Steve: You emphasize the importance of weight in anchors. Is it weight itself or fluke size that you think important? This issue has obvious relevance to buying a steel or aluminum version of an anchor where this is possible: Fortress and Spade. I don’t have an anchor windlass on my 40′ J120 and don’t want one. So I want a light anchor. I am considering a 33# aluminum Spade which is the same size as a 66# steel Spade. What do you think? – David
Hi David: Both fluke size and weight are important. Weight is necessary for penetrating certain types of bottoms. Other than that, fluke area rules. However, too much fluke area usually means an anchor which is structurally vulnerable in certain conditions.
There are no conclusive answers to this – except to use really BIG anchors! Now, if you don’t want a windlass, then the issues gets a bit more tricky. And if you anchor in protected waters, know the weather, and are not adverse to staying up all night standing anchor watch when it does blow, I suppose the aluminum hooks would get the job done most of the time. Let us know how it turns out… Steve
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
