Can Anchors Break ...

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

That anchorage is uncomfortably open and surrounded by low hills. I know it's expensive, but I'm surprised you didn't make for the marina.

This was in '96.. before the marina existed.. though I still use the anchorage even now except if its really bad.

[Don C L]

I broke a small Danforth once that had buried itself so deep it was like it was set in concrete, and I was pulling it straight up. I should have taken longer to coax it out more gently. Otherwise I have no worries about Danforths. If I jam one in rocks, yes, likely it will not come out and I either dive for it, leave it or (very unlikely for a larger one) break it. If I know I am in a potentially rocky place I use a trip line. But I'd do that with any anchor.

[barnakiel]

Only time I have seen a broken one was that Bruce (Lewmar one) that fell on the dock. The dock was said to be concrete. It was on the web some time ago.

Seen many bent ones. All styles. But none broken.

b.

[savoir]

Here's a photo of a broken Chinese copy Bruce. I don't know how it happened.

[Prairie Chicken]

Friends were using our boat. They dropped the CQR & had a quiet nite at anchor. Next morning she lifted anchor & up came the shank but not the anchor.

The boat was thoroughly inspected each spring prior to launching and we are always on the lookout for wear. Neither ourselves nor our friends noticed anything suspect.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by savoir

Here's a photo of a broken Chinese copy Bruce. I don't know how it happened.

Attachment 130177

Yikes.
OK Newbies, IMO never trust a copy of anything.

[bvander]

Seen lots of bent shanks. Seen 2 cqr with broken shank, saw one in Nassau that had one side of plow rusted away.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Yikes.

OK Newbies, IMO never trust a copy of anything.

Don,

I share the attitude and yet I must admit our Chinese copy of Bruce (purchased 2003 in Sweden) looks mint after 40k+ miles of sailing and dozens if not hundreds of anchorages.

Now our other Bruce is an original Belgian one. It shed its coating over some area and started to corrode after one short stunt in the West Indies.

So ...

I am forced to adjust my thinking and try something like: trust only what is 'tried and trusted', copy or original.

Problem with tried and trusted is that most of good testing is destructive.

Cheers,
b.

[tkeithlu]

Regarding the drilled hole - some people don't realize that they are stress concentrators. Personally, I think you are much more likely to have a failure in a shackle or other weak point in the ground tackle than in the anchor itself. There was a recent thread of horror stories from people about using swivels on anchors - they are a long enough rigid section to get some real leverage when pulled sideways at anchor, and then become the weak link. The failures described above suggest side leverage (e.g. Dansforth in rock, change wind/current) as a major source of failure of the anchor itself.

[tkeithlu]

Savoir, that's the worst looking "steel" I've seen in a long time. It belongs in a engineering school museum.

[puffcard]

I bent three anchor, one West Danforth, a HS Danforth and a Delta. Seen a CQR break at the joint, thats why I used the Delta for a while.

[petter5]

Yes, even fully certified anchors can break, and the metallurgic investigation afterwards found no flaws in production. This ship was wrecked after the anchor broke: https://www.nrk.no/kultur/forlis-og-...gjen-1.8378705

[Mojadito]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

Sure looks likes cqr knockoff. The genuine article has cqr cast into the shank.


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

It was the real thing, genuine CQR, but it had many rough years and hard miles on it.

[topmast]

Helped a boat having trouble getting into a slip.Noticed a line caught in bobstay fitting Frayed end of 40 m of nylon 3 strand had spiced itself on. other end was 20m of 3/8 chain and the shank of a genuine 35lb CQR Nicely polished as he must have picked it up days before somewhere in Puget Sound .How it didn't get in his wheel (6' dia) is a mystery

[knockabout]

yes