Sam,

Slot: [url]http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f118/manson-supreme-rock-slot-113144...

Weight: The anchoring system link I supplied to you earlier clearly said that the winds you expected to anchor in would determine the proper anchor size. That said, if you normally anchor in much lighter winds, your primary anchor could be smaller and your storm anchor heavier.

FWIW, and that you've seen from that link (Anchor System Sizing Tables (Reply #6) [url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4990.0.htmlhttp://c34.org/bbs/index.p...), there are a variety of anchor sizes for the very same boats.

The weight of your chain is miniscule compared to the anchor weight. Do the math?

But many of our skippers haul their 35# anchors on a regular basis by hand without windlasses. I would think that the difference between my 22# Rocna and a 35# one would be about, hmm, 13#. The difference to my bad back would probably not be much to me. Might be to you.

But, like I said in that link: "What your entire boat worth to you?"

Your boat, your anchor, your choice.

Sam, we have a 45 lb Manson Supreme with 100 ft of 5/16 HT chain. I don't think it is too heavy on the bow and it is right for our conditions. We get a lot of wind and frequently are anchoring in over 30 feet in often crowded anchorages so short scope is the norm. I would not have gone with anything less and I wish I had gone with 150 feet of chain.

We also have a 45 lb Delta on 30 feet of chain that is the secondary and it too resided on the bow. After a year of carrying it there I felt that was too much weight up there and with our plans having changed I pulled it off last year and put it in an aft locker and took the divider out of the anchor locker. That made a big difference in anchoring and sailing, the boat sails better and the windlass has lots of fall. Now I can just stand with my foot on the button and hose in hand to spray off the mud, couldn't be easier.

As Stu said though what's right for you depends on the conditions you're anchoring in.

Even with a new gen anchor you could not pay me to use anything lighter than a 35# on a C-36... While a 25# would certainly work for 90% of it I prefer to be prepared for more than that.

If we use a little common sense we can see that the difference would be only 10 pounds!!! Leave a 12 pack at home and call it even....;) When it comes to anchoring bigger is most often better..

Of course we have been through multiple micro-bursts and weather system confluences where winds have exceeded 50 knots.

In one storm we steadily dragged our well set and deeply buried 33# genuine Bruce anchor nearly 1/8 mile with a C-30 in 45-50+. The anchor never un-set it just lacked the sheer surface area to hold our boat in that storm, and in that soft mud bottom. We dropped our Fortress and stopped dragging.....

Would a 25 work? Sure for the majority of the anchoring you do, but what about that freak wind storm or micro-burst or very, very soft bottom you encounter?

Would saving that 10 pounds (35 to 25) be rational? I don't think so......;)

All very cogent thoughts so far, IMHO.

I echo Maine Sail's comments for the reasons that in SW FL, we frequently encounter t-storms and squalls at night and I sleep very well knowing my 45 pound Delta is well set and lying on 80 feet of 5/16 inch chain, plus as much 5/8 inch nylon as needed to give me good scope. I rarely use less than 6:1, but we also rarely anchor in more than 15 feet of depth at high tide.

My secondary anchor is an aluminum Fortress FX-23 that resides on the bow pulpit with only 20 feet of chain. I rarely use it, but it holds in very soft mud better then the Delta. Yes, there is a fair amount of weight at the bow, and with our davits and RIB we also have a lot of weight at the stern. That is fine to keep the boat trimmed, but concentrating weight at the extremes is not the best thing, for sure.

Your choice, of course, but I think you are not over-sized at all.

For those who haven't had an opportunity to check the rather lengthy link I provided earlier, and in response to Maine Sail's "I wouldn't use anything less than a 35# anchor on a C36" well-meant comment:

The link I provided clearly states: [I]"I used the 40 foot boat at 42 knots, which is partway between 42 and 60 knots for the 35 foot boat."[/I]

I have a Rocna 10 (kg, 22#). Steve Dolling, who sailed his C34 from Vancouver, BC to Mexico, has a Rocna 20 (kg, 44#), TWICE the size.

Why? Because where I live and sail we do NOT get the wild bursts of weather almost everyone else in the country gets.

THAT and ONLY that is why I made my choice. If I was moving to a different part of the country or the world, I'd buy a bigger anchor.

Your boat, your choice.

Sam,
I think you made a perfect choice with the MS35 and 90' of chain. Add a snubber with three-strand for shallower conditions, and you are all set. I would ignore the slot on the top of the anchor. I ignore mine, and everyone I know with a MS ignores theirs. The slots are for shackling the chain to if you anchor in rocky areas. If the anchor gets caught under a rock, you should be able to power forward, let the chain slide forward in the slot, and back the anchor out. You will LOVE the holding power.

Stu, I cannot speak for anyone else here, but I certainly have not been critical of your choices. You clearly spelled out your rationale and for your situation that makes sense.

We appreciate all the great contributions you make here!

[QUOTE=Capt. Sam;20268]... Do I understand there is a way to increase that fall distance? ...
Sam[/QUOTE]

With my divided locker (about 1/3 volume for the secondary rode), I should have more problems than most. Since I don't often have to use much nylon rode, I have flaked my nylon in the forward portion of the locker so that it forms a loose column of sorts. That leaves a deep open volume directly below the windlass for the chain to fall. It still needs a nudge now and then, but isn't too bad.

And, yes, get out cruising!

I carry 35# Manson s, 150 chain, 150 line and snubber. Let's me sleep better than at home

Sam, we had a divided anchor locker with a chain/rodes on each side when we had the two anchors up front. There wasn't enough room to get good fall off the windlass so I had to kneel down and throw the chain forward by hand as I brought it in. When I took out the divider and exiled the Delta to the aft locker it made lots of room for chain fall and it works flawlessly now. I moved the rope rode forward and looped it so it did not interfere with the chain fall and that helped as well. We have a VW1000 Maxwell mounted where the old 500 was and it has lots of power, definitely one of the best upgrades we did.