I think I got carried away on an Ebay auction. OK, I know I did. I've always wanted a heavy duty storm anchor to compliment my 13# Danforth which has a rode of 6' of chain & the rest nylon. I thought a CQR would be a good choice, they have a great reputation and that way I'd have most types of bottom covered. So not thinking it thru, I bid on a 35# one and won, and to make matters worse it comes with 20' of 5/16" chain & 200' of 5/8" nylon. I just got an Email from the seller and he said he just dropped it off at UPS and the whole set weighed 84#'s!!*yks I've always planned on getting a bigger boat someday; but till then, can I realistically somehow use this, maybe with a different rode?
What's the largest anchor you have on your boat?
- Thread starter Lonnie14597
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Bow Roller
You will need a bow roller to safely contain that beast! You can create an anchor rode locker in the forward part of your cabin. I store 12 feet of chain and 200 feet of 1/2 nachor line in mine with room to spare. The bow roller is also a good place to lead the anchor line onboard at anchor. See my photos at photobucket.com/albums/v721/oreana123 for suggestions on bow roller installation and creation of rode locker. I have used the Bruce anchor I have (16 lbs) successfully for 6 months. John S
You will need a bow roller to safely contain that beast! You can create an anchor rode locker in the forward part of your cabin. I store 12 feet of chain and 200 feet of 1/2 nachor line in mine with room to spare. The bow roller is also a good place to lead the anchor line onboard at anchor. See my photos at photobucket.com/albums/v721/oreana123 for suggestions on bow roller installation and creation of rode locker. I have used the Bruce anchor I have (16 lbs) successfully for 6 months. John S
mo Chain!
on the macgregor-sailors site someone wanted to mount a 22# fluke (I think) on the bow. and I though I was over anchored... I carry a 8# in a pvc tube c clamped to the bow rails. it hav 10' of pvc coated chain and 150' of 3/8 line. (lunch hook). It works for most places. I also have a 20# plastic coated NAVY anchor in a milk crate in the laz, the PO gave me. I use it at night (2 anchors) in adition, I have a 13# with 15' of chain, in the laz, I've never used. (emergency/storm anchor) its tiewrapped to the back stay stansion) (I dont even bring the rode for it.... I have 300' of 5/8" rode from a previous boat, but its in a box in the attic) anyway, you need more chain, for the 13#. 20' ought to keep you from draggin. also try to tie it to the bow eye. that should reduce your scope significantly. if you want to sell the CQR let me know. the are great in the sand.
on the macgregor-sailors site someone wanted to mount a 22# fluke (I think) on the bow. and I though I was over anchored... I carry a 8# in a pvc tube c clamped to the bow rails. it hav 10' of pvc coated chain and 150' of 3/8 line. (lunch hook). It works for most places. I also have a 20# plastic coated NAVY anchor in a milk crate in the laz, the PO gave me. I use it at night (2 anchors) in adition, I have a 13# with 15' of chain, in the laz, I've never used. (emergency/storm anchor) its tiewrapped to the back stay stansion) (I dont even bring the rode for it.... I have 300' of 5/8" rode from a previous boat, but its in a box in the attic) anyway, you need more chain, for the 13#. 20' ought to keep you from draggin. also try to tie it to the bow eye. that should reduce your scope significantly. if you want to sell the CQR let me know. the are great in the sand.
Nose dive
There was that elaborate story in Practical Sailor about the girl with a Contessa26, she installed two anchors, a windlass, anchor compartment, etc. There was detailed pictures of her reinforcing the entire foredeck and having these customized bowrollers made, with pages of documentation. At the very end of the article, she mentions that for some reason the bow is now very heavy and too low in the water, so the boat is for sale. Shes going to buy a new boat and rethink it, maybe using a stern anchor instead of this overkill at the bow. Duh! Macs tend to hobbyhorse anyway, and weight at the ends won't help. Plus, a huge CQR on a roller on a Mac26 is going to look ridiculous. A 25# CQR is recommended for the 16-32' range, 35# for the 26-45' range, and 45# for the 32-58' range. We have a 35# at work and its a big ol' thing.
