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by Kerry S. Mason
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Of course you need anchors!!! But what kind? How many? How
big? Anchoring/Docking Boat Anchors
Boat Anchors
Your answers to these questions will depend largely on where
and how you will be boating. If your travels will be in areas
with a predominant type of bottom-mud, sand, or gravel, for
example-your anchors need to fit that type of holding ground.
The farther you plan to travel, the more bottom types you are
likely to encounter, and therefore the more versatile your
anchors need to be. Navigation charts and cruising guides for
the areas you will be traveling will indicate the types of
bottom you can expect. Here's a short list of criteria to
apply to anchor selection:
1. You want the anchor to hold the boat where you put it,
so it must stay where you put it. Most of the characteristics
of the anchor reflect its ability to "dig in" and continue to
hold, without turning over or breaking loose. Additional
considerations are its ability not to foul on anything it may
encounter.
2. It must be light enough to handle and heavy enough to
dig in and hold the bottom.
3. As I have already noted, it must be designed for the
bottom types you will encounter the most. There are
anchors designed for every type of bottom. Also,
choose an anchor suited to your vessel's weight and
handling characteristics.
4. It must hold in all kinds of weather, seas and
current.
The primary criterion for choosing an anchor is its holding
power. A mistaken concept is that an anchor depends upon
weight for this holding power. In fact, holding power
depends on design.
I recommend that, no matter what size your boat is or where
you plan to travel, you have a minimum of three anchors on
board. Two of these should be deployable from the bow and
should be of different types. While the primary anchor will
be used the most, the secondary can be used if it suits the
bottom better or when you want to put down two anchors. The
third anchor should be deployable from the stern. Even though
design is more significant then weight in choosing an anchor,
consider sizing up your anchors at least one level from what
is listed in the marine catalogs or manufacturer brochures for
your boat length. No one ever lost sleep because they were more
securely anchored than they needed to be! From my own
observations, the most often used anchors are the Bruce, CQR,
Fortress, and Danforth models.
- The Bruce anchor was developed for offshore oil rigs
and was scaled down for small boats. The folks in my
sailing acquaintance who have Bruce models are pretty much
unanimous in singing their praises across a wide range of
bottom types. A problem with using a Bruce arises, however,
if your bow configuration is not designed to accommodate
this bulky anchor.
- The CQR (or plow ) is a venerable design, and works
in a wide range of bottom conditions. This is a common sight
on the bow rollers of many boats. The Danforth is a pretty
traditional choice. Made from aluminum or steel, it has great
holding power in the right conditions. I know of many smaller
boats (less than 30 feet) that depend entirely on Danforths.
- Fortress anchors are a Danforth-style design made of
an aluminum alloy that makes it light and of high tensile
strength. They can be assembled in two ways to enable them to
increase their efficiency and have great holding power.
There are other anchor types that may come your way as you
fit out your boat. Fishermen anchors, the familiar shape
that's tattooed on Popeye's forearm and shows up on yacht
club insignias, used to be common on boats, though I think
the inclusion of these in the anchor inventory has decreased
in recent years. Also, anchor design seems to be a continually
evolving technology, and there are also some newer makes on
the market that I don't have first hand experience with
(Simpson Lawrence's Claw and the Spade models are two examples).
Boat Anchoring/Docking
Copyright (c) 2004 Kerry S. Mason
'Kerry Mason is the webmaster for finesailing.com, which
is the #1 Internet resource for sailing/boating information, gear
and apparel. Be sure to visit his complete archive of articles at
http://www.finesailing.com/articles/
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