What weight anchor 28' - 30' boat?

[LouisR]

The last item on my 282 Sailfish upgrade is the anchor. We anchor whilst fishing for bait or having family our for a swim, so we are never in wind more than 20mph, plus tide. I have enough rope and a boat length of chain to which the boat had a 5kg (11lb) fluke (sand) anchor, which was inadequate and we drifted; I went to a 6kg (14lb) delta anchor and that was better, but still struggled to hold and I currently have a 12kg (24lb) plow anchor which sure holds the boat but is a two man job to help windlass get anchor off and onto the prow of the bow. Before I just go out and get a 10kg anchor of some kind and hope for the best, what size/type/make does Grady White supply on its 28'-30' boats these days and what experience have others had? I have an original equipment Lewmar Pro-Series windlass on my 282 Sailfish. Thanks in advance.

 

[drbatts]

I have a 22lbs delta and 25ft of chain on my 305. I typically set the anchor and forget about it. That being said most of my anchoring is done in less then 40ft and under 20knts of wind. My previous 265 came with a danforth anchor which didn't always hold. I replaced it with a 22# delta and again set it and it always held. Most of my anchoring is in sand, shells and mud. I also have a similar sized claw anchor which I have used on both boats when specifically fishing rock piles for blackfish, as I would rather have the cheaper anchor get hung up and lost in this situation. Plus the claw seems to hold well in the rocks. With both boats he factory installed windless worked for pulling the anchor. I have also rafted similar sized boats to mine and the anchor holds both boats.

 

[Hutchy]

Different boat, but I had a 30 foot sailboat I used to anchor out all year. I had a bruce, danforth...couldn't get great holding out of them in all conditions. I bought a 35 lb mantus, and the thing was like the hand of god. Set in its own length, every time unless super thick weed. I am pretty sold on the new generation anchors, such as Mantus, Rocna or spade. They set in about three feet and the boat instantly stops.

I have a Rocna on my seafarer now and it has the same performance.

Deltas plow and slowly move because they are a plow shape. Rocnas and Mantus anchors dig deeper. I believe in not only weight, but design.

Danforths are the same in that they keep digging deeper, but they tangle in the slightest weed and don't handle change in direction well. And I know it can happen to any anchor, but I have had sticks and stuff get wedged in the danforths.

That has been my experience with hundreds of nights at anchor.

 

[DennisG01]

The fluke style - which works in plenty of other bottoms than just sand - is dependent more on the size of the flukes, than weight. The weight, however will help a fluke in a weedy bottom where it sometimes like to float over top of the weeds otherwise.

A 14lb plow style anchor should be more than adequate.

I suspect that the issue may simply be the way you are anchoring, not the actual ground tackle. You're probably just not letting out enough line to reach the proper scope for the conditions.

Remember, this isn't really a "Grady" thing. A Grady is a boat - just like many other boats. When it comes to anchoring, it's all about the same given that it's simply a v-hull boat. 14lb plows are used on boats bigger than yours, too. The proper scope is the key.

I do think there are some better designs out there - but I had a plow on my 28' Sundancer and loved it. I found no need to change it out. I did use extra chain - 50' for worry-free overnighting - and that certainly helped. But I once got caught in a Derecho (in the middle of the night, of course!) and I never moved (I checked). I later found out the gusts were reported to 70mph. I probably had about a 10:1 set that night.

 

[LouisR]

The fluke style - which works in plenty of other bottoms than just sand - is dependent more on the size of the flukes, than weight. The weight, however will help a fluke in a weedy bottom where it sometimes like to float over top of the weeds otherwise.

A 14lb plow style anchor should be more than adequate.

I suspect that the issue may simply be the way you are anchoring, not the actual ground tackle. You're probably just not letting out enough line to reach the proper scope for the conditions.

Remember, this isn't really a "Grady" thing. A Grady is a boat - just like many other boats. When it comes to anchoring, it's all about the same given that it's simply a v-hull boat. 14lb plows are used on boats bigger than yours, too. The proper scope is the key.

I do think there are some better designs out there - but I had a plow on my 28' Sundancer and loved it. I found no need to change it out. I did use extra chain - 50' for worry-free overnighting - and that certainly helped. But I once got caught in a Derecho (in the middle of the night, of course!) and I never moved (I checked). I later found out the gusts were reported to 70mph. I probably had about a 10:1 set that night.

Yes, the way I anchor is probably part of the problem. Chasing bait, amongst other boats in close proximity does not let me lay out the anchor and chain as I would if I was overnighting in more open water. Thanks, helpful.

 

[LouisR]

I have a 22lbs delta and 25ft of chain on my 305. I typically set the anchor and forget about it. That being said most of my anchoring is done in less then 40ft and under 20knts of wind. My previous 265 came with a danforth anchor which didn't always hold. I replaced it with a 22# delta and again set it and it always held. Most of my anchoring is in sand, shells and mud. I also have a similar sized claw anchor which I have used on both boats when specifically fishing rock piles for blackfish, as I would rather have the cheaper anchor get hung up and lost in this situation. Plus the claw seems to hold well in the rocks. With both boats he factory installed windless worked for pulling the anchor. I have also rafted similar sized boats to mine and the anchor holds both boats.

Yes, I find the 22lbs plow sits solidly, but it is a large anchor to manage, but that could be because the anchor I bought is pretty utalitarian in design and if I look harder I may find a unit that is designed to allow smoother operation. Thanks, helpful.