Anchor design of local choice according to apparently knowledgeable
salespeople in several marine stores is the Bruce, with CQR a close second.
That accords with my unscientific observations at marinas. In general, the
word on the Bruce is that it sets quickly in all conditions, re-sets
equally quickly if the boat swings 180 degrees, and with at least some
chain - I have 50 feet - allows for a short scope when necessary.

For those who do not already know, the salesman in the store which
primarily serves the commercial fleet volunteered the information that the
Bruce patent ran out a couple of years ago, and that the best buy now is
the Simpson Lawrence "Claw", a made-in-China copy of the Bruce at less than
half the cost. Before I could even ask, he said every customer is concerned
about the quality of the casting and forging, but that his store "had
already sold hundreds and never had a single one returned". Since those
hundreds of boats are unlikely to have all dragged and sunk without anyone
having noticed, I assume the purchasers are satisfied that this anchor does
its job effectively.

So, it's to be a 20 kilo (44 lb) Claw as my new main anchor. Hopefully.
I've got its measurements so that I can check my bow rollers to ensure it
will hang, deploy, and retrieve without crunching the fibreglass. If I have
to buy a new, longer bow roller, that will be a real pain, since the
existing double roller (side-by-side) is part of the original construction,
and I'm unsure how I'd mount yet another one. Nothing's easy, is it?

Cheers, Garrett

OK Guys - this is where having an ex commercial fishing boat comes in real
handy - our anchor system is very simple and butt ugly,  just (God forbid)
never plan on hauling it back up by hand !
We have a 90 lb. "Naval" anchor (I believe its known as) followed by 25 ft.
of 1 1/2 in. chain, followed by 25 ft. of 1/2 in. chain and then 300 ft. of
5/8 nylon rope. The anchor and chain probably weigh close to 150 lbs. so
they have a tendency to stay where you put them.
In 12 years of anchoring we have never dragged this lot but again it would
look totally out of place on the bow of say a Grand Banks!!
I would also hate to contemplate what it would do to the fibreglass hull as
it bangs into it comming up - it dents the ironbark protector planking a bit
so it sure would gouge fibreglass. Thankfully the system is operated by a
large electric winch/drum system that is strong enough to haul it back
without even a hint of protest.
When we bought the boat the chain was followed by 300 ft of 3/8 wire rope
but after many years of service it was starting to rust so I replaced it
with the rope (besides it was very noisy as it "worked" on the roller).
It is a common practice up here that the fishermen (many operate single
handed) will drop this sort of system off the bow when they want to take a
rest and just drift until they either wake up or it hits bottom, with the
theory that it will catch before they hit the beach. Not something I would
care to try but by looking at the "standard" system on these boats they
obviously want the thing to hang up as soon as possible.
I agree that the "Bruce" patterned anchors seem to be very popular so either
someone is doing a great marketing job or they must work.
Cheers, and good anchoring !!
John
MV Penta (36 ft ex gill netter)
Sidney BC