Videos of Anchors Setting

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Hi, Panope,

Interesting test of the gen*u*ine CQR. You notice it has "Made in Scotland" on it. If the anchor your Dad had did not have that, it was indeed a copy. However, it could also have been a CQR vs. bottom issue. We had a CQR knockoff. It hated thin sand over coral. I used to back down with it at only just about 1-1.5 kn. And sometimes it would still plow furrows. But it was a knockoff.

I know it's only anecdotal, but friends with a real CQR, whose hole got "ovalized", repaired the anchor, and it has not drug since then. They have cruised from Oz, via NZ and HI to AK and return, using that anchor. A 40 ft. boat and a 80 lb CQR. They swear by it, not at it.

Ann

Addendum by Jim: Before repairing the worn hinge the anchor had become quite unreliable, failing to set quite frequently... but holding if it did set.
I reckon with the worn hole the geometry of the anchor when lying on its side, as when it first hits the bottom, was altered such that it didn't present its usual point or edge to the sea bed and just skittered along (scientific term).

Jim

[malbert73]

I was also surprised by the testing. That said, it’s not like the CQR performs better than new GEN anchors.

[Panope]

Originally Posted by malbert73

I was also surprised by the testing. That said, it’s not like the CQR performs better than new GEN anchors.

In general, that is certainly true.

However, in the case of my 180 degree reset test, the CQR was far better than the 33 lb. rollbar Rocna and the 45lb. Manson Supreme.

Steve

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Panope

I am considering loading up Panope with all of my 40-50 lb. anchors and going on a remote anchor test mission, with the goal of finding/testing in a hard substrate.

Does anyone know of a hard sand or other hard seabed in the North Puget Sound or San Juan Islands?

Steve

ummmm, there some pretty good sandy bottoms down here and the water is clearer
You need a vacation down south for the winter, don't you?

[Panope]

Originally Posted by Don C L

ummmm, there some pretty good sandy bottoms down here and the water is clearer
You need a vacation down south for the winter, don't you?

As much as a sail out on the ocean intrigues me, long-term cruising is not really my thing. I need to be close to my Lubber family. I need to be close to my workshop. I have almost no interest in traveling to exotic destinations. I cannot tolerate hot weather. Therefore, Panope will not likely leave the PNW while I am on watch.

That said - As much as I loathe modern travel (airlines, hotels), I reckon the day will come when I pack up my camera gear and fly off to some tropical location to test aboard some other vessel.

Steve

[Panope]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Hi, Panope,

Interesting test of the gen*u*ine CQR. You notice it has "Made in Scotland" on it. If the anchor your Dad had did not have that, it was indeed a copy. However, it could also have been a CQR vs. bottom issue. We had a CQR knockoff. It hated thin sand over coral. I used to back down with it at only just about 1-1.5 kn. And sometimes it would still plow furrows. But it was a knockoff.

I know it's only anecdotal, but friends with a real CQR, whose hole got "ovalized", repaired the anchor, and it has not drug since then. They have cruised from Oz, via NZ and HI to AK and return, using that anchor. A 40 ft. boat and a 80 lb CQR. They swear by it, not at it.

Ann

Hi Anne,

Are you sure that the "Made in Scotland" embossment is a 100% accurate way of determining genuine or not?

I double checked my test CQR shank and it does NOT have "Made In Scotland". It does have "CQR" followed by the patent number.

The "CQR" anchor that I tested 4 years ago had nothing embossed onto it's shank.

I have no knowledge of what was embossed on my fathers old "CQR".

Maybe the anchor that I most recently tested was built "under license"? Or is simply a very very good copy?

Steve

[double u]

before they switched to fabricating them the forgings came from India. Maybe they omitted the "Made in Scotland" for truths sake...

[JPA Cate]

I've seen the Made in Scotland. But no idea whether all of them had it, really. I guess an "n" of 1 isn't very meaningful....sorry.

Ann

[Panope]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8U7gU5qY7c

[Souzag818]

Before I bought a Spade for my current boat, all I used for the boats I've owned were CQR anchors. Only had one incident in the past 32+ years of PNW cruising where it didn't grab and hold, but just scooted along the bottom. It did set on the second try. Other than that, never had a problem. I agree that old steel/galvanizing seems much better, as the antique CQR I replaced has no rust, and the Spade has surface rust on the edges. I couldn't give my old CQR away for free, but after this video maybe it's gone up in value...

[Panope]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQk_kRuTiZA

[Panope]

Busy day.

[DDM]

Hi Steve,

Great video again. I'm always excited when I see the yellow patch in the thumbnail/video as that is the anchor we bought this summer (one size larger though, with the hollow shank)

I had an idea or suggestion for future video's; how about exploring the different anchors' likeliness to get fouled under rocks, and how hard they are to clear again, due to geometry. I can see how that is difficult to standardize in a way that resembles real world possibilities but I thought it's something interesting to think about.

This being more aimed at cruisers, the ziptie trick isn't an option (you don't want that ziptie snapping during a current reversal when asleep) so it can be a real issue. Anchor buoys are too often seen as mooring spots by inexperienced/ignorant boaters so that makes it even more important for anchors to be "reversable" when dug under something hard.

Curious to your thoughts, if there can be a way thought up that can resemble something natural to see the behavior of each anchor. Not necessarily to "rate" each anchor, but more to learn. When knowing how an anchor behaves, its easier to come up with a plan when you are in a difficult position.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Panope

Very interesting. A couple things, it may be useful to measure tip weight underwater if you can, or perhaps you have. And also I'd love to see an anchor that has penetrated the seaweed but is now trying to drag a mass caught in the curve of the shank. I wonder if there is any difference among anchors in that regard. I suspect not. I suspect they all will not bury... unless they have a really sharp knife edge attached to the upstream edge of the shank.

[Souzag818]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Very interesting. A couple things, it may be useful to measure tip weight underwater if you can, or perhaps you have. And also I'd love to see an anchor that has penetrated the seaweed but is now trying to drag a mass caught in the curve of the shank. I wonder if there is any difference among anchors in that regard. I suspect not. I suspect they all will not bury... unless they have a really sharp knife edge attached to the upstream edge of the shank.

Sorta happened to a friend of mine who was using a Rockna. A rock got lodged in the rollbar, and his boat started to drag while he was away. Other boater noticed and re-anchored him after pulling the anchor up and finding the rock wedged in, removed it. No rollbars for me...