Boating Equipment Review; Anchors & Anchor Maufacturers

Discover and learn about the latest anchors for today's boater. Here you can find out which are the top selling boat anchors and why. If you are asking which is the best anchor for my boat we can help.

The shank is the stem of the anchor in which direction is pulled to set (bury) the anchor. Weak shanks will bend when the boat pulls from another direction.
The crown connects the various parts of the modern anchor. Also know as the hinge in the case of the CQR
The stock turns the anchor into an attitude that enables the flukes to dig into the sea bed. Fortress, Danforth and Fisherman anchors are examples of anchors with a stock to help guide the points into the seabed.

The tripping ring is used for the optional tripping line: by pulling the tripping line, the anchor will break out.

The flukes will be buried into the seabed. The very tip of a fluke is sometimes called the bill.

Fisherman

The fisherman is a traditional design and is often see on the bow of old Sailing Ships like HMS Victory. The design is a non-burying type, and grabs rocks with one arm penetrating the seabed and the other standing proud. It has a good reputation for use in rock, kelp, and grass, but is unlikely to be any more effective than a good modern design and its holding power to weight ratio is among the worst of all anchor types.

The primary weakness of the design is its ability to foul the cable over changing tides. Once fouled the anchor is likely to drag. It is difficult to bring aboard without scarring the topsides, and does not stow in a hawse pipe or over an anchor roller.

Bruce/Claw

The Bruce anchor was designed by Peter Bruce in the 1970's. The Bruce is known generically as a "claw". Claw-types set quickly in most sea beds and although not an articulated design, they have the reputation of not breaking out with tide or wind changes, instead slowly turning in the bottom to align with the force.

Claw types have difficulty penetrating weedy bottoms and grass. They offer a fairly low holding power to weight ratio and generally have to be over-sized to compete with other types. On the other hand they perform relatively well with low rode scopes and set fairly reliably.

CQR/Plow/Plough

The plow styles' good holding power over a wide variety of bottom types makes it a top choice of cruising boaters. Named due to its resemblance to a traditional agricultural plough . When dropped in the water, a plow lands on its side, then when pulled, buries itself. Its shape allows it to reset fairly easily should the wind or tide shift the boat position.

This anchor type has either a fixed (Delta style) or a pivoting (CQR) shank. Many manufacturers produce a plough-style design, all based on or direct copies of the original Coastal Quick Release (CQR),

CQR's are generally good in all bottoms, but not exceptional. The CQR design has a hinged shank, allowing the anchor to turn with direction changes rather than breaking out, and also arranged to force the point of the plough into the bottom if the anchor lands on its side. The more recent Delta uses an unhinged shank and a plough with specific angles to develop slightly superior performance.

Owing to the use of lead or other dedicated tip-weight, the plough is heavier than average for the amount of resistance developed, and may take a slightly longer pull to set thoroughly.

Fluke/Danforth & Fortress

The fluke style anchor uses a stock at the crown to which two large flat surfaces are attached. The stock is hinged so the flukes can orient toward the bottom (and on some designs may be adjusted for an optimal angle depending on the bottom type.) The design is a burying variety, and once well set can develop an amazing amount of resistance. Its light weight and compact flat design make it easy to retrieve and relatively easy to store; some anchor rollers and hawse pipes can accommodate a fluke-style anchor. A few high-performance designs are available, such as the Fortress, which are lighter in weight for a given area and in tests have shown better than average results.

The fluke anchor has difficulty penetrating kelp and weed-covered bottoms, as well as rocky and particularly hard sand or clay bottoms. If there is much current or the vessel is moving while dropping the anchor it may "kite" or "skate" over the bottom due to the large fluke area acting as a sail or wing. Once set, the anchor tends to break out and reset when the direction of force changes dramatically, such as with the changing tide, and on some occasions it might not reset but instead drag.

Grapnel

A traditional design, the grapnel style is simple to design and build. The design is a non-burying variety, with one or more tines digging in and the remainder above the seabed. In coral it is often able to set quickly by hooking into the structure, but may be more difficult to retrieve. A grapnel is often quite light, and used aboard smaller boats where its weight makes it relatively easy to bring aboard.

