What anchor to use

[rogerschwake]

Ahoy

  Have bought a used 2004 Suncat in Louisiana and brought it home to Iowa. Have some cleaning up to do and then go for my first sail. This boat came with the factory bow roller and I,m want to know what anchor fits it and would work good in the sand and mud I will be using it in. The boat came with about 100 feet of 1/4'' anchor rode, is  this large enough for this boat. All and any help would be greatly appreciated on my part.

ROGER

[skip1930]

Danforth, Roger dodger that? Says 8 lb stamped right into the shank. Drill some holes and make a quick disconnect pin. Tie the anchor line to the boat somewhere, jut in case the pins let's loose the line and anchor won't be lost.

skip.

[steve brown]

I have a plough anchor on NUNKI with the anchor roller and it works fine. Gerry at Hutchins installed a nice sprung loaded chain stop. I woud suggest 6 or 8 feet of anchor chain between the rode and anchor. Secure the shackles with zip ties or non-ferrous wire. Steve

[Shawn]

Roger,

What kind of anchoring are you planning on? Just stopping for lunch or anchoring overnight/days when you might have to deal with wind/tide shifts?

For a lunch hook a Fortress anchor (highly optimized Danforth type) will be light and will offer great holding in sand or mud. Any Danforth type can have problems resetting on a wind/tide shift as they can foul themselves.

For dealing with wind/tide shifts and having good resetting you might want to look into some of the next generation anchors. A Manson Boss or Supreme would be a very good choice, Deltas are supposed to be pretty good, Spades are great...etc..etc.

Whatever you have make sure you have a suitable length of chain at the anchor itself. Opinions on what is 'suitable' will vary considerably. Some say at least as much chain as the length of your boat, or as much weight in the chain as the anchor itself...etc..etc.

I have a Raya 800 anchor (sized for 60knot winds on a 30' boat) on Serenity along with 38' of 3/8 chain and 300' of 1/2" double braided rode. That is enough for me to anchor in a little over 40' of water and keep a 7:1 scope. Hopefully, I will never experience conditions anywhere near the limits of this setup. Having it lets me sleep better on the hook though.

I also have a smaller Raya 400 Tempest as a lunch hook with I think 10' of chain and 150' or 200' of 3/8" rode. I've always used the main anchor though.

Shawn

[Tim22]

One of the problems with the Suncat bow roller is that the normal boat movement will cause the flukes of some anchors to hit the bow topsides. I discovered this when I installed a danforth on the roller. I subsequently changed it for a claw which works fine as I only use it as a lunch hook.

Tim

[bfelton]

I recommend three strand rode because it has more elasticity than double braid.

Bert Felton

[skip1930]

Never use a double braid for an anchor line.

skip.

[Shawn]

"I recommend three strand rode because it has more elasticity than double braid."

Depends upon the rode.

Some double braid has more stretch as well as having a higher breaking point. It is also a little easier on the hands and flakes better than three strand.

Shawn

[rogerschwake]

I have bought a 10 pound Mason Supreme anchor for my Sun Cat. It fits in the anchor roller on the bow of my boat, witch I'm very happy with. Checked with BoatU.S. and they suggested to use 3/8 anchor line. Thinking about ordering 200 feet but not sure on how much 1/4 inch chain to use, at lest 10 feet? The boat has cleaned up real good so far, about two weeks from the first sail.

ROGER

[bfelton]

I buy a boat length of chain, 17 feet.


Bert Felton

[bfelton]

Hi Roger,
     Does the anchor roll around on the roller?  Do you have the stock roller from Com Pac Yachts?  What year is your boat?

Thanks,

Bert Felton

[rogerschwake]

Ahoy Bert,

  I have a 2004 Sun Cat with the factory anchor roller. The anchor fits in the roller nice and snug and clears the bow by at least 4". Can't wait to get her in the water and go for a sail.

ROGER