I have to think that the favorite in terms of weight would be the Fortress. It's the only one that offers sufficient holding power with a much lighter weight.

Mike

Our Chesapeake Bay is lots of soft mud, so a decent sized Danforth can suffice for many boats in our region for a lunch hook. Of course, it depends on the winds too!

With an electric windlass, does it matter which anchor you use?
Do you have both mounted on the bow, ready to launch?

With the new windlass on the 375, if we use the second anchor, then we have to haul it in by hand, as the chain passes through the windlass, not around it like the older 375.

Better to put down the big one and be safe and secure.

We never stop for lunch!

I have to agree with Rockman and Bud. For us we carry no such anchor.

We have a large primary anchor on the windlass (45 lb Delta) and a Fortress aluminum anchor as a secondary, both ready to go off the bow.

The primary is the one we always use, even for a short stop, which is rare.

A few weeks ago we had to stop to clear eel grass out of our raw water strainer and thru hull. We used our main anchor.

It just happened to be lunch time. :)

We don't have a lunch hook either. In many parts of the country (but rarely here) the winds can change unexpectedly. A light lunch hook is simply NOT a good solution to secure your expensive boat.

What would be a better solution is to assure you have not over sized your "normal" ground tackle and anchoring SYSTEM. I see altogether too many boats with over sized chain, for example. When we bought our new anchor (and no ID since this isn't the place for an anchor debate ;)), I did a lot of research and found this anchor SYSTEM sizing information in Calder's Cruising Handbook.

[url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.msg30400.html#msg30400[/url]

The other separate issue is to size a STORM anchor SYSTEM, but that doesn't need to be your main system.

I don't have a windlass (yet), but my system is still easy for us to use by hand.

Stu,
Your automated signature gave you away! I also won't get into the Great Anchor Debate at this time, but I must respectfully disagree. As you have said many times, your boat, your choice. I have never heard of anyone complaining that their anchor was too big for the conditions (unless their windlass just broke! :-), but I have often heard complaints of their anchors being too small. A buddy of mine bought his current 36' sailboat, and it came with a 25# anchor from a very reputable manufacturer. I sailed with him many times over his first few months of ownership. Neither one of us is new to boating. We OFTEN had a hard time getting that anchor to set and hold. The next year he replaced it with a 35# version of the same anchor. Setting and holding was much better for him that second season. Coincidence? Possibly, but I doubt it. I agree with most of the responses above. I do not carry a lunch hook. I have a 45# primary that I use all the time, along with 90' of chain and 240' of braided rode. I sleep very well, and never worry about the boat dragging. My boat, my choice.

Tom, you're right. :) However, I suggest folks read the rest of the discussion in that link, 'cuz it clearly explains WHY I chose what I did, and why that might not be right for others who experience completely different conditions than I do. I anchor out almost weekly. My SYSTEM was chosen for my conditions, and that's why I posted the information for others to use. I am NOT suggesting that my size anchor is right for anyone else's boat.

I use 1/2" rode and 1/4" chain. On Page 2 of that link, I wrote:

[I]I used the 40 foot boat at 42 knots, which is partway between 42 and 60 knots for the 35 foot boat. ... I see so many boats with 3/8 inch chain with small anchors or, for that matter, with anchors the size our boats would normally use [but with "over sized" chain]. Unless specifically selected...over sizing chain or any other component is a waste of hard earned $. Over sizing and mismatching system components and equipment, now that this information is available, is simply wasteful. Even just a small bunch of years ago, it was not so easy to find this kind of summary approach.[/I]

With my "rig" I can sleep soundly between 42 & 60 knots. When I go out to anchor, the maximum winds I see are 20, maximum 30 in gusts. My system is just fine for me. If I lived back east where thunderstorms can rip through with higher winds, I'd size my system quite differently.

So, if I moved my boat elsewhere, I'd select different things based on those very charts. After all, this is a discussion about lunch hooks, not the size of the anchor and chain I chose for MY boat.

Happy anchoring to all. ;)

John, all the best to you on the Baja Ha Ha - sounds great. One of our C34 skippers sailed down from Vancouver, stopped here and then did the Ha Ha. As I recall, he did NOT have or think of employing a lunch hook.

He did, however, size his system based on my last link.

Here's a report he did on what worked for him with links to a second report.

[url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5270.0.html[/url]

Steve had this for his anchoring system: "...a Rocna 20 which is ~ 44 lbs. That with a 100 feet of 5/16 chain has allowed me to sleep very well."

Have a great time, good on you! :)