Anchor Recommendation for 26 X, leaning to Bullwaga.

[Catigale]

Hello list Catigale here

I have big plans this summer

Maine Northeast Harbor
Nantucket again
Block Island from Rhode Island
Lake Ontario and Erie

I want to upgrade my anchor and am 90% sold on the Bullwaga 17 pound.

Ive saved my pennies this winter so price is not the driver.

would anyone who has bought this go another route and why??

Catigale

[Mark Prouty]

I'd go with the Bulwega again. Just get enough chain.

http://macgregorsailors.com/phpBB/viewt ... a&&start=0

I made that mistake last summer.

[Russell]

Ok, I have to admit I have bias towards a good heavy bruce anchor (30-40 pounder) and as much chain as you can carry but at least 6 feet.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Can't argue with the bull, but it is pricey.

I have a 17lb Claw (a Bruce clone), which I've been happy with. It's good in everything except soft mud, and my Guardian picks up the slack there. The Bull or the Claw both need a roller.

A key is a good heavy chain with any anchor. I feel 15' is the minimum and prefer the heavier 1/4" to the lighter 3/16". If I was buying again I would probably still get the Claw, but would get 25' of 1/4" chain. Add a 150' 3/8" rode and you are set.

Personnally I wouldn't go out with only one anchor, but it may depend on your cruising ground. More than half the time I set two anchors out. As wild as the mac is at anchor this helps be a better neighbor. I also like having two very different designs which cover a broader set of conditions than any single anchor will. For the price of a bull you could buy both my 17lb Claw and my G-16 aluminum Guardian danforth and still have change for chain.

[Frank C]

I love the Bul, but I've only used it in mud - always sets quickly and it just keeps on tickin'. Bulwagga has video of them pulling across the anchor to unset it, and showing it reset by itself ... perhaps that's false security, but it's compelling for me, nonetheless.

I have 15' of chain and I'm unsure it's really needed. In tidal water I've always used an aluminum Guardian 6-pounder as a second off the bow. Maybe that's why I've been lucky, but I've never noticed any overnight drift, and we've seen some pretty roilly swells and winds. (I know that Mark & Chip had their Buls pull loose ... but I'm happy so far).

Regarding other bottoms, sand, grass, rocks or trees (heaven forbid!) ...?I'd choose it first by just looking at the tripod design of the Bulwagga. The traditional standard, CQR plow, is even more expensive and I find the Bul design "appears" more effective. Further, the Practical Sailor anchor reviews placed it near the top of their lists. The ability to pull the pin seems like a great feature too, but they recommend it only when "necessary" - (seems there must be a downside to pulling that pin) - but who knows they're risking a snag until it's too late!

Finally on a slight tangent, I had added a bow roller before buying the Bulwagga. The bow roller was a rather involved mod (Bulwagga on Bruce Roller), partly because I chose to address a couple of other ills at the same time. (Those were backing up the bow cleats and the forestay tang). Anyway, for an innocuous change it adds tremendous utility and value - beyond what I imagined it would. The anchor rests very well out there. Most importantly, it makes deploying and hoisting vastly more convenient, less risky to fingers and limbs. I still use the old "over the side" method with the aluminum anchor, but the Bul's 17 pounds, plus the 15' of chain are even easier to handle than the light weight anchor. Good luck on your choice - there's more voodoo then science, so we never really know if it's right!

[Moe]

I'm shopping for a new anchor too, Stephen. Our X came with 200 feet of 1/2" twisted nylon rode, 26 feet of 1/4" chain ... and an 8 pound Sentinal brand, danforth-clone, lunch-hook anchor.

Frankly, I'd rather have 7/16" rode like the 200 feet we have in the Whaler... easier than 3/8" on the hands, but not as bulky in the anchor locker as 1/2". Maybe I'll swap 'em... the bow locker on the 15' Whaler has twice the volume of the Mac's. But it's not over a berth either.

Had the anchor been a 13 pound Sentinal or Hooker, as some here report having good luck in sand and light mud with, I wouldn't be so anxious to upgrade it. Pretty much anything larger than a 13 pound Danforth, Guardian G-11, or Fortress FX-7, is going to require hanging from the pulpit or a bow roller, and a notch in the locker cover for the chain.

I'm not anxious to do that either, but Barb wants to overnight on the boat, and that will sometimes be in stickier mud, where the danforth could become fouled and not reset after a shift in wind or current (it works fine in Lake Erie mud though).

The Bulwagga looks great from their website and testimonials here, but it isn't the silver bullet, as Chip found out the hard way. When there are shifting winds and currents involved, there's probably no substitute for two anchors out. And you can buy a danforth, PLUS a claw or even a Delta, for the price of a Bulwagga.

I'm sure having two rodes in the notched-lid locker, and two anchors in PVC or aluminum tubes on the pulpit with worm-drive clamps, or one anchor on the pulpit on a Windline clamp and one on a bow roller, is mighty convenient. But given that I don't want the work of doing that, I may just keep a danforth with rode and chain in the bow locker, and carry a claw or Delta with chain and rode in a plastic tub below.

