Ross..
Quote: "We demanded repeatability." Ross no one ever said the Bruce or the CQR don't work. They BOTH work. For me the genuine Bruce worked better than the CQR on varying bottom types but required me to go up one size, not always feasible for many without a windlass, to hold in heavy winds. Unfortunately a longer scope is a great answer but it is NOT feasible in most anchorages. In some yes, but you can't count on the "repeatability", in summer months, of finding a spot where you can plunk down 10:1. In Maine often times a 5:1 is the after set scope we need to shorten to. We rode out a 50 knot blow on a Bruce, running about 10:1 and only dragged about 20 yards but, it was over sized, 33lb on a Cat 30, had been properly set and we had lots of 3/8" chain. For me the Bruce anchor set at close to 85-90% on the first try from fairly hard bottoms to mud to thick clay. It had a tough time in a hard or grassy substrate as many anchors do. It re-set well too but not always. Many times we get 360's or 720's throughout the night. While in the morning it's sometimes calms and most boaters THINK their anchor held I always do a morning back down check just to see. I honestly know of no other boaters that will back down on the anchor in the am to see if it held on a re-set. If it's calm when you wake up facing the opposite direction it doesn't not necessarily mean your anchor held on the re-set!!! The Bruce did ok at this and beat my CQR's by a decent margin. How do you know your anchor held over night on a 180 shift, in benign conditions, if you don't check it? CQR - The anchor works! My issue, and I used two over the years, was as you said "repeatability". Because I actually set my anchor, and most boaters don't, I knew how frustrating it can be to make three attempts with a CQR to get a firm hold. This was not out of the ordinary. Did it ever set first try? YES!!!! About 80% of the time my CQR set on the first drop and set. It was the "repeatability of my CQR's and the flat out hassle of un-predictable "repeatability" that forced me to find a better alternative with better "repeatability". The most recent two "new generation" anchors I've purchased are at 100%, in all performance measures, in over 200+/- anchorings. This is the "performance" I was looking for. Taking sometimes 25 to 40 minutes to get a proper set, in an area where I WANT to anchor, is not something I ever want to have to do again and yes this occurred with my CQR enough to be a PITA. Please understand that I have spent many successful nights on a CQR! My CQR is well worn and well used and the anchor was and is still a GOOD improvement over a Danforth type when I switched to it just as many of the newer generation anchors are over the Bruce and CQR. Just because a newer design performs with better repeatability does NOT mean the old anchors stopped working it only means the newer ones do so with more predictability and in many cases higher holding power for a given weight. To hopefully answer your question about CQR or Bruce remaining popular. I would ask you to find even a hand full of boaters, who in the last year, have laid down more than the cost of the much maligned Rocna price, for a genuine CQR? More than once I have posted both of my CQR's here for 1/4 or less what they sell for new and never even had a phone call or email until the adds expired. I have tried the same on Craigslist and other forums "gear here" areas and NADA! If new CQR's are still popular at $660.00 for a 35 pounder I would love to see that data when I can't even seemingly give mine away. The genuine Bruce is GONE, as in NOT made for pleasure use any more. The genuine Bruce was a well constructed & very strong heat treated anchor. Knock off, non heat treated, copies that sell for $139.00 have become the Bruce. One could argue that the "Claw" type knock offs sell at a rate that DWARFS the genuine CQR these days. I am seeing lots of new generation anchors up our way but still the Claw and CQR types rule the bows, though it's slowly changing. Last fall, at haul out, I counted two other Rocna's in my boat yard and four Manson's there were also a couple of others including Spades and a Bullewaga. The prior year I was the sole "roll bar anchor". Everyone that I know, and there are always some outliers, who owns a "new generation anchor" is an experienced boater who previously owned one of the older styles. If they, the tried and true, worked so well "repeatably" these folks wold have never laid down the cake to "upgrade". New boaters usually use what "came with the boat" or they go cheap as in a $139.00 claw or a Danforth type.. No one is saying the old anchors don't work just that SOME of the new anchors consistently and repeatably perform at a higher success range/rate. I happen to own one new generation anchor that performed no better than My CQR's so this is NOT a blanket statement that ALL new generation anchors perform better. Some do and some don't. As others have said the perfect anchor is NOT yet made.. I would rather see every boater actually learn how to properly use the gear they have than upgrade and still continue with bad habits. Technique is a HUGE, if not the biggest, factor of anchoring!
