Can Anchors Break ...

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Don C L

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

Never trust a photo either. They are pretty easy to fake or misrepresent.

[thinwater]

Let's start sumptin'.

How many of those bent anchors were on all chain rode (I'm guessing all of them)?

How many used a sufficient snubber (at least 20 feet) (I'm guessing none of them)?

The only way you get to that sort of force if the anchor is properly sized, is with chain snatch. The wind load is not enough. Assuming I am half right, the problem is not as much the anchor as the rode design.

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by hsi88

LOTS of older acnhors were mentioned. Nobody so far had mentioned a newer generation anchor. I thought that noteworthy.

So it's probably more a result of age/fatigue than faulty design or manufacture? Will we, in 20 or so years, be talking the same about the anchors we buy today?

I dunno, just asking..

[Rickit]

I had a CQR 35lb anchor break this year, Relatively light slow speed collision in heavy winds with one of the steel box posts in a Danish harbour, anchor was held on the bow roller. Clean break across the shank. I wonder if the casting was ok but suspect that it may be 20 years old and used by me regularly for the last 10 years!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by hsi88

(...)

But I'm finding more and more reason to justify my buying a modern anchor. Progress forever moves forward and the posts I see in this and other forums show that modern anchors are superior. For me, that knocks the older designs completely off my list.

(...)

At times you are not driven by progress but rather by other factors. There is an anchor for every situation perhaps.

E.g. A two piece Spade would be a great complement to our present Bruce. But, where we live, you can't buy one; and where we cruise their price was ... $$$. Hence, a Bruce and a Danforth are still onboard and working well.

It does seem that many of the more recent designs are very good: Spade, Brugel, Rocna and now Mantus, to name a few. If they are available where you live, and if they make sense for you, that's probably the best choice you can make.

Cheers,
b.

[a64pilot]

I believe Rocna went through a quality control problem with the steel that was used, that may account for many of those, but one wasn't a Rocna I don't believe.

An anchor should not be subject to fatigue, not under any kind of normal use, a major Storm is a different animal of course, but how often are you in one of those?

Those were bent I believe from a one time overload event, fatigue of mild steel almost always results in a break.

Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[bvander]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I believe Rocna went through a quality control problem with the steel that was used, that may account for many of those, but one wasn't a Rocna I don't believe.

An anchor should not be subject to fatigue, not under any kind of normal use, a major Storm is a different animal of course, but how often are you in one of those?

Those were bent I believe from a one time overload event, fatigue of mild steel almost always results in a break.

Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum

That incident occurred over 7 years ago and was one lot where shank steel did not meet the Rocna standard. Occurred during sale of anchor to CMP. Voluntary recall done and I believe no anchors in that lot ever failed.

Ancors can fail, ie bend, given enough force. Some occur when the anchor is undersized, can occur with catamarans who do not size one up because of extra windage. If my anchor held during a nasty storm would not be overly upset with a bent shank, would be if it failed completely.

[GMac]

Originally Posted by savoir

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

Attachment 130177

I took that photo. It is a asian made Bruce knock off. I dropped that one and the shank just fell off as you can see. We then started dropping the others (approx 2ft onto concrete) and a couple more did it. Needless to say we never sold that batch and that shocker combined with other stuff we know has meant we've never sold one since. The batch we had is now reinforcing the concrete under what was Team NZ's base, which is about to be a hotel.

It's fascinating to see where photos go and how the story around them morphs. We've seen the same photo used many places with a wide range of 'what happened', most being totally incorrect.

Having been playing with anchors for 50 years and very actively been in the anchor game for many decades I can say anchors breaking into pieces is rare and not something I'd worry about, when considering well made developed world product and 'some but not all' made in the east.

Bent anchors are common though, very much so. We have a huge pile of them here, mind you most, but not all, of those came about due to our test programs and 25t test bed, that can make a anchor look sad in seconds. We have tested most just looking at structural strength alone and 'generally speaking' over loading anchors means you'll damage the shank to assorted degrees.

You'll find most anchors that 'break' are either cast ones made in the east or old and rusty ones made in the west.

[Sun and Moon]

Originally Posted by boatman61

The previous owner had drilled a small hole in the shank a bit under halfway up so he could pin it to the bow roller while sailing to stop it bouncing.. the flukes buried well in sand but all that constant yawing back and forth for so many days took its toll.. snapped right where the hole was..
Moral: Don't try and be a clever bugga with your ground tackle..

Unless the PO regalvanized the anchor after drilling, he left an unprotected spot for the rust to get started. No wonder it broke.

[savoir]

Yeah, I've bent plenty of Danforths - maybe 10. You just straighten the shank and go back to using them. They are designed for that.

[Snowpetrel]

Ha, yes, I grew up on a 45' gaff ketch with only old 75lb danforth copy of uncertain heritage, and an even older fisherman that looked like it was hand forged 100 years ago.

Every big winter blow we would head out to one of the bays with good sticky mud and drop the Danforth, on the end of our 30 meters of chain. The gusts would whistle around at times putting the sidedecks underwater. Maybe 50, 60, 70 knots. Cook Strait is a windy place!

AT the end of the blow the danforth shank would usually have a 30 degree bend one way or the other, nothing a bit of pounding and pulling couldn't normally straighten more or less until the next blow bent it again.

My folks have only just retired that anchor for a lighter Fortress FX55. Now they have a Manson Boss to as the main, hopefully they won't bend the bisalloy shank.. They bent the old 90lb plow once up in New Caledonia when it fouled under coral, so yes Anchors can be damaged.

A friend had a Bruce copy shatter and put him on the beach, it was from a reputable source...