Dealing with crap anchor lockers

[AmericanVagrant]

New style anchors are very affordable and set/hold like champions. I've got a 25 lbs Mantus (affordable, ~$230), Spade A100 (expensive, ~$1200) and Fortress FX-11 (cheap, ~150) on my Albin Vega. Huge improvement over any previous anchors I've used, wouldn't waste my time with old technology unless I was out of money and the boat was already outfitted with something suitable.

If I were in your position, I'd go for the Mantus 25 lbs first, and if you can swing for a backup/stern anchor go for a Fortress FX-11. Both have outstanding performance and neither would be financially devastating if lost. Don't make any decisions until checking out Panope's excellent videos on anchor testing (this video is a summation, there are many more):

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[reed1v]

You do not need an anchor from the Titanic, but you do need sturdy chain. Better to go with sized chain for a smaller anchor than going with a big anchor with synthetic cable, or snythetic with a short portion of chain. Chapman and other manuals will give you the sizing needed for you boat.

[slowpoker]

For a " bow roller " to help get that anchor and chain down and up again, you can insert a boat trailer roller onto a lifeline near the anchor, or either side and it will eliminate friction and avoid scratches, making things easier and giving your back a break. The lifeline will sag a bit, but it will do the job.
There are other ways to install a stronger and much needed anchor roller; like a pressure treated wood board, like a short bow sprit, extending beyond the bow and forestay and mounting a stainless rod across it with u-bolts to the board and putting a roller on each side, with some way to stop the rollers from coming off the ends......maybe more u-bolts?

[Jim Cate]

For a " bow roller " to help get that anchor and chain down and up again, you can insert a boat trailer roller onto a lifeline near the anchor, or either side and it will eliminate friction and avoid scratches, making things easier and giving your back a break. The lifeline will sag a bit, but it will do the job.

Bad advice IMO. The loads presented to a roller when retrieving an anchor are to variable and too subject to big spikes to hang a roller on a life line. A very good way to bust a lifeline wire, terminal or stanchion/pulpit.

With all the ready made roller assemblies available, a tidy and strong arrangement is not so hard to do. I suspect that for the OP, a means of supporting the outer end of the roller "tray" with a brace to the hull will be needed, but these are pretty easy to design and fabricate to an adequate strength for worry free weighing of anchors, even under unfavorable conditions.

Jim

[Snowpetrel]

One great tip for smaller boats is a strong chain pawl mounted right on the roller. Makes pulling up the anchor much easier and safer as it can't pull back out, much like the way a few turns of sheet around a winch helps so much.

Even on a folkboat Id try for 40 or 50 meters of g4 1/4 inch chain as a primary and a good 25-30lb next gen anchor. Rather than using chain and nylon, though thats what I had for years, all chain is a far better solution.

With this setup the chain should self stow through the spurling pipe.

Id also have a fortress fx16 as a secondary on 100 or so meters of 1/2 inch nylon (ideally 8 plait) in a bag below or in the cockpit ready to go at short notice.

To get weight aft ideally the chain's spurling pipe could be near the mast, or else it could be shifted aft if need be from inside.

Another good way to set it up is a more conventional deck locker up forward for the chain. Ideally with a spurling pipe in it so it can stowed midships and low.

Stowing the weights low and amidships makes a big difference on the performance and dryness of little boats.

By the way great choice of boat. I sailed a similar design for many years with no engine, and delivered a fibreglass folkboat 300 miles around the coast of tassie. I was very impressed with it.