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| Anchor for Tollycraft 37
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August 11, 2003
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Hi,
Just read your posting on Bruce v. Claw anchors. I'm about to buy a Bruce for the Tolly 37 we've just acquired, and use mostly in Prince William Sound. What size Bruce is on your boat, and what would you recommend for our boat? (We're thinking 44 lb Bruce.) The boat currently has a 45lb CQR which we've found more than a bit difficult to set/stay set in the wide variety of bottoms we've been in. The only times we've actually had GOOD sleep is when we do a Bahamian type anchor with our second anchor, a 15lb Fortress with a short length of chain and 300' of 3/4" rope rode. The CQR has about 150' of 5/16" chain; we're thinking about adding some 5/8" rope to that. Thanks for any help.
Regards,
John Hall
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Response
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Your present setup sounds pretty good, actually. A 45-lb CQR ought to be plenty of anchor, and I'm surprised it isn't working better for you. Are you letting out enough scope? A scope of 4:1 or 5:1 should work well.
That said, we love our 44-lb Bruce. We carry 300 feet of 1/4-inch high-test chain, which has the same rated strength as 3/8-inch BBB chain but keeps some weight out of the bow. Bruce is a shorter scope anchor than other designs, so in shallower anchorages (3-10+ fathoms) we set it on 3:1 or 4:1 scope. In 15-20 fathom anchorages we set it on about 2:1. That's right: when we're in 100-foot depths we have 200 feet of chain out. That gives us approximately 100 feet of chain lying on the bottom. At about a pound a foot, approximately 100 pounds must be lifted off the bottom before we get to the anchor. So far, so good, although we haven't had to ride out a storm on 2:1. If the wind came up I think I'd let out more scope, just to be safe.
I don't think 150 feet of rode is enough, whether chain or rope and chain. Three hundred feet is more like it. So I would add 150-200 feet of top-quality 5/8-inch nylon rope. That, or I'd buy 300 feet of whatever chain your windlass will accept (1/4-inch high test is my preference if it will fit your windlass). One advantage to rope is its extra shock-absorbing qualities. Another advantage is when the chain drags over a rock as the boat swings. The rumbling goes up the chain to the boat and serenades the forward sleeping area. A short rope snubber helps, but not much. A goodly length of rope between the boat and the chain would, I think, make a big difference.
The disadvantage to rope is the need to deal with the rope-to-chain transition. A few years ago I had extensive correspondence with a man with a similar size boat, and he decided to go with about 150 feet of chain and a long length of rope, much as you are proposing. When I saw him this summer he said it was a hassle to change between the rope drum and the chain wheel, up or down. I don't think he's going to go out and buy 300 feet of chain today, but I think he wishes he had gone to all-chain in the beginning. It's something to consider.
I hope this helps. And I think you're going to like the way your Tolly 37 takes a sea. We avoid rough water whenever we can, but when we find ourselves in rough water we are continually astonished at how capable and solid the 37 is.
-- Bob Hale
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