There was that elaborate story in Practical Sailor about the girl with a Contessa26, she installed two anchors, a windlass, anchor compartment, etc. There was detailed pictures of her reinforcing the entire foredeck and having these customized bowrollers made, with pages of documentation. At the very end of the article, she mentions that for some reason the bow is now very heavy and too low in the water, so the boat is for sale. Shes going to buy a new boat and rethink it, maybe using a stern anchor instead of this overkill at the bow. Duh! Macs tend to hobbyhorse anyway, and weight at the ends won't help. Plus, a huge CQR on a roller on a Mac26 is going to look ridiculous. A 25# CQR is recommended for the 16-32' range, 35# for the 26-45' range, and 45# for the 32-58' range. We have a 35# at work and its a big ol' thing.
Saving anchor for a bigger boat
I basically realized 5 seconds after I placed the bid it would be too big for my Mac. I have been looking at bigger sailboats for long range cruising, I still intend on keeping my Mac though. John S., I really like your bow roller. I have a few questions; what type wood did you use and what does the rode go into inside the boat? Do you have any interior shots? I was thinking of using Starboard with an aluminum or stainless plate sandwiched between for less maintenance. mrBill, on what boat would you use "The Beast",if you had an anchor this size? Thanks for everyone's input.
I basically realized 5 seconds after I placed the bid it would be too big for my Mac. I have been looking at bigger sailboats for long range cruising, I still intend on keeping my Mac though. John S., I really like your bow roller. I have a few questions; what type wood did you use and what does the rode go into inside the boat? Do you have any interior shots? I was thinking of using Starboard with an aluminum or stainless plate sandwiched between for less maintenance. mrBill, on what boat would you use "The Beast",if you had an anchor this size? Thanks for everyone's input.
Photos
Lonnie, I don't have the camera till Monday, I'll post some shots then. The plank under the bow roller is Mahogany. I think the Mac looks better with the plank and roller. I don't think the weight makes any difference. I have seen 35 gallon water tanks built into the V-berth, this weight is negligible and maybe offsets the outboard hanging off the other end. The forward wall of your v-berth can be removed to open up the space where your bow eye hardware and your stem fitting lives. You can saw out the forward wall of the v-berth, it is quite thin. This area makes a great place for the rode. Some have done this and made a screen for the rode to sit on and drain. I have seen one boat with a nice cabinet door that allows access, but looks nice. I have a deck pipe installed above that I feed the rode down. The deck pipe holds the 10 feet of chain when the door is closed on the deck pipe. It does require cutting a hole to mount the deck pipe. I made a large backing plate to mount under the deck to bolt to the plank above, making a sandwich to rigidify the deck there. I wish I had bought a bigger size anchor. The set up on my boat will accept a larger anchor, so maybe later. I have some firsthand experience with this type of anchor in high winds. It hooks and holds. I had a danforth type, for my primary, and it was hard to set, and I did not trust its holding power. I have slept on my boat at anchor, I ran the anchor line out the end of the roller and captured it with the anchor holding pin that goes through the anchor shank. If it were necessay, I could lead the rode to the bow eye for the best angle. When I first got this setup installed. I took it to the local lake and set the anchor by pulling it against the motor while going upwind. It set and opposed the motors force. Then I shut off the motor and allowed the boat to coast past the place the anchor was set. As the end of the 200 foot rode was reached, the anchor was pulled 180 degrees from the angle it was just set with the motor. The anchor reset itself with little sliding. This was on a mud and sand bottom. I wanted this type of anchor. There is no way to safely store this kind of anchor without a bow roller. Works great. John S Boise
Lonnie, I don't have the camera till Monday, I'll post some shots then. The plank under the bow roller is Mahogany. I think the Mac looks better with the plank and roller. I don't think the weight makes any difference. I have seen 35 gallon water tanks built into the V-berth, this weight is negligible and maybe offsets the outboard hanging off the other end. The forward wall of your v-berth can be removed to open up the space where your bow eye hardware and your stem fitting lives. You can saw out the forward wall of the v-berth, it is quite thin. This area makes a great place for the rode. Some have done this and made a screen for the rode to sit on and drain. I have seen one boat with a nice cabinet door that allows access, but looks nice. I have a deck pipe installed above that I feed the rode down. The deck pipe holds the 10 feet of