I guess I'm hand-wringing over a $300 anchor investment the way mtc is over a $6,000 outboard.

--
Moe

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Frank, Don't sell the chain short. A nice hunk of chain can make a marginal anchor seem good. You'd probably find the bull with only 6' isn't nearly all you think it is. Without enough chain to keep the pull horizontal even the best anchor won't hold.

In general for our boats it seems like you need a 14lb danforth if you go steel, a 6lb if you go aluminum (although I prefer my 7lb G16 Guardian). and at least a 17lb version of all the other types, Bull, Claw, Bruce, Plow, etc.

As far as rode, 3/8 is the smallest you want, I think 1/2 is too big, particularly if you are going to keep two full rode / chain combos in the small locker.

There is also a new rode out. It is braided rather than twisted. Much easier on the hands, better shock absorbing stretch, and takes up half the space in the locker. Doesn't have the built in coiling twist either. It's made by Yale cordage and is called "Brait" anchor rodes.

[Frank C]

Duane,
Here is my anchor rode of choice by Castorope on eBay. It is $.30/foot for nylon dbl-braid, and available in any color. I'm thinking of getting the entire reel of 500 feet. That's good for two dock lines @ 40' each, plus two rodes @ 200' each.

There's no urgency, this guy advertises many sizes and colors from time to time. To see a wide selection, type precisely this search string into eBay's search window,
< "anchor line" +braid >, without <brackets>. Good stuff (occasionally even 7/16", Moe!).

And also - Moe, that Bulwagga silver bullet is only slightly tarnished ...

Bottom line: I got complacent, because all week when nearly all the others were dragging, I wasn't.
My long term experience over nearly three years was that the Bulwagga held, and when the wind shifted it reset, every time. This time, quite simply it didn't.

Though it's not a very high priority, I'm thinking of getting the Baby Bull (@$150) to mount at the stern for emergencies and easy lunch drops. I've no doubt that it will set quickly, easily, and hold our boats in most conditions. IN fact, the beauty of the Bul is in the quick setting - be careful or it will smash your thumbs and stretch your arms!
(need one of Mark's knucle-draggin' cartoons .

[Catigale]

I get pretty good performance with my FX7 with 25 feet of 3/8 chain and 150 feet of rode - on the Hudson its pretty important to set your anchor for the changing tide...

I went with the Bull 17 pound by the way - Ill feel better about those overnight trips with the kids sleeping on board with two good anchors dug in...

Catigale

[KaiSchuler]

Has anyone on the list ever tried the Super-Max anchor? It is manufactured and sold by

creative-marine.com

and they show test results that appear to be really great. But, I would actually like to hear some first-hand experience.

Thanks!

Kai

[Catigale]

ANother little shocker on this project

From the Mods section there are some nice pictures of the Bull in various mounting configs...when I went to price the BRM-3 roller its more than the g*d* anchor!!!! $289 !!!!

I think the Admiral will have a heart attack at dropping $500 for the anchor (its about SAFETY honey..) so Ill go with Chip H solution (Tube on pulpit) this year at least.

Only addition I can think of to this way is perhaps bag the anchor to a prevent it fouling on my genny - having sailed with CHip I havent seen this as a problem on his setup, but it would only have to happen once to suck.

I still round up or overgybe or basically end up three sheets to the wind enough that Im sure I can foul a sail on a pulpit anchor without trying..

If anyone has a recommendation on a roller for the Bull 17 that isnt quite as pricey will welcome it..

Catigale

[Jeff Ritsema]

Anyone having experience with the SPADE anchor, available through any of the major discounters. This anchor is also pricey, but comes with a 6 month trial guarantee, (of course, the breakout period is set for 6mos + 1 day), is very simple and compact and would store easily on the bow roller, much like the claw, available in galvanized steel, SS, or aluminum, and was highly rated by Practical Sailor in their 2001 test results (together with the Bul). I've had no experience with it. Looks more attractive on the bow than the Bul, if that matters.
Jeff

[Frank C]

ANother little shocker on this project ... From the Mods section there are some nice pictures of the Bull in various mounting configs...when I went to price the BRM-3 roller its more than the g*d* anchor!!!! $289 !!!!

Oops - sounds like you looked at my mod, posted a year after the bow roller was installed. I really don't know their part numbers, but go into West Marine or Boatersworld and look at bow rollers. Choose the cheapest one that's about 12" long - it should work fine. Cost was about 75 bucks. You don't absolutely need the Bruce style ... but for similar sizes, they're all about same price.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I carry my Claw (Bruce) 17lb anchor on a URM-2 anchor roller. It works just fine. It's $89 at West, probably less elsewhere. I would think it would work just fine for the Bull as well. Seems everything with the 'Bruce' name on it is overpriced, from their anchors to the rollers.

[Catigale]

Duane/Frank Thanks to both.

I will post mod pix from this combo when I am done

I like that loop over the anchor which will give me peace of mind while trailering, with the appropriate other secure methods on the anchor of course.

Catigale