Choosing a anchor and winch

[jmac]

I Need to choose a anchor, chain/rope, windless winch. My boat is aluminum 36ft express cruiser around 18,000lb displacement. Will mostly cruise the Great Lakes and some Coastal. The boat is in the drawing stage and I have to spec out my own mechanical and electrical.
Any ideas on types ect. I am not looking for the cheapest but the most reliable and safe. This is all new to me.

[Guillermo]

Have a look at:
http://banjer37msclub.tripod.com/workshop.htm
And go there to the 'Anchoring' topic.

[MarkC]

Great site Guillermo!

Anchors - wow! All those newer designs - have some engineers been busy in their back-sheds!

The motor sailers - great collection.

While you have concentrated on pilot-houses, maybe you could also include:

W. Atkin's - Bellerophon
W. Atkin's - Vega
and others?

Ganley - Woods Island Commuter - plans in steel from www.fairmetalboats.com

The Dutch firm 'Mulder' also has some nice motor-sailers - there is an add in www.Botenbank.nl I dont know about plans.

[Guillermo]

Originally Posted by MarkC

Great site Guillermo!

Anchors - wow! All those newer designs - have some engineers been busy in their back-sheds!

The motor sailers - great collection.

While you have concentrated on pilot-houses, maybe you could also include:

W. Atkin's - Bellerophon
W. Atkin's - Vega
and others?

Ganley - Woods Island Commuter - plans in steel from www.fairmetalboats.com

The Dutch firm 'Mulder' also has some nice motor-sailers - there is an add in www.Botenbank.nl I dont know about plans.

Mark,
Thanks for your kind words and help.
I've been serching for the Atkin's designs you mention and I've found this:
http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco/Sail/Bellerophon.html
http://www.boat-links.com/Atkinco/Sail/Vega.html
Although very nice designs, they are not pilothouse motorsalilers. Am I looking in the wrong place?

Neither did I find a Mulder motorsailer....(?)

I will add the Woods Islands Conmuter, thanks.
Cheers

[MarkC]

The Mulder Motorsailers:

the company and its history - www.jachtwerfmulder.nl - look under 'Geschiedenis' (history) and under the 1970's.

There are two for sale in www.botenbank.nl - one 30' steel Mulder Favorite - factory refitted, fully restored and a 32' Mulder Favorite. On the botenbank search-site don't forget to search under the different catagories of boats Zielyachten, Beoreps, Motorsailers etc.

The Atkin's boats - no, they dont have pilothauses - I did mention that I thought you were focusing on pilothauses, but I feel it is a bit mean to forget these from Atkin. The Vega and Bellerophon in particular. There are others - see Ajax.

[Guillermo]

Thanks, Mark.
Yes it is a bit mean to forget not-pilothouse motorsailers, generally speaking, as there are some lovely examples. But there are so many sailboats with powerful engines around nowadays, that the task of searching and determinining if a particular one is a motorsailer or not seems to big a task to my available time. Focusing on pilohouses' seems easier and is a characteristic, we may say, typical for what people have in mind when talking about motorsailers. Maybe when I get some more spare time I should focus on not-pilothoused...

[safewalrus]

And going back to your original request - Anchors ARE important, but please remember that the scope of the 'rode' (God how I hate that stupid yotty word) is just as if not more important! You'll lie a lot easier (in real life) with a long weighty (chain etc) scope rather than a short length of string between you and the 'brick' on the seabed. the idea of the 'brick' is to stop the rope/chain/wire? moving from its first location but size doesn't matter (within reason)! some hooks are good in some bottoms but not in others however remember your scope!

[Lucio]

Originally Posted by jmac

I Need to choose a anchor, chain/rope, windless winch. My boat is aluminum 36ft express cruiser around 18,000lb displacement. Will mostly cruise the Great Lakes and some Coastal. The boat is in the drawing stage and I have to spec out my own mechanical and electrical.
Any ideas on types ect. I am not looking for the cheapest but the most reliable and safe. This is all new to me.

Hi jmac
Just have al look at " Manson" in NZ, a stainless steel anchor. It is "THE BEST"

[yipster]

for a fast aluminum 36ft express cruiser why not an aluminum light weight anchor also?
size plank, stopper, some chain, long anchor rope and plan a battery next to your winch!

[jmac]

Yipster
I guess your thoughts are "Weight is always an issue" I suppose then that an anchor is not about weight it is design. In that case I would agree, lighter the better.

[Guillermo]

I do not quite agree. A light aluminium anchor, like the Fortress, is very good for mud bottoms, and even in soft sand. But she's not good in firm clay, harder or weedy bottoms. For all around globetrotting you'd carry probably two or three anchors, for the diffcerent bottom conditions. But if weight is an issue then the best idea is to carry a modern design one nicely weighted. Not surprisingly almost all high-tech, high-holding power modern anchors manufacturers, like spade, sarca, bulwagga & bügel...etc., are recommending higher anchor weights than their more classic counterparts, like bruce, delta, danforth, CQR, etc. Only Oceane recommends weights in the order of these last.
So, even for a racing boat if you want to be serious about anchoring, there's a minimum anchor weight you can't (or you shouldn't) avoid.

[Lucio]

I do agree with Guillermo. If we are talking about heavy weather condition weight is - appart from design- an important factor to function. You have to keep in mind that anchoring is a system and just as good as "the weakest link in the chain".
so, take care
Lucio

[yipster]

chain keeps anchor down and holding is in design
dont forget jmac is talking express cruiser