Anchor Talk?

[Maine Sail]

Hi All,

I did not know where to post this so I chose here. Feel free to move it if this is the wrong forum.

Yesterday I went to town landing in Falmouth, ME armed with my video camera and two of my anchors. I wanted to take videos of the anchors setting in hard sand. I compared two of my anchors. One is a new Manson Supreme (from Hamilton Marine) and the other is an Aluminum Spade A-80. I made three test videos of each anchor setting or not setting but now I don't know where to host these videos. If anyone has any ideas I would appreciate it.

The anchor dilemma is a constant battle. Over the years I've used just about all of them but never found the right mix of setting & holding. So I'm wondering if anyone would like to participate in a " Casco Bay Anchor Test". My idea is to have a few people get together with a bunch of anchors (CQR, Delta Fast Set, Bruce, Danforth, Fortress, Spade, Manson etc. etc.), a pull truck and my video camera. I was very surpassed with my results and it was really great to see how the anchors reacted and set.

Eventually I would like to host these "fair & independent non biased" videos as a service for folks looking to buy an anchor or to compare the setting characteristics of different anchors. Ultimately I would like to find a strain gauge so we could also tell what the anchors hold not just how they set and bury. The only video of anchor testing I know of is on the Rocna web site and it's a marketing tool.

The Practical Sailor tests are weight/size biased are not a fair comparison. They compared anchors of different sizes and weights for direct holding test comparisons. It is not fair to compare a Bruce 22 lb. anchor to a Spade A-80 because the steel version of the Spade (same physical size as the A-80) is a 35 pounder and obviously should hold more. I would like to be able to compare like sizes to like sizes like a CQR 25, Bruce 22 and a Manson Supreme 24.

If anyone is interested in doing this we'll pick a day this spring and a site and go for it. You can contact me at ( halekai36@hotmail.com ) I really want to find out what the best anchor is in terms of setting and holding. If anyone knows where I can find a strain gauge suitable for up to a 2000lb load that would be great too. These would be the first anchor test videos I know of available to the boating public.

[A30_John]

The only video of anchor testing I know of is on the Rocna web site and it's a marketing tool.

I know of more videos of anchor testing on the Web at the Noetco site. (It is video of the Bulwagga anchor, and it is also used as a marketing tool.) BTW, you might want to include one of these anchors in your test.

http://www.noteco.com/bulwagga/

[Maine Sail]

temporarily. Unfortunately it cuts the video off at two minutes. This will give you guys some idea of what I wish to acomplish. You will need to download macromedia if you don't already have it. Here's the link.

http://www.dropshots.com/acoustic

[dkall]

Don't forget to take in to account the surface area. If you want to be correct in your research design; you'll need to take into act the area of the surface of the anchor as well as the weight. So at a minumum you'll have 4 different test. Then you'll need to drop the anchor in a min of 10 different bottom conditions and run some statistics on the results. You could just drop each anchor 10 times and then graph the results with the two graphs overlapping to see how they compair. Ideally you would drop each a 100 times in random bottoms but I doubt anyone is interested in the time and money for that kind of test.

While I'm thinking of this: the fluke length might be included as well as the number of points penetrating the bottom. But the above surface area vs weight (the 2 x 2 design) would actully give some interesting results not yet found in any of the "consumer reports" magazines.

[Robert The Gray]

This may be a very small factor in the over all test, but is there a difference in the behavior of the bottom when it is under water? Is there an increase in cohesion between the bottom particles because of the pressure of the water above? When watching your test done above ground, I could not help but imagine that when sand or mud starts to dry out or it is no longer under the pressure of the water it becomes less cohesive to itself therefore limitinfg the holding power of the anchors. I can see that if all anchors are tested in the same conditions then this would be moot. As far as real world loads and measurements, i.e. "x" anchor will hold "y" number of lbs at "z" scope, if the tests were performed above ground I think the "y" will be suspect. These comments may be worth even less than two cents. I have always felt that if my anchor dragged, it was my fault for picking the wrong anchorage, or not letting out enough scope, or not setting the anchor well in the first place. I know that once my danforth is set it will hold well, but if I do not set it well it sits on the mud like an upside down frisbee and I drift with the tide.

r

[Maine Sail]

I am trying to test all anchors based on surface area as well as weight to fairly compare. The Spade A-80 I own is very similar in surface area to the Manson Supreme 24 that's why I compared those two. In my very limited tests in the same area, using the same RPM loads the Manson set three out of three times and the Spade set one out of three. On the other two it would partially set and then hop out. Again these are very difficult conditions for any anchor to set in. The sand was so hard you barely left a foot print! If I can get people with anchors to participate I want to schedule a couple of nights this summer. We'll pick three or four locations and do six sets on each of the anchors two of them being 180 degree re-sets. I loved my Bruce anchor but every test I've seen says they don't hold well so I sold it with the last boat I owned. I know my Fortress holds well in a one direction pull but if the wind shifts and it has to re-set it's a crap shoot..

I know the anchors charecteristics are diferent under water but it's nice to see how the anchors act so you have an idea what your anchor is doing on the bottom when you can't see it. I really want to see a CQR, Bruce, Delta, Fortress, Spade & others compared on video..

Videos
http://www.dropshots.com/acoustic

[A30_John]

I know the anchors charecteristics are diferent under water but it's nice to see how the anchors act so you have an idea what your anchor is doing on the bottom when you can't see it.

Absolutely. It's very instructive. So is donning a mask and snorkel and going down for a look after the anchor is set. (Not a popular choice in Maine though, heh.)

If you're looking for an anchor that sets well, re-sets reliably, and has excellent holding power, do yourself a favor and look at the Bulwagga. They scored very high in Practical Sailor's tests and for good reason. (I believe they will be included in a new test coming out in the next issue.) I've used one for the last three seasons in Maine and wouldn't use anything else. My previous anchor was a CQR, which I still keep on the boat as a back up.

Good luck with your tests. I'll be interested in hearing the results!