chain when the door is closed on the deck pipe. It does require cutting a hole to mount the deck pipe. I made a large backing plate to mount under the deck to bolt to the plank above, making a sandwich to rigidify the deck there. I wish I had bought a bigger size anchor. The set up on my boat will accept a larger anchor, so maybe later. I have some firsthand experience with this type of anchor in high winds. It hooks and holds. I had a danforth type, for my primary, and it was hard to set, and I did not trust its holding power. I have slept on my boat at anchor, I ran the anchor line out the end of the roller and captured it with the anchor holding pin that goes through the anchor shank. If it were necessay, I could lead the rode to the bow eye for the best angle. When I first got this setup installed. I took it to the local lake and set the anchor by pulling it against the motor while going upwind. It set and opposed the motors force. Then I shut off the motor and allowed the boat to coast past the place the anchor was set. As the end of the 200 foot rode was reached, the anchor was pulled 180 degrees from the angle it was just set with the motor. The anchor reset itself with little sliding. This was on a mud and sand bottom. I wanted this type of anchor. There is no way to safely store this kind of anchor without a bow roller. Works great. John S Boise
anchors
I've been looking at fisherman anchors. these anchors has great holding, and knock down flat, and are not that heavy for their size. but most are huge. I did see on at sailorman, about 3', but they wanted over $150. (Its still too big for normal use) the CQR is the best in sand. If I was going anywhere offshore, (tortugas/marquesas/bahamas) I'd bring it, stowed under the vberth. its like the 13#, good insurance. if I really needed it, I could tie both rodes to it and survive. lake sailers, and have different needs than florida sailors. whats the typical bottom like... that determines your anchor. The 35# is really needing a windless. at least a manual. I'd just get more chain for the 13#, big chain, and plenty of it. make the rode storage, and hang the fluke from the bow. on the otherhand, a bow roller is really nice.
I've been looking at fisherman anchors. these anchors has great holding, and knock down flat, and are not that heavy for their size. but most are huge. I did see on at sailorman, about 3', but they wanted over $150. (Its still too big for normal use) the CQR is the best in sand. If I was going anywhere offshore, (tortugas/marquesas/bahamas) I'd bring it, stowed under the vberth. its like the 13#, good insurance. if I really needed it, I could tie both rodes to it and survive. lake sailers, and have different needs than florida sailors. whats the typical bottom like... that determines your anchor. The 35# is really needing a windless. at least a manual. I'd just get more chain for the 13#, big chain, and plenty of it. make the rode storage, and hang the fluke from the bow. on the otherhand, a bow roller is really nice.
Fortress 16#
I bought a Fortress 16# for a boat up to 40 some feet in length. I plan to use it as a storm anchor. It has 20ft of chain and 200 feet of 1/2 line. The former owner used it once and kept it as I do disassembled in the bilge. My normal anchor is a 13# Hooker with 25ft of chain and 75ft of 28 line.
I bought a Fortress 16# for a boat up to 40 some feet in length. I plan to use it as a storm anchor. It has 20ft of chain and 200 feet of 1/2 line. The former owner used it once and kept it as I do disassembled in the bilge. My normal anchor is a 13# Hooker with 25ft of chain and 75ft of 28 line.
#16 Bruce Anchor, Roller, Platform
Here is how I mounted my Bruce securely. I like the way it looks. Piece of mahogany for platform. 3 inch HDPE roller. Pin fits through shank to secure anchor in track. All that wire hooked on the flukes runs back to the battery and charges while underway. John S
Here is how I mounted my Bruce securely. I like the way it looks. Piece of mahogany for platform. 3 inch HDPE roller. Pin fits through shank to secure anchor in track. All that wire hooked on the flukes runs back to the battery and charges while underway. John S
Largest anchor
Sailing off of So. Calif. and nearby Lake Mead with its shifting and unpredictable winds, I use a 7.5kg Bruce on a bow roller, an #8 Danforh-type for stern anchoring, and #6 foldable dingy grapple hook. The latter is good for a "lunch" hooks as well with 6' of 3/8" chain. The "big" anchors both have 30' of chain. I like to keep the anchor low on the bottom and they damp some of the Mac's horsing around at anchor.
Sailing off of So. Calif. and nearby Lake Mead with its shifting and unpredictable winds, I use a 7.5kg Bruce on a bow roller, an #8 Danforh-type for stern anchoring, and #6 foldable dingy grapple hook. The latter is good for a "lunch" hooks as well with 6' of 3/8" chain. The "big" anchors both have 30' of chain. I like to keep the anchor low on the bottom and they damp some of the Mac's horsing around at anchor.
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