Ground tackle affirmation…

[Sailor L]

Hello all..
Reading a lot of posts about anchors and chains and working loads and breaking loads and 5/16, 1/2, 12mm, nylon or climbing rope ect.. and it confuses the sh*t out of me. So am going to upgrade my ground tackle. And I need a bit of affirmation I’m getting the right stuff, remember I ain’t infinitely rich. Yes I want to sleep safe, yes my safety and the safety of the boat is important. Again doing what I can..

Boat info:
steel ketch, classic with a bowsprit.
Weighs 23 tons.
Length: 13.3M
Beam: 3.85m
Draft: 1.8m
Don’t know the displacement.
Windlass: Lofrans x2 1000w workload 150kg

Current ground tackle:
50m 8mm chain
27kg CQR anchor
10m 18mm 3 strand nylon snubber.
Survived anchored in 12m water with max chain and snubber out, 35 knots and 1m waves/swell. Without dragging. But I I don’t trust anything more then 35knots. Want to be able to be safe at anchor with 50 knots of wind or more.

Going to upgrade to 75-90m 10mm chain (12mm gypsie not available for windlass) and a 40/45kg anchor (mantus/mason/ultra???) reading about “newgen “ anchors but they all about 10 years old haha.. so what anchor to get..
it’s the best I can do at the moment without upgrading the windlass.. so I’m wondering how far this can bring me. What it theoretically can withstand..?

Thank you all for your time.. apologies for any dumb things I might have said. Really new to this all..

[Kettlewell]

Frankly, I find the recommendations of the major anchor manufacturers tend to be conservative, so go with their tables, and then maybe choose one size up for your heavy boat. Since you have already anchored successfully with a 27kg CQR you will find any new-gen anchor of 30kg and up will provide superior performance in most bottom types. Get Grade 43 "High Test" chain and the biggest Grade B "HIgh Test" alloy shackles that fit the chain. For most world cruising 90m should be enough, but I would also carry an additional rope rode you could attach if needed in really deep places. Depends on where you are going. I would never venture forth without at least one and preferably two additional anchors on mostly rope rode. I use a couple of Fortress anchors that are both perfect for use as a second anchor, and if needed can also function as the main anchor in a pinch. If for no other reason, you will eventually need to take an anchor out in the dinghy to kedge your boat off a sand or mud bar, and a Fortress is a lot easier to handle.

[Island Time O25]

Before thinking of beefing up the tackle and chain I would make sure the U-bolt(s) they attach to are sturdy for the job. Seen a few situations (mostly on newbies' boats) where a flimsy U-bolt was backed by flimsy washers. But the anchor and rode were oversized.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Sailor L:

<Panope> is one of CF's members who has put together a bunch of videos of anchors setting, and writes about them. Settle in and have a look, here: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ng-155412.html

You might want to look at the comparisons he draws. Me, if we were in the market for a new anchor, I'd consider the Sarca.

Ann

[Tin Tin]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Hi, Sailor L:

<Panope> is one of CF's members who has put together a bunch of videos of anchors setting, and writes about them. Settle in and have a look, here: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ng-155412.html

You might want to look at the comparisons he draws. Me, if we were in the market for a new anchor, I'd consider the Sarca.

Ann

What's your current anchor?

[thinwater]

Well, if you want to be scared about anchoring, there is nothing like starting an anchor thread .... It's a wonder any of us are alive.

[SailingHarmonie]

First, just for future reference, if your boat weighs 23 tons, it MUST displace 23 tons. That's just physics.

That's really heavy for a 13.5m boat, but not insanely so.

I will not make a specific recommendation, but tell you what has worked for us.

Our boat is 16M and 18 tons. We have a 48kg Mantus, and 10 mm G3 chain. We have a 10 meter long snubber, which is a key part of the system.

ANY of the "new generation" anchors will be way better than your old CQR. Do not sweat the minor differences between the brands. Seriously, all the arguments are so intense only because the differences are so small. You will get far more holding power by going up a size (or two) than you get by fussing over the brand you pick. Bigger is ALWAYS better.

Not all of the anchor sizing charts are conservative. My thoughts on this are here: https://fetchinketch.net/boat_though...ize-an-anchor/

My thoughts are worth what you paid for them...