Madison Anchors

[ebb]

See that Madison Anchors is the newest - albeit most
likely short term - Member on the Board.

Some of you who ARE interested in New generation
anchors must be sick and tired of my mouth.

And you no doubt have noticed my patience is
way low. Ronca Ronca has not jumped in as
they usually seem to. Might think that some
of youze here has some opinion on new fangled
hooks. Please, EXPRESS YOURSELF, dammit.

Would appreciate that if Madison is going
to weigh in here that somebody else picks on them.
OK?

Really.... if these gents don't come clean ......

(It is ALL in fun ;) )

[Dan Maliszewski]

Say it isn't so, Ebb. How could any varmint tire of your loquacity? Yu just keep on gettin jiggy wit it, and maybe we can learn something if we're not careful. I'd like to help, but I'm a little underpowered.....

My first anchor was (and is) an aged cast iron window weight, used with my canoe cause it doesn't foul with pickerel weeds. If it got breezy, I shifted to the trusty cluster gear-on-a-rope, snatched from the trans of one of my many memorable '49 Ford sedans, (three on the tree, of course). I evolved through iron mushrooms, stockless Navy's, kedge (fixed and folding) and finally my hero, the Danforth and it's bretheren. At the time, I was doing a lot of scuba salvage, and they were free for the pickin'. But I had hung up my regulators before these whiz-bang newbies hit the mud.

I'm an inshore sailor, and my galv danforth has never failed. It has buried itself several feet in the bay mud many times, but always held. But enough.

I love this site simply because you never know where it'll go, so keep us posted, Captain, on anchors to zinks, and all what don't sinks, methinks. And say, when are you gonna finish your tomfoolery and get your boat to floatin' again?

Your humble servant,
Dan

[c_amos]

I appreciate the discussion also ebb. I have a #25 CQR that I own (which makes it much better then all of the anchors I do not own.

I actually use one of the 3 danforth's I have onboard, and they have never drug on me (well, there was that one time). I have the bad habit of using at least 7:1 scope (learned that way, don't know no better).



Looked at one of those Rocna's, but the quote I got was for $400.

Still looking..... thanks.

[ebb]

Wish my loquacity was off Fiji or even Hawaii right now.

Guys, take a look at the Sarca anchor on the current Anchor thread.
In the Tech Forum

[commanderpete]

Commanderpete Enterprises is developing a product that will revolutionize anchoring. Its called "AnchorCam" (patent pending)

Yes, a small camera with light and gross motion sensor that will allow the operator to check the set of the anchor and warn of dragging. It will be attached to the mothership with an armored cable that can also serve as a trip line.

I expect to retire on the royalties

[ebb]

C'pete,
THAT'S one hell of an idea!!!
Lower the cam on the anchor rode to get a look at the anchor set. Fantastic. Battery operated. Take pics haul back up to view.
Later models will allow live viewing while the camera is down.
GO FOR IT! It's a brilliant idea.

[c_amos]

You are really onto something!

Just think..... "my anchorcam" web sites with live feeds!

Then there will be "anchor's gone wild" videos....

Might be on to something here. :D :D :D :D

[Robert Lemasters]

A marine called me an anchor clanker in a bar in Norfolk way back when. On the Delaware the double ended 20 ft steel lifeboat that we kids rowed up and down the river had a bunch of iron window weights that never failed even in storms on the bay. My brother Jim collected anchors as a kid, I can still hear the ol' man yell when he stubbed his toe on one in the dark of our communal bedroom as he looked for someone to throttle for the days missdeeds.Around here a good ol' mushroom anchor is just right for us daysailors. I have three danforth anchors of different weights and sizes with 200 ft of nylon rope with six feet of galvanized chain, none of this would have been much help in Isebel. I am;however, looking for a weight for a mooring that I plan putting off Swimming Point here in Portsmouth Virginia before the next hurricain season, any ideas? Something that won't corrode in salt water, is heavier than concrete (which is about the same as water) and will dig in. Mike Goodwin has suggested an old Iron radiator but they have become expensive.

[ebb]

Roberto,
Once had in my possesion, it's gone now, the most coveted mooring in these SF Bay waters. So I was assured. It was a man hole collar - not cover - collar, what the manhole cover sits in. It was heavy. It tended to stay were I dropped it. It was of course a donut of iron 3/4s of an inch thick maybe and had a flange all round. There was a huge bolted eye in it that would have held a destroyer. Getting it out on the water would have taken mucho huevos. Probably wasn't all that heavy, but seemed like a perfect readymade design to sink into the ooze.

Ideal for soft bottoms, maybe anything, it's hard to imagine any boat except a destroyer pulling it anywhere.
Maybe the Aussies half stole this hoop idea from California Collar Moorings.
So, to the junk yard you will go!
Has to be something there a little easier to handle. If it's massive who cares if it rusts. Maybe an old backhoe bucket, something thick and compact.

Knew a guy years ago who welded up 2 or 3 crude fixed danforth style anchors for his mooring in Tomalas Bay. It was just simple 1/4" plate but in large, heavy, flat proportions for a mud bottom. He had fun getting them out there and setting them - but he did. Whether it's nice to leave this stuff on the bottom when you go on... well. But again it was massive enough to last a number of years, and without any coatings on them they is history now.

How bout a plate box with 4 extended sides. You fill the center of the welded plate box up with concrete and bury in a very large galv eyebolt with extra nuts and spaced washers. The extended fin sides will help it catch and dig in, and when it rusts you have a chunk of concrete buried deep.

(Let's say you have four 1/4" or 3/8" iron plates 12" X 24". You stand them up and prop them against each other so that you make a box that is 12" square in the center. You have a four sided star of extra material. Now, you could weld on a 12" X 12" bottom. Or/and drill some 1/2" holes in the sides and put in some 2" bolts. Prepare one or two 1" eye bolts if you can find them (junk yard telephone company discards are always galvanized) with extra nuts and interspaced washers.
Mix concrete, fill hole, burying the two bolts apart but more less near the center.
The extensions could be cut so that they were more pointed and/or ground sharp. The above proportions could be improved on, it's just illustration.)

Ideas are cheap. :D

[Robert Lemasters]

ebb, a welded steel plate box filled with concrete with and old lead auto tire wheel weights added for extra weight. Galvanized eyebolt(s), galvanized chain lead, yeh that would be secure for years. I will be frabricating something along that line, hurricain season starts here in about four months or so and this year could be another bad one for the East Coast. SF Bay what a place to sail, it must never be dull there. I remember the SF Bay when I attended a Navy school for fuel transfer for A3 D's in Alemeda as a young Navy aircrewman. The SF Bay is beautiful, our Chesapeake Bay here is bigger but not as windy or as cold and there is more sea room for ship traffic.

[ebb]

Robert,
Hurricains? Geeeese. BIGGER is better on the mooring!!!

Might see if there is a real galvanizer near you, he might add your art to a larger order and charge you a per # rate.