Anchors

[HomeyD]

I have been a day sailor for several years and I am about to take my Catalina 22 out for some overnights. Probably Long Island soun and Chesapeake bay areas. Interested in recomendations for types of anchors and how heavy. Any and all suggestions will be much appreciated.

 

[AaronD]

Asking about anchors is brave. You might set off a theological war.

Here's what I settled on, for sailing in the Puget Sound / Salish Sea. We've been happy with the setup (and with a smaller 10 lb Manson Supreme as our stern anchor, but that's just because I found a clearance deal for ~$30).

If I were to do it again now, I'd:

• Look at a 2nd-generation new-design anchor like the Rocna Vulcan, Manson Boss, or Mantus M2. Recent research seems to indicate that weight in the tip is more important than the roll bar, and getting rid of the roll bar would have made the bowsprit project a lot simpler.
• Add even more chain - so we could anchor on mostly-chain rode and swing a little less. In an anchorage full of boats on all-chain rode, many are using 4:1 or even 3:1 scope. So at 6:1 or 7:1, we're liable to swing into another boat when the wind or tide shifts. I know the extra weight on the bow wouldn't be ideal, but I might even go for 50-60' of chain. But I think most anchorages in our cruising grounds are deeper than you'd find in the Chesapeake, so that might be less of an issue for you (I don't know about Long Island Sound).

 

[shemandr]

Well I don't know about the Sailish Sea I think LIS will be different. Basically you'll be anchoring in 7 to 12' of water and with good holding. This is almost always in a harbor and reasonably sheltered. That's not to say you can be careless, but a good anchor, with a chain segment of, say 10', and rope rode, will do quite well.
It sounds like I've fallen behind on anchor technology but I had a Mantus and was comfortable in those waters with it. I like the roll bar. I had another popular anchor without a roll bar and I regarded it as unreliable. I think it was prone to landing upside down.
Do the math on the sizes of your rodes and go one size up from Rx'ed size anchor from the anchor brand. Pay attention to shackle ratings and understand that the shackle pin will likely be the weak link.
Splice or have spliced your connections and use a thimble and other chafe protection.
Sleep tight!

 

[LakeShark]

@HomeyD Just sent an article to you on anchoring. Best advice on type of anchor is to go walk the dock and see what others in your area are using. Generally you'll see what works on the boats. Otherwise talk with a local Chandlery if you can. Bottom types vary and local knowledge is invaluable in selecting the correct anchor.

 

[HomeyD]

Good Article. Thank You. Lot more to thnik about then I thought.

 

[HomeyD]

Asking about anchors is brave. You might set off a theological war.

Here's what I settled on, for sailing in the Puget Sound / Salish Sea. We've been happy with the setup (and with a smaller 10 lb Manson Supreme as our stern anchor, but that's just because I found a clearance deal for ~$30).

If I were to do it again now, I'd:

• Look at a 2nd-generation new-design anchor like the Rocna Vulcan, Manson Boss, or Mantus M2. Recent research seems to indicate that weight in the tip is more important than the roll bar, and getting rid of the roll bar would have made the bowsprit project a lot simpler.
• Add even more chain - so we could anchor on mostly-chain rode and swing a little less. In an anchorage full of boats on all-chain rode, many are using 4:1 or even 3:1 scope. So at 6:1 or 7:1, we're liable to swing into another boat when the wind or tide shifts. I know the extra weight on the bow wouldn't be ideal, but I might even go for 50-60' of chain. But I think most anchorages in our cruising grounds are deeper than you'd find in the Chesapeake, so that might be less of an issue for you (I don't know about Long Island Sound).

Thank you AaronD, Good leads to check out. Do you carry a second anchor fo bow or stern?

 

[AaronD]

Thank you AaronD, Good leads to check out. Do you carry a second anchor fo bow or stern?

We carry a stern anchor, a 10 lb Manson Supreme. The Manson is overkill, but I found it for $30. It's on about 100' of rode (which isn't enough, with the 10-20' tidal swings in our cruising area, but would probably be plenty most places). We also carry a 600' shore tie, but haven't used that for real yet (and that's also probably PNW thing, where many anchorages slope to deep water very quickly).

If you want to dive REALLY DEEP into this rabbit-hole, watch some of SV Panope's Youtube channel. E.g.

