Anchor Testing in Cobblestone Seabed. Test #83 

Do you think it would beat this INOX Delta 66lb with 40% tip/weight ratio 😏🥊 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e-918SES3dU.html

Hard not anchor on this type of sea bed for me on Haida Gwaii ... 😊

Sometimes you have little choice. He calls them cobble stone, I've always called it rubble. With a bruce set and seeming to hold, we got started on dinner one night, a couple of glasses of wine later I noticed the relative position of other vessels had moved, double checked, pulled it up and steamed another 45 minutes to a sandy bay with less shelter instead. Nearly made a mistake cutting a corner thanks to the wine, but other than that far-miss it worked out okay. In the coming days I'm going to fabricate a non-galvanised steel anchor in the style of mantus/rocna/sarca/etc as I need to do some close quarters anchoring in a very crowded patch of relatively deep water (30 feet) and the worn out plow/cqr will not do the job without excessive scope/rode/warp out.

@@robintaylor1490 I have also anchored on the type of seabed. Even for a lunch hook there was no security. I would not anchor on this overnight. So the choice is, go elsewhere, or risk losing your boat and maybe your life.

What does a "proper fisherman's anchor" look like exactly?

Thanks Skip, I really need to test for ultimate holding power, and also test in a few more seabed types before I can start proclaiming which are the "all around" best. Also, factors such as price, longevity, and compatibility with ones bow roller set-up will have different importance depending on the individual. That said, for the 45 pound(ish) anchors, the Excel, Mantus, Spade, Vulcan, and Ultra have performed well in my tests - so far. I can say, that for a Dinghy Anchor, the Mantus Dinghy anchor is the all-around winner.

This cobblestone is certainly difficult, but more challenging seabeds do exist such as smooth bedrock.

The Ultra anchor has the tip pointed down and didn't do as well as the sarca or Vulcan.

Thx! I will then not do that modification. I have done all the mods proposed by Steve to my Manson, except removing the shank. I’m not sure that would make a huge difference to the efficacy of the anchor. However, adding holes to the fluke did the job of removing the succion cup phenomenon. I drilled at least one more hole than Steve did to his own Manson, and when I now retrieve the anchor, I don’t pull up the riverbed anymore. My 2nd and last mod was to remove the “spade” look-a-like tip of the Mason to make it “pointy”. I did that in the Fall. Can’t wait to try my Manson now in the hard-packed sand bottom we have in many places up state NY in the Thousand Islands. If my Manson now performs properly, I have it re-galvanised. Otherwise, I’ll be back to the drawing board!

Thanks Richard, The Ultra does appear to set faster than the Excel, however the Spade and Mantus appear to set faster than both of them. I need to conduct further tests (ultimate holding, hard sand, etc) before I can select a "best" anchor for me. Ultimately, the "best" anchor will vary depending on ones circumstances and priorities.

Thanks for the great list, David. I did notice that your "pull" force categories are slightly different than what I presented. They are: No holding. 50lbs. 150lbs. 200lbs. 250lbs. 310lbs. 370lbs. 430lbs.

SV Panope did my best to get them right. I suggest you put a proper list in the video description.

That is a good idea. I'll do to later today. I am actually testing anchors as I write this.

@@flygoodwin put a google sheet together and just add data to it over time, you could even take contributions in terms of presenting and splitting that data from trusted viewers who you add as collaborators. Those docs hold history and you can add notes as "labeled versions" so if someone goes haywire you can roll back. You can also export backups and reimport if needed. It'd be a truly great resource especially with a time-stamp link sub-column for each cell where the data was filmed/shown.

David, thanks for your efforts putting that together! Appreciated. This type of seabed is always a challenge and sometimes unavoidable. I keep steering toward the Mantus M1 design for my own future anchoring solution, but home built.

Craig, For my boat PANOPE (34' LOD, 10' beam, 15K lbs.), 200 lbs. load on the anchor corresponds to about 20 kts. wind. I did put my load sensor on the anchor rode during just such conditions. Here is the video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yyelkzylBFg.html

Dana, For these tests, I often simulate worst case scenarios and "haphazard deployment" is one them. I note that during hundreds of filmed deployments, chain frequently piles onto the anchors. With the exception of an anchor using a "rock slot" (Manson Supreme), haphazard deployment has never caused an anchor to not set. Thank you so much for the Paypal hit! Steve

Roll bar Rocna 45lb. has been tested - see my anchor videos #85 and #87. Also, several years ago I tested a 33lb. Roll Bar Rocna - see my video #63.

PANOPE is a Tom Colvin design called Saugeen Witch. Sailing rig and Pilot House are my own design. Interspersed among my numerous anchor test videos are videos depicting PANOPE'S modifaction/rebuild and also some sailing videos.

'merica! Super common mistake there, but still inexcusable! :-D Pretty sure that there are other variants of that mistake, too, but I can't think of one right now.

No, not all, but very common... and hyper annoying!