Anchor Sizing and Roller Info Hunter 260

[rs1sensen]

I'd love to hear what anchors/setup everyone is using for their boats and what has worked/not worked well for them.

While my boat lives on the trailer most of the time, I'm looking to upgrade the anchor so that on occasion in calm weather I can leave her anchored at a local unofficial mooring field for long-weekends. The boat has a Danforth-style anchor right now that feels a bit light to me for the weight of the boat with ballast. Use will be coastal Florida - so pretty much sandy bottom everywhere. Sarasota Bay, Tampa Bay, Venice, and also Florida keys once every couple years.

It's a bit hard to get through all the marketing BS but really like what I'm reading about the Mantus and Rocna anchors.

That said, my boat does not have an anchor roller right now, and so I'm looking to install one. I know some people say the roller available from this site is a bit short, and some recommend the Windline BRM-2 or URM-2. My concern is the fit for the above anchors as I know the Mantus should really be about 25lbs which seems bigger than they recommend and they also seem like they'd likely be too long.

 

[David in Sandusky]

Frankly, the Danforth is a good anchor for sand. And they work by their shape more than their weight. It’s more about the size of the flukes, than the weight of the anchor. What are others in your area using?

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Knowing the 260 as well as I do, yes I would anchor that boat only while staying on it only or for a short trip into town for supplies as an example. However, I would never leave a boat even gone for a weekend. Anchors are temporary holding. I would be secured to a more permanent mooring ball. It is your decision as the owner. For me I would not.

Why? First as a dealer I sold anywhere between 20-25% of the production line. Secondly, I was involved with the design. Third I saw damage because of that to several 260’s that I repaired for customers. Fourth I have seen sudden storms come up fast and that includes Florida.
Yes I put boats out in holding areas during hurricanes but you have to have two very large specific anchors with heavier and longer line, long chains and chafe gear. The 260 was not designed for that purpose but for trailer ability. However, it is your boat and your decision alone to make

 

[rgranger]

A story about the holding power of a properly set danforth. I have the danforth that came with my H26 and a lighter one that I call my "lunch hook". The lunch hook is positioned at the stern and I can deploy it from the cockpit... so it is nice as I enter a cove to just launch it off the stern. The rode runs around to the bow so when it catches, I turn into the wind. So I'm sleeping out on my boat one evening... I check the weather forcast. Calm! So I go to bed without setting my larger anchor. An isolated T-storm pops up during the night. I don't know how hard it was blowing but it was strong and I got up to make sure I was not dragging. After the storm blew out, I went back to bed.

It took me about 90 minutes to pull that anchor up the next morning... I would have to winch the rode tight and wait... repeat... wait... repeat....and based on the mud line on my rode when I finnaly broke the anchor free... I sunk that little danford 8 feet into the mud. The only times I have ever had trouble with my danforth setting is when I get a rock or piece of wood jammed in the flukes. I suspect mud is better than sand but what I would suggest is you practice with it. Set the anchor with a mild tug... let it sit for a minute ....then pull hard on it with your outboard. If you are in clear water, take a dive on your anchor and take a look. See how deep it set.

BTW: My rode is 10' of chain followed by three strand nylon.

It is not a bad idea to have other anchor types on your boat and to practice with those as well... I'm only saying that the lightness of the danforth is not an indication of its holding power. I can see the danforth being totally useless in a place with a lot of coral or other shells that could jam the flukes.

 

[Stu Jackson]

It's a bit hard to get through all the marketing BS but really like what I'm reading about the Mantus and Rocna anchors.

Why NEW GEN Anchors are Better:

Anchors & TEST Results of New Generation Anchors EXCELLENT & Important

Anchor System Sizing Tables (Reply #6) & Swivels Ground Tackle & Anchor System Sizing TABLES & Swivels

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Stu, I value your impute but leaving a trailerable boat for a long period on anchor is not a good idea. One thing to do to help unstuck anchor is to tie a trip line to the head of a buried anchor tied to a float of sorts. Pulling the head buried with a tripbline gets it out much easier than from the other end