And check out @thinwater's book: Rigging Modern Anchors

 

[Gene Neill]

I'll swear by our relatively lightweight 13lb Mantus M1. The instant that thing hits the bottom, it is STUCK. Short scope, shifting tides/currents, stupid exposed anchorage we never should have been in, whatever, it is stuck. It has never dragged a foot to my knowledge, and we have truly tested it.

 

[HomeyD]

Thanks for back-up info. Having spent time in south central Florida I believe many of the sea beds in Chesapeek bay and Long Island sound are somewhat similar. Someday soon I plan to sail down the coast headed your way and It sounds like this approach may work the whole coast.
HomeyD

 

[pclarksurf]

Echoing others: Mantus -- I have two, one of which is exact match to @Gene Neill My typical holding ground is river bottom. @AaronD is not joking around in the salish sea , and I would be right there with him betting the farm on a good mantus along with other options fit for the conditions.

 

[dlochner]

Thanks for back-up info. Having spent time in south central Florida I believe many of the sea beds in Chesapeek bay and Long Island sound are somewhat similar. Someday soon I plan to sail down the coast headed your way and It sounds like this approach may work the whole coast.
HomeyD

Oh no, you haven't seen Chesapeake Bay Mud. More important than the anchor is the wash down pump. That mud is some sticky stuff. My Spade anchor would bury itself and some chain. S Florida and LIS is sandier and less muddy.

 

[HomeyD]

Good Point. Hows this wash down pump work?

 

[dlochner]

Good Point. Hows this wash down pump work?

It is simply a water pump that takes sea water pumps it through a hose. Use it to wash the chain and anchor as it comes up.

Here's and example:

Johnson Pumps Aqua Jet Wash Down Pump Kit - 3.5 GPM

Johnson Pumps Aqua Jet Wash Down Pump Kit - 3.5 GPM

shop.sailboatowners.com

The listing says it is out of stock. Check with @Dave Groshong for availability.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Having spent a significant amount of time last weekend flushing mud out of my anchor locker that wash down pump does look pretty appealing. I must’ve been carrying around 10 pounds of the Chesapeake floor with me.

 

[HomeyD]

Thanks for the pump tip. Sounds like the ideal since it is sel priming. I suspect because it is a diaphram pump as opposed to an impellar design. I'll read up on them but have already added it to my shopping list. Thanks again!

 

[LakeShark]

Just my 2 cents here but a pressurized pump on a 22 foot boat will require more work than its worth to me. Generally your anchor is so small you can rinse it in the lake or ocean water. Some of the posters above have larger boats where they would be unable to reach the water easily from the deck and have an ample fresh water tank for rinsing an anchor for a few min. The normal C22 has lass than 5 gallons of water onboard.

 

[dlochner]

Just my 2 cents here but a pressurized pump on a 22 foot boat will require more work than its worth to me. Generally your anchor is so small you can rinse it in the lake or ocean water. Some of the posers above have larger boats where they would be unable to reach the water easily from the deck and have an ample fresh water tank for rinsing an anchor for a few min. The normal C22 has lass than 5 gallons of water onboard.

Some of the posters (not posers, ) do have larger boats and we were not paying attention to the size of your boat. If I owned a Cat 22 I would not install a wash down pump. Lots of dunking and maybe a deck brush with a long handle will get the anchor clean.

Washdown pumps typically use seawater not the freshwater tanks. Washdown pumps do draw 4 or 5 amps which is not much when an inboard auxiliary engine is running. On a small boat with an outboard, that's a lot of current.

Clean the deck mud off the deck with a stout bucket and a good brush with a long handle.

 

[LakeShark]

Some of the posters (not posers, ) do have larger boats and we were not paying attention to the size of your boat.

That's funny right there! Man my spelling is bad

 

[HomeyD]

You all make good points. But I do like the idea of having the convenience of the pump for many applications. I will have a small solar array to continually charge the batteries, 2 100ah marine, as well as the ability to charge of the outboard. It won't be at the top of the list but i think i'll keep it on it.
Thanks again
Dennis

 

[dmax]

An alternative to a permanent system is one of these: Worx POWER SHARE 20-Volt 320 PSI 0.53 GPM Hydroshot Cordless Portable Pressure Washer, 4 Ah Battery and Charger Included WG620 - The Home Depot