Anchor and chain for 2300 CC holding

[POGE]

I started with a #8 as that only fits in the locker( this design is my only peeve with the boat). Then I cut a #13 bars down to fit the locker. This worked very well, but the #13 got a little old when anchoring a lot like in flounder fishing. I just went back to a #8 but with 20' of 5/16 chain.
Any thoughts ? I am thinking this should hold and be easier with the lighter anchor. The anchor design is the Danforth style, not a real Danforth as I cant seem to find the real McCoy anywhere.

 

[Nobplt]

I too just bought a 23 CC DV and am wondering the same thing. The previous owner had a massive danforth knockoff that barely fit in the locker. It was so heavy, I couldn't imagine pulling it in 40' of water. I bought the 2nd size Fortress as I have had that anchor before on a 23 Grady White Gulfstream and it did a great job. Like you said it also would not fit in the locker without cutting out fiberglass so I took it back and bought the smallest size (7) Fortress which will have about 15' of chain on it. Fortress advertises and guarantees the anchor will hold boats up to 26'. It fits great in the anchor locker. It is going to be interesting but am going to give it a try. If it does not work I will send it back, exchange it for the next size up and cut out the locker. Good luck.

 

[windknotnc]

I have the same boat and have a Fortess 7 with a 10' lead of 3/8" chain followed by 14' of 5/16" chain. That is about all that will fit in the small anchor locker. I keep 600' of 1/2" twisted nylon rope in one of the front compartments. I will add that we anchor in up to 150' of water sometimes so that is the reason for the extra chain and all that rode.

 

[POGE]

It is great to have owners of the same boat providing
information ! I can say that a #8 and 10' of 5/16 did
not hold my boat, so I am hoping 20' of 5/16 will do
the job with the smaller #8 . I will ever wonder why
that anchor locker was designed the way it was :?:

 

[windknotnc]

I have have thought the same thing. The secret to good anchoring is adequate chain. If the chain is not laying on the bottom for a few feet the anchor cannot grab. This is why I use a heavier lead chain. I also use an anchor ball to retrieve the anchor.

 

[ParkerJr]

I know lewmar makes a 9 pound delta anchor that's suppose to be OK, although its only rated for a 20 foot vessel. The design is a little smaller than normal anchors of similar weight but they are awkward to handle. i'm surprised the fortress anchor will not hold the boat they are very nice anchors. Like stated before the chain makes a big difference. I would recommend 1 foot of chain for every foot of boat. I personally run a 22# delta with 30 feet of chain up front and a 14# delta in the rear with 10 feet of chain. Never had any issues.

 

[POGE]

Paker Jr. What size chain do you use ? Would anyone think I should 5 more feet of 5/16 or run maybe 10 feet of 1/4 stepping down like Spartan suggest, great ideas, thanks.

 

[Phil]

Rode diameter also makes a big difference in holding anchor. It seems like most boaters automatically default to ½” but according to Chapman, the recommended rode for 15-25’ boat is 3/8”. The thicker the rode, the more drag it has in the water and the drag increases exponentially as the current increases. Thinner rode also stretches more so it acts like a shock absorber reducing the chance of the anchor pulling. The only advantage of a thicker rode is it is easier to pull by hand—strength is not a factor in anchoring because 3/8” nylon is +3000lb breaking strength. I carry 1200’ of 3/8” rode and it works fine for 23’SC. Not only is it cheaper but it takes up less space.

 

[ParkerJr]

Sorry I forgot to add that information. Im using 300 feet of 1/2'' 8 plait rode with 30 feet of galvanized 1/4'' windlass chain.

Thanks for that information PHIL,you make a good point.

 

[POGE]

Update now that I have gotten to use: 20' of 5/16 and a #8 worked fine in average conditions, wnds up to 10 Kts. Just haven't anchored in higher winds yet. After all is said and done, it seems an equal trade off of lighter anchor for more chain or heavier anchor and less chain. The heavier anchor #13 is not missed, so, in all, happy with the change out.
I also used the connect-a-link chain linkage to join to 10' sections of chain I had and it is working good. I
heated the connect a link with a plumbing torch, then pounded with a hammer on a hard surface( wear ear plugs), saved a lot $ over buying
all new chain.

 

[warthog5]

It seems like most boaters automatically default to ½” but according to Chapman, the recommended rode for 15-25’ boat is 3/8”. The thicker the rode, the more drag it has in the water and the drag increases exponentially as the current increases.

Yes.....BUT...The reason is the 1/2in is easier on your hands if you manually pull it and Windless's are designed for 1/2in.

 

[Phil]

>>Yes.....BUT...The reason is the 1/2in is easier on your hands if you manually pull it and Windless's are designed for 1/2in.
<p>

Hence the anchor ball method is a nice simple & cheap solution. The first time I pulled the anchor by hand was also the last time. It pretty much knocked me out the rest of theday. I have not seriously looked into windlasses so I don't know if they can be adjusted down or not.(from a design point of view, it would not be hard to make it adjustable.) With the $$$ I'd rather get an autopilot before I spend it on a windlass since the anchor ball works fine. Depending on how you use the boat, you could save in gas multiple times the cost of an autopilot over its limetime.