Grapnels rarely have enough fluke area to develop much hold in sand, clay, or mud. It is not unknown for the anchor to foul on its own rode, or to foul the tines with refuse from the bottom, preventing it from digging in. It is quite possible for this anchor to find such a good hook that, without a trip line, it is impossible to retrieve.

"Mushroom" anchors get their name from, as you might imagine, their rounded, mushroom shape. Mushroom anchors are used extensively for moorings, and can weigh several thousand pounds for this use.

The shape works best in soft bottoms, where it can create a suction that can be difficult to break. Decent for very small boats to use as a lunch hook, but not practical for larger boats.

Modern anchors have names like the Rocna, Delta, Fortress, Supreme and Spade anchors.

These anchors have the highest holding power & achieved the maximum pull of 5,000lbs in the Yachting Monthly/Sail magazine tests performed in 2006. The Yachting Monthly tests were the among the most thorough anchor tests done and several magazines were present. The tests can be found online.

The chart below Compares the features of these anchors. We include the CQR as a benchmark so you can see how much better modern anchors are. The CQR failed to set in the YM tests.

When considering how anchors perform there are two features to look at. First is the setting of the anchor. If an anchor takes a long time to set this is not good as you may not have the room to manouver. The second feature is holding power. Once the anchor has set there is a load (break out load) at which the anchor pulls out again. Both of these features change with the bottom surface.

Apart from the anchor the biggest reason whether your anchor will set or not is the anchor rode and scope.

The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) have these following recommendations regarding anchor holding power for vessel size and type.

Holding power is the Horizontal load or max pull at which the anchor beaks loose from the bottom.

I read somewhere a question from a new boater who asked if they needed an anchor. The answer is yes you do its required by law in many places and it can be one of the first pieces of emergency equipment you'll need. Whether you sail up a river or cross oceans an anchor can an anchor is an essential piece of gear.

Capt. Alex Blackwell & Capt. Daria Blackwell have written this book from their experiences. Here is their description of the book which will soon be available on Amazon.com. The book has had very positive reviews in numerous publications including L&A, Latitude 38 SailWorld.com.

Anchoring a boat can be a lovely dance in a harbor, or a painful and often embarrassing display of Homo sapiens inability to plan or communicate. We will endeavor to help you find a combination of tackle and technique best suited for your circumstances when anchoring your vessel. By outlining how different anchors work, the pluses and minuses of different adjunctive pieces of equipment, the current thinking about how to deploy this equipment, and how to select an anchorage, we hope you will be armed with enough information to make some informed decisions about what might work best for you.

Contents

Chapter One: Introduction

Part I: The Technology of Ground Tackle

Chapter Two: Loads at Anchor
Chapter Three: Deck Gear for Anchors
Chapter Four: Anchor Windlass
Chapter Five: Anchor Rhodes
Chapter Six: Anchor Options
Chapter Seven: Anchor and Rode Selection

Part II: The Art of Anchoring

Chapter Eight: Human Factors in Anchoring
Chapter Nine: Technique of Anchoring
Chapter Ten: Anchoring Tricks
Chapter Eleven: Rights and Responsibilities
Chapter Twelve: Storm Anchoring

Part III: The Mechanics of Mooring

Chapter Thirteen: Permanent Moorings

A modern, authoritative anchoring guide for sailors and powerboaters A boat swinging safely at anchor can be a relaxing conclusion to a great day of boating or an essential emergency measure, while failure to anchor properly can be frustrating, inconvenient, or downright dangerous. The Complete Anchoring Handbook is your path to mastering this indispensable seamanship skill. Based on original engineering analysis--and with contributions from such international anchoring experts as Alain Fraysse and Chuck Hawley--The Complete Anchoring Handbook emphasizes the proven best gear and methods for anchoring safely in any situation with any boat, sail or power. Here's everything you need to know, from the basics to the most advanced techniques

One selection form this manual covers Anchoring Techniques
24. Select an anchorage and demonstrate appropriate helmsman and crew coordination and the skills necessary to anchor with two anchors under power using one of the following methods: bow and stern, two anchors off the bow at 60° , or two anchors off the bow at 180° (Bahamian Moor).
25. Pick up a mooring.
26. Demonstrate appropriate helmsman and crew coordination and the skills necessary to recover your anchor under power.

Top Boat Anchors

Fisherman

Bruce/Claw

CQR/Plow/Plough

Fluke/Danforth & Fortress

Grapnel