I have a 2001 Hunter 340 and want to add a windlass. The original windlass for this model was a Simpson Lawrence SL00605167, which is no longer made. The tables I have seen recommend a 22 lb. Anchor for this boat. Currently the boat has a 35 lb anchor and very heavy chain. However, it would take a much larger windlass to operate that. Five Ocean sold me a 900 watt windlass with HT G4 chain. Is that enough to hold the boat in moderate conditions with a 22 lb anchor? Appreciate your thoughts.
Anchor size
- Thread starter Robert H. Wood
- Start date
Robert it is Bruce 20Kg, view the image at the link below.
The weight of the anchor you need depends on the type of anchor. 22 pounds sounds pretty low for a 34’ boat. That might be true for something like a Fortress anchor made out of aluminum. It might work fine for some bottom types but not others. An anchor like a Mantus would be about 35 pounds for their “cruising anchor” size recommendation.
The windlass should never really be the thing “holding the boat”. The rode should be tied off on a cleat or with a pendant to a cleat. A windlass is built for lifting the static weight of the anchor and chain. Putting the load of the boat on the windlass risks damage to its clutch or gears.
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I phrased it poorly. I didn’t mean that the windlass held the boat. My concern was whether the 22 lb anchor and chain would hold a 34 foot boat. It appears from what I have read that 30-35 would be more appropriate. So If I leave the 35 lb anchor and use the 900 watt windlass I should be okay .
You must size it as an anchoring SYSTEM, not just the weight of the anchor. "Hold a 34 foot boat" is meaningless unless you include the wind speeds you intend to design the system for. Anchor type, weight, chain and shackle size, windlass strength. Many folks oversize their chain, too.
Here's a more detailed description:
Anchor System Sizing Tables (Reply #6) & Swivels Ground Tackle & Anchor System Sizing TABLES & Swivels
We have a 1000 watt windlass with a 45 pound anchor. We have 40 feet of chain but usually anchor in 7 feet or less, so the windows only needs to lift 10 feet of chain plus the anchor at once. I can hear the motor load up when it starts lifting the anchor but it’s certainly not overwhelmed.
Difficult to provide an answer here, as we're missing some key information..
Will the 35 lb anchor hold the boat? Depends. Which anchor? On which type of bottom, with how much wind/wave?
G4 chain, ok, what diameter?
What shackle / swivel do you use. These are usually the weakest link of any anchor rode, very often weaker than the rope after the chain...
How much chain do you have? 20 ft? 100 ft?... this will have a big impact on the windlass...
How much is the 900 W windlass rated to lift (Working load and maximum limit working load) ?
What is the working load and breaking strength of the rope?
For example, Rocna anchors are rated fairly conservatively. They would put you in a 12kg anchor (26 lbs). More often than not, anchor techique, proper rode and bottom selection has much more impact on holding power than the actual weight of the anchor and rode....
Keep in mind that the windlass gipsy has to match the anchor chain size/type and rope size/type.
For what it's worth, I had a 700 Watt windlass with a 55 lb anchor and 100 ft of chain (at 1lb / ft).... I don't think I ever anchored in more than 60 feet of water, so really, it was never lifting more than 115 lbs).... it never skipped a beat.
How much chain you need really depends on where you boat.... if there's lots of coral, you might want 100 ft to avoid having rope chafe on coral / rocks. If you anchor in sand, 15-20 feet of chain will be plenty. Anchoring in kelp and weeds? Good luck!
Your installation method will have a huge impact on the effectiveness/efficiency of the windlass. If you have a 15-20% voltage drop due to small wires powering the windlass, you'll find the breaker tripping often. Ideally, plan for 5% voltage drop or less at the maximum working load current. Voltage drop is calculated as a round trip distance (total length of the yellow and red cables).
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