Choosing The Right Anchor For Your Boat

Youve just bought that new 44 foot Albin Sundeck trawler and shes everything you needed in a trawler. After upgrading some marine electronics, you will be prepared to do some cruising. You cant wait to drop the hook and savor your time on the water.

But wait; gunk holing is your goal but is your anchor the right one? It was on the Banks when you bought her so it should be the right one, right? So what is the right anchor for you new boat?” I get asked that question a lot, and the response is that the kind of bottom, be it mud, grass, sand, coral or rock, will determine the right selection of anchor, as will the size of your watercraft. Some anchoring spots may also call for more than one anchor.

Wind circumstances will also be involved in how well an anchor holds; every time the wind speed doubles, the force on the boat and her anchor will increase by four times.

Sizing an anchor for your trawler reinforces, the “bigger is better” concept; you really cannot have too much anchor. If your diesel engine fails and you are floating toward an open inlet, having a suitably sized anchor ready could save you and your boat. However anchor selection also has some practical issues involved; raising an anchor by hand with no electric windlass would be strenuous and therefore requires light and effective ground tackle.

Anchors must provide resistance in the sea bed to work properly. And the anchor’s ability to work is totally dependent on its capability to penetrate the sea floor. Therefore, the selection of an appropriate sea bed for dropping anchor is more crucial than the anchor you choose. You must evaluate the sea bed bottom conditions when choosing your anchor.

Aboard my trawler the Patricia Ann, I use a 35 lb. Lewmar CQR. It routinely holds in sand and mud bottoms in our cruising area without pulling free. It sets easily.

Here is a breakdown of potential options based on sea beds you may find:

Sand: Finegrained sand is rather easy for anchors to penetrate and provides very good holding power with foreseeable results. Fluke anchors offer the best results in sand.

Mud: Mud has low shear strength, and requires an anchor design with a broad shank. This permits the anchor to penetrate deeper into mud where there is greater sheer strength. Mud bottoms may have clay just below the mud; anchors that penetrate into the clay will have even better holding power. Hinged plow anchors and CQR anchors function better in this setting.

Rock and Coral: Where you drop your anchor influences the holding power. Plow type anchors, with high structural strength to support the high point loads, normally work the best in rock or coral. A Claw, CQR or Delta work good in these situations

Shale, clay, and grassy bottoms: These bottoms are the most difficult to address; the weight of the anchor will be the primary factor in gaining penetration and holding ability. CQR and Delta anchors are found to be good due to their capability for penetrating vegetation. These conditions, however, have a high failure rate from anchors catching on roots or dragging on the surface, rather than grabbing something solid.

Here is a breakdown of the 5 styles of anchors. Cost comparisons are based upon outfitting a 40 foot power boat.

1 – Fluke Anchors
Pros: Acceptable holding power in sand. Can be had in light weight aluminum. Low priced. Holds good in sand. Can be bought in light weight aluminum alloy. Inexpensive.
Cons: Limited or no holding in rock, mud, grass, or clay bottoms.
Brands: Fortress, Danforth, Guardian
Costs: $109.00 for 40 ft boat

2 – Claw Anchors
Pros: Low cost. Sets fairly quickly in most sea bed conditions. One piece design. Roll stabilized .
Cons: Difficult to stow without rollers or chocks. Limited holding power in mud or soft sand.
Brands: Lewmar Claw, Manson Claw
Costs: $109.00 for a 40 ft. boat

3 – NonHinged Plow Anchors
Pros: Very strong, made from heat-treated steel. Works good in sand.
Cons: May have problems setting in mud, rock, grass or clay bottoms. Pricey
Brands: Delta, Anchorlift
Costs: $278.00 for a 40 ft. boat

4 – NonHinged Scoop Anchors
Pros: Roll bar for simple setting. Some claim to be fastest setting anchor on market. Sets easily in sand and mud.
Cons: More expensive
Brands: Rocna, Manson
Costs: $599.00 for a 40 ft. boat

5 – Hinged Plow Anchors
Pros: Widely used. Heavy construction.. Stows easily on an anchor roller, and sets well in most sea beds. Easily penetrates mud and grass. Good holding power.Cons: Anchors are large and heavy. Very expensive.
Brands: CQR, Manson
Costs: $749.00 for a 40 ft. boat