[Rhodes22-list] Go-To Anchor

[Bill Effros]

Dennis,

No need to state you're not an expert around here--we don't take 
expertise in anything too seriously.  You just take a shot and then 
duck.  Someone will soon tell you, in no uncertain terms, that you're no 
expert.

Thanks for the tug-test site (even though it didn't come through until 
the next post).  I've seen the tug test before, but I forgot where it 
was.  (I had to put the address back together to get to the site.)

For those who didn't go to the site, please note that several of the 
anchors obtaining the highest ratings did so with all rope rodes, and 
that the 21 lb. Fortress failed to set at all with a Rope/Chain rode.

The 25 lb. WM did not set either, with an all chain rode.

Nor the 16 lb. Spade with all chain rode.

Out of 17 anchors tested, only 4 set.  3 of the 4 that set had all rope 
rodes.  The 4th was all chain.  The most powerful set was obtained with 
an all nylon rope rode.

The tug came to a stop; dropped the anchor and rode overboard, drifted 
in the wind to set the anchor, and then gradually powered up to test the 
power of the anchor, and when it would start to drag.  This is exactly 
the way I learned to set an anchor, as opposed to the PS test method, 
except that our boat can't generate enough power to drag a properly set 
anchor.  (The tug had a 1200 hp engine and a 72 inch propeller.)

It turns out Creative Marine didn't care much for the PS tests, either.  
Quoting from the site Dennis pointed to:

"Tests previously made by Practical Sailor and Powerboat Reports in 
purported mud were admitted to have been in 18 inches of soup over 
gravel. This turned out to be a gravel test. The PS/PBR tests have all 
been flawed in that the anchors tested were always set and pulled with 
the rode leading ashore where it was attached to a dynamometer. The 
scopes as a result were equivalent to 100 to I since the rodes were 
laying on the bottom. The Bruce, CQR, Delta and Danforth types had not 
been designed as penetrating anchors. Their purpose is to penetrate the 
bottom on more than two feet. The rodes laying on the bottom favor this 
type of anchors, and thus the PS/PBR tests showed these anchors to good 
advantage.

Boaters however seldom extend their anchor rode's scopes to as much as 7 
to 1, let alone 100 to 1. More likely it is 5 to1 or less. The Max and 
Super Max anchors were designed to set and penetrate deeper and deeper 
as more strain is applied. When they are set with a 100 to I scope as in 
the cases of the PS/PBR tests, they will not perform as they were 
designed to do. That is why the ABS tests from an actual tugboat showed 
the true characteristics and capabilities of the anchors tested. The 
scopes of 6 to I were used for anchors whose manufacturers recommended 7 
to 1, since it was the medium between what boaters normally would use, 5 
to 1."

Thanks, Dennis.

The prosecution rests.

At least for tonight.

Bill Effros










Dennis McNeely wrote:

>I don't claim to be an expert - but ran across this link for soft mud
>anchoring. The site is commercially sponsored, but gives a link to the
>actual test results for a variety of anchors set and dragged behind a 1200
>hp tug.
>
>Note that the anchors weighted from 16.5 to 52 pounds, but apparently the
>manufacturers recommend those respective sizes for a boat 33 to 38 feet in
>length (!)
>
>Dennis
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
>[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Bill Effros
>Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2006 4:07 PM
>To: R22 List
>Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Go-To Anchor
>
>
>I set up my anchor rodes with and without chain.  As noted last year I 
>had more than a dozen anchors on board at one point.  I set up hardware 
>so that I could quickly snap things together and take them apart.  I 
>expected to be mixing and matching all summer.  I have anchors and rode 
>all over my boat.
>
>I was very surprised, at some point roughly half way through the summer, 
>to discover that I kept coming back to the same set-up over and over.
>
>My Go-To anchor is a 2 1/2 pound Guardian (made by Fortress, but the 
>less expensive model), fully assembled, with floating anchor rode (3/8"? 
>1/2"? -- I'm not sure), no chain, pre-spliced eye, stored in a 
>Rubbermaid container under a cockpit seat, not fastened to anything at 
>the bitter end, deployed from the stern, tied off on a stern cleat, set 
>from the stern, then walked to the bow.
>
>I have removed all vinyl clad anchors from my boat except for the 
>"bullet" anchors which are essentially nothing more than shaped lead 
>covered with vinyl.  They weigh 15 lbs each, and can be used as kellets 
>or paper weights.  So far they have only been tested as paper weights 
>and they are more than adequate for this task.  The cladding completely 
>defeats the design of pointy or sharp edged anchors by blunting the 
>points and the edges.
>
>My Go-To anchor is always on board, and always at the ready.  It is easy 
>to deploy and easy to retrieve.  It always sets properly, and has been 
>tested in the most extreme conditions I would ever use an anchor.  It 
>has never come close to starting to deform, and has always been more 
>than adequate for holding our boat.  It often comes up clean, but if 
>not, a couple of dunks is all it takes to make it like new.  There 
>hasn't been any corrosion.  I don't take the time to wash it off after 
>use, I just put it back under the seat.  I have 2 guardians; the Go-To, 
>and another, disassembled, in the Laz. and a Fortress FX-7 on the bow, 
>detached from anchor line in the bow tray.
>
>I also have 3 folding grapnels of different sizes, and a "sand screw" 
>for beaches.
>
>As mentioned previously, I have never had the need for anything more 
>than the Go-To, and doubt I ever will.  I plan to experiment next summer 
>with variations on "Bahamian" anchoring where you set multiple anchors 
>at different angles from a single point on board so that when the wind 
>shifts you drop off one anchor and pull on another.  I believe this set 
>up is stronger both in terms of rode and ground tackle than a single 
>anchor and rode with the same rating.  From Ben and Bob's accounts of 
>hurricane anchoring, and what I have read, I think I would set multiple 
>anchors in hurricanes and then quickly get off the boat. 
>
>I kept going for the Go-To because it is so easy to handle.  I still 
>have plenty of anchor rode with chain, but it always comes up dirty, so 
>I pick the all rope rode, given my druthers.  The only thing I like 
>about the chain is that it provides a warning before the anchor breaks 
>out of the water.  What I don't like is that you can't "feel" the bottom 
>the way you can with an all rope rode.
>
>Bill Effros
>
>
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