has a problem is when the nice sand is covered in grass. It will pick up a ball of grass between the flukes and shank and just won’t set. In clean sand it might just be the best anchor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Anchor choices?
Replies
25
Views
2K
castone001
C
Greg QS
Anchoring again
2
Replies
49
Views
5K
Meander
M
klee wyck
Stern anchor
Replies
17
Views
2K
psneeld
psneeld
A
FS: 1988 Albin 27 Family Cruiser $30k
Replies
4
Views
997
AFC27
A
wkearney99
Replace a Suncor anchor with... what?
2 3
Replies
63
Views
4K
Nomad Willy
Nomad Willy

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom