Capt.Bill11
Guru
I don't think so. Mine worked great with all chain. I think the key is the ability to change the angle of pull and the design of the flukes.
Best Claw type anchor
- Thread starter Nomad Willy
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I don't think so. Mine worked great with all chain. I think the key is the ability to change the angle of pull and the design of the flukes.
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2008
- Messages
- 10,123
- Location
- Australia
- Vessel Name
- Now boatless - sold 6/2018
- Vessel Make
- Had a Clipper (CHB) 34
No real argument there Capt. Not sure why I included that one other than the fact is does have a sort of concave shape taking all 3 flukes into consideration.
I think with the Bruce/claw type anchors there is no way they are ever going to dig in deep - there is just nothing about their shape which would allow for that. Essentially their shape is more like a fat grapnel type than anything else - their flukes just try to grab whatever's out there. At best they might bury to the shank level. Weight seems to be the key regarding them sticking once they've grabbed. I think that is why they are used to anchor oil platforms etc, that and the fact they are probably quite easy to extract from the seabed once they want to move the rig. Not a feature we really want in our boat anchors really, so not good news to those who justify their faith in their Bruce by saying, "Hey, they anchor oil rigs with these…"
But, as many folk on her can vouch for - they set quite quick, and their holding power seems ok - most of the time…and they look & fit beautiful on the bowsprit.
OP
OP
Nomad Willy
Guru
Yes of course. The Fortress has that adjustable feature also. The throat angle on all other anchors are probably a compromise. I think if the fluke is buried deep enough all anchors would have their shanks attached to the center of their flukes and at 90 degrees to the fluke.
So the shallow throat angle is a compromise that allows or brings about setting and penetrating into the sea floor. Then the shallow throat angle is to draw the fluke downward enough to overcome the tendency for the anchor to be pulled up and out of the seabed. The chain and shank trying to pull the anchor up and the fluke at an optimum angle to counteract to the degree that the fluke finds a point of equilibrium where the up and down forces are equal. Hopefully the fluke will be buried enough to have high reluctance to be pulled out.
The maker of the XYZ wanted me to find a big fish boat lots of power and a big prop to try and pull out a well set anchor. I didn't do that. You can read about him breaking chains in tests trying to pull the XYZ anchor out on his website. All this I consider things of interest and am not promoting the XYZ anchor.
markpierce
Master and Commander
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2010
- Messages
- 12,557
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Carquinez Coot
- Vessel Make
- penultimate Seahorse Marine Coot hull #6
Have no complaints concerning my presumed "Chinese knock off." So far. 
orvals
Veteran Member
On my first boat back in the mid 80's, a 28 ft columbia sloop (7500lbs) , I sailed for over 6 years in PR, USVI and the BVI without a single anchor failue on an original 13lb Danforth. Did bend the shank once, got caught between rocks. 5/8 rode with 10 ft of chain and always 7:1 scope, we rode out a couple of scary moment in 35-50 knt squalls and it just grabbed solid.
Fast forward 20yrs to the new to me Californian 34 (18,000lbs) with a 22lbs Delta claw and all chain rode. I've cruised locally and the thing sets almost instantly in most bottoms, however, I just found out last week it' achilles heel.....mud bottoms.
Weekend at Culebra Island, the day after we got there wind picked up nicely by morning to 20-25 knts. I had anchored Ohana at Ensenada Onda, a well protected cove, in about 15 ft of water and 100 ft of chain out since I knew it was going to be a fresh morning. The anchor set ok, gave it a short pull in reverse just to check and it held ok. I got on the dinghy and went to the rented beachhouse right in front. When I woke up in the morning, I look out the balcony and.....Ohana was not there!!!!!!
Ran to the dinghy dock and lucky me, she was about 200 meters downwind in the middle of the channel. Got on, moved her back and the Delta would simply drag again. Took out my secondary, a 13lbs danforth imitation with 6ft chain an 1/2 three strand. Guess what, it sank, grabbed and held. Left the Delta out as secondary and in the whole day, it did not move an inch.
My conclusion...
The Delta is not worth anything in soft bottoms, although I understand the 22 pounder is too small for my Californian. However, in the rest, sand, rock, mix, grass, it grabs and holds really fast, plus it is very, very strong.
It's strange how things change. Back in the day, an aluminum anchor would cost twice over steel, now a Fortress is cheaper than a high tensile Tie Down. But with my experience, Danforths are prone to get stuck in rocky bottoms, and a good yank with a 10 ton boat will bend anything really easy.
So.. Still debating between a larger Delta (35lbs) but I do not like the extra strain on the windlass... Or go with a 15lbs Fortress, that would be oversized, but a lot lighter than the 35 pounds of the Delta.
Fast forward 20yrs to the new to me Californian 34 (18,000lbs) with a 22lbs Delta claw and all chain rode. I've cruised locally and the thing sets almost instantly in most bottoms, however, I just found out last week it' achilles heel.....mud bottoms.
Weekend at Culebra Island, the day after we got there wind picked up nicely by morning to 20-25 knts. I had anchored Ohana at Ensenada Onda, a well protected cove, in about 15 ft of water and 100 ft of chain out since I knew it was going to be a fresh morning. The anchor set ok, gave it a short pull in reverse just to check and it held ok. I got on the dinghy and went to the rented beachhouse right in front. When I woke up in the morning, I look out the balcony and.....Ohana was not there!!!!!!
Ran to the dinghy dock and lucky me, she was about 200 meters downwind in the middle of the channel. Got on, moved her back and the Delta would simply drag again. Took out my secondary, a 13lbs danforth imitation with 6ft chain an 1/2 three strand. Guess what, it sank, grabbed and held. Left the Delta out as secondary and in the whole day, it did not move an inch.
My conclusion...
The Delta is not worth anything in soft bottoms, although I understand the 22 pounder is too small for my Californian. However, in the rest, sand, rock, mix, grass, it grabs and holds really fast, plus it is very, very strong.
It's strange how things change. Back in the day, an aluminum anchor would cost twice over steel, now a Fortress is cheaper than a high tensile Tie Down. But with my experience, Danforths are prone to get stuck in rocky bottoms, and a good yank with a 10 ton boat will bend anything really easy.
So.. Still debating between a larger Delta (35lbs) but I do not like the extra strain on the windlass... Or go with a 15lbs Fortress, that would be oversized, but a lot lighter than the 35 pounds of the Delta.
Last edited:
Capt.Bill11
Guru
Unless your windlass is very, very small, it should have no problem raising up a 35lb anchor. If you go with the Fortress I'd go one up from a 15. Fortress set better with weight. And an FX-37 is still only 21lb.
I love Culebra by the way.
I have used Danforth, CQR and delta many times over many years. I find the delta sets reliably in a variety of bottoms where the others don't. I think the sharper point on the delta makes it better than the CQR and the hinge on the CQR is of little value IMO. Danforths can clog up too easily in my experience.
Unfortunately the Delta rusts more than any anchor I have owned so next time I will try a claw.
Unfortunately the Delta rusts more than any anchor I have owned so next time I will try a claw.
OP
OP
Nomad Willy
Guru
How about a SS Delta?
A SS anything?
I think this is a first ... Someone here choosing a specific anchor because it rusts the least.
I put a fluke tip I designed on an anchor while I was in Alaska and couldn't take it to a to be galvanized. I used a galvanize coating in an aerosol can. Used the anchor 10 times or so and no rust appeared on the mild steel part. So before looking at SS anchors you might try some spray galvanize. Worked for me.
A SS anything?
I think this is a first ... Someone here choosing a specific anchor because it rusts the least.
I put a fluke tip I designed on an anchor while I was in Alaska and couldn't take it to a to be galvanized. I used a galvanize coating in an aerosol can. Used the anchor 10 times or so and no rust appeared on the mild steel part. So before looking at SS anchors you might try some spray galvanize. Worked for me.
More accurately I choose to avoid delta because of al the anchors I had it is the only one that rusted severely. Not just surface rust but disintegration of the plow. The shaft was fine for some reason.
Hidden under the bow sprit it was not visible.
Hidden under the bow sprit it was not visible.
Cathy and David
Veteran Member
Is the question ; Best claw type anchor for a trawler?
OP
OP
Nomad Willy
Guru
Cathy & David,
Being the OP I'll answer that.
Yes the best Claw but I had no thought as to how it related to trawlers specifically. But now that you mention it trawlers are heavier and presumably can carry a heavier anchor. So a Claw would be a more likely choice on a trawler. And there would be less incentive to get a lighter high performance anchor.
But I've noticed all the Claws are a bit different so they must work a bit differently. And very small differences in other anchors can change their performance much more than a very small amount. So I would think knowing what Claw was the best would be a significant advantage while shopping.
I just bought a new Claw and the very experienced clerk said "this one's a 33# Lewmar too". I said it looked quite different and he responded "it's from a different batch". So the Lewmar's differ even under one brand name. And there's many that have nothing or perhaps just the weight in text to see. So you don't even know what country they came from. Not very proud of their product one could say.
I've heard many many times that the "genuine" Bruce is superior to all the others. When I see a used Claw advertized and it's a Bruce that fact is proudly stated. If a Claw was a cheaply made anchor out of substandard materials it would almost surely be substandard. But the design may be better than the Bruce. We don't drive model "A" Fords because the Fords that came after the A were better. And they got better and better down through the years. Of course there is the cast v/s forged difference but unless you damage the anchor it should make no difference. The only Claws I've seen damaged were on fish boats in Alaska. It's my opinion fishermen can damage just about anything so the fact that I see a bent Claw on a fishing boat means little to me.
Anyway I was hoping someone knew differences between the many Claws. Or at least if someone had very good service from a specific Claw and numerous others did as well it would indicate that perhaps that Claw would be a good buy. Slight differences in shape and proportion may lead to a considerably better anchor. And communication on TF could reveal anchors to buy and anchors to avoid. There's several reasons not much will/can be learned but at least there's lots of skippers here w Claw anchors.
Being the OP I'll answer that.
Yes the best Claw but I had no thought as to how it related to trawlers specifically. But now that you mention it trawlers are heavier and presumably can carry a heavier anchor. So a Claw would be a more likely choice on a trawler. And there would be less incentive to get a lighter high performance anchor.
But I've noticed all the Claws are a bit different so they must work a bit differently. And very small differences in other anchors can change their performance much more than a very small amount. So I would think knowing what Claw was the best would be a significant advantage while shopping.
I just bought a new Claw and the very experienced clerk said "this one's a 33# Lewmar too". I said it looked quite different and he responded "it's from a different batch". So the Lewmar's differ even under one brand name. And there's many that have nothing or perhaps just the weight in text to see. So you don't even know what country they came from. Not very proud of their product one could say.
I've heard many many times that the "genuine" Bruce is superior to all the others. When I see a used Claw advertized and it's a Bruce that fact is proudly stated. If a Claw was a cheaply made anchor out of substandard materials it would almost surely be substandard. But the design may be better than the Bruce. We don't drive model "A" Fords because the Fords that came after the A were better. And they got better and better down through the years. Of course there is the cast v/s forged difference but unless you damage the anchor it should make no difference. The only Claws I've seen damaged were on fish boats in Alaska. It's my opinion fishermen can damage just about anything so the fact that I see a bent Claw on a fishing boat means little to me.
Anyway I was hoping someone knew differences between the many Claws. Or at least if someone had very good service from a specific Claw and numerous others did as well it would indicate that perhaps that Claw would be a good buy. Slight differences in shape and proportion may lead to a considerably better anchor. And communication on TF could reveal anchors to buy and anchors to avoid. There's several reasons not much will/can be learned but at least there's lots of skippers here w Claw anchors.
Last edited:
BruceK
Moderator Emeritus
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2011
- Messages
- 13,549
- Vessel Name
- Sojourn
- Vessel Make
- Integrity 386
Uh oh, mischief at play. Now we have to decide first what`s a trawler....
markpierce
Master and Commander
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2010
- Messages
- 12,557
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Carquinez Coot
- Vessel Make
- penultimate Seahorse Marine Coot hull #6
Answer: the heavier one, as long as it fits the boat and you've got a windlass.
OP
OP
Nomad Willy
Guru
Fits the boat?
That's the main reason they are still popular Mark. They fit like no other anchor. In close straddling the stem of the bow and nothing sticking up to compete for space w the bow pulpit or obscure the view over the bow. And not stupid looking. Actually very attractive.
And as if that's not enough they are very inexpensive (or cheap if you prefer). I bought a 22lb Claw in Alaska for $70 and a 33lb in WA for $85.
Those are two huge reasons the Claw will be hang'in on the bows of boats for a long time to come.
Anybody have a favorite Claw performance wise?
That's the main reason they are still popular Mark. They fit like no other anchor. In close straddling the stem of the bow and nothing sticking up to compete for space w the bow pulpit or obscure the view over the bow. And not stupid looking. Actually very attractive.
And as if that's not enough they are very inexpensive (or cheap if you prefer). I bought a 22lb Claw in Alaska for $70 and a 33lb in WA for $85.
Those are two huge reasons the Claw will be hang'in on the bows of boats for a long time to come.
Anybody have a favorite Claw performance wise?
jclays
Senior Member
Original Bruce. Sets fist time everytime (my experience). Used 22lb paid $180 2 years ago. Just saw a 33lb last week used original Bruce for $260. Big difference from $85 for a copy.
Old deckhand
Guru
Eric,
I have owned two original Bruce anchors, a 33 and a 66. Both found the Bruce rock. This is not the best situation in a storm. Because we do almost all of our anchoring in SE Alaska we must contend with numerouse bottom types. We have rocky, sandy, mud, heavy ribbon kelp, dense ell grass and shell bottoms. The most difficult bottoms are the ribbon kelp and ell grass in that many anchors will slide along the top and not penetrate the vegatation. We also have several non claw type anchors but see the thread is about claw anchors. The best anchor we have found so far for our area is a Delta of 44 lbs or larger.
I have owned two original Bruce anchors, a 33 and a 66. Both found the Bruce rock. This is not the best situation in a storm. Because we do almost all of our anchoring in SE Alaska we must contend with numerouse bottom types. We have rocky, sandy, mud, heavy ribbon kelp, dense ell grass and shell bottoms. The most difficult bottoms are the ribbon kelp and ell grass in that many anchors will slide along the top and not penetrate the vegatation. We also have several non claw type anchors but see the thread is about claw anchors. The best anchor we have found so far for our area is a Delta of 44 lbs or larger.
OP
OP
Nomad Willy
Guru
Old Deckhand,
Glad you opened this thread that I started thinking the differences between all the slightly different Claws would be worth dredging up. So far that hasn't happened. Most seem to think the Bruce is better than any other Claw and any others that will come down the pike .. or should I say inlet or straight. There are noticeable differences in what most people call Bruce knock-offs. The most different Claw that I have observed has longer and narrower flukes (higher aspect ratio) and I suspect this anchor would likely be a higher performance Claw than average. Of course no one knows but I was hoping there would be some objective opinions or experience here that could expand our knowledge about this anchor type.
I have modified anchors and the only mod I've done so far to a Claw is to sharpen the flukes. I ground of quite a bit of metal on the center fluke thinking the weak link for the Claw types is failure of the center fluke to penetrate the bottom. This failure promotes the Claws to continue to lay on their sides acting more like a plow than a proper anchor. They do this on beach drags fairly often it seems as I've seen quite a few pics of this. And half setting is consistantly w what I've heard over the years about what the Claws do in the real world. I have a mod planned to prevent this but it may be some time before I do the mod and test it.
Just my opinion but I think the Delta anchor is a very good average anchor. There's nothing spectacular about the Delta as I see it. But that's not bad at all. I think the best thing in anchor performance is consistency and performance range. The best anchor for this may be the SARCA .... and the Delta is in the same catergory but of the two I'd want the SARCA. But you can't get a SARCA at West Marine.
Sounds like you've experienced a much wider range of bottom types than I did in SE. Catching a rock on a claw is (to my knowledge) a rare occuracne. I would'nt pass up a Claw for that negative feature though. But many here seem to need an anchor that they think is bullet proof. But of course no such thing exists but being close is viewed as a holy grail. But then everyone's opinion on what is the perfect anchor is all over the place.
The Delta and large Claw should cover most any need for you in SE. I see them as a good complementary pair. For example at long scope the Delta will probably hold your boat in a 50knot gale. And for the short scope small and deep anchorage that there are so many of in SE the big Claw does very well. I don't know any anchor that does seaweed, kelp and sea grass w much grace but your Delta should be average or better.
There is a new anchor that I think has great posibilities but I thought that about another anchor that wasn't a holy grail at all. This anchor is made by Spade and called the SeaBlade. I'll be watching it but as the best anchor to have on your boat a SARCA will probably be supperior. An anchor that does basically everything fairly well is a very good anchor to have on the bow of your boat.
Glad you opened this thread that I started thinking the differences between all the slightly different Claws would be worth dredging up. So far that hasn't happened. Most seem to think the Bruce is better than any other Claw and any others that will come down the pike .. or should I say inlet or straight. There are noticeable differences in what most people call Bruce knock-offs. The most different Claw that I have observed has longer and narrower flukes (higher aspect ratio) and I suspect this anchor would likely be a higher performance Claw than average. Of course no one knows but I was hoping there would be some objective opinions or experience here that could expand our knowledge about this anchor type.
I have modified anchors and the only mod I've done so far to a Claw is to sharpen the flukes. I ground of quite a bit of metal on the center fluke thinking the weak link for the Claw types is failure of the center fluke to penetrate the bottom. This failure promotes the Claws to continue to lay on their sides acting more like a plow than a proper anchor. They do this on beach drags fairly often it seems as I've seen quite a few pics of this. And half setting is consistantly w what I've heard over the years about what the Claws do in the real world. I have a mod planned to prevent this but it may be some time before I do the mod and test it.
Just my opinion but I think the Delta anchor is a very good average anchor. There's nothing spectacular about the Delta as I see it. But that's not bad at all. I think the best thing in anchor performance is consistency and performance range. The best anchor for this may be the SARCA .... and the Delta is in the same catergory but of the two I'd want the SARCA. But you can't get a SARCA at West Marine.
Sounds like you've experienced a much wider range of bottom types than I did in SE. Catching a rock on a claw is (to my knowledge) a rare occuracne. I would'nt pass up a Claw for that negative feature though. But many here seem to need an anchor that they think is bullet proof. But of course no such thing exists but being close is viewed as a holy grail. But then everyone's opinion on what is the perfect anchor is all over the place.
The Delta and large Claw should cover most any need for you in SE. I see them as a good complementary pair. For example at long scope the Delta will probably hold your boat in a 50knot gale. And for the short scope small and deep anchorage that there are so many of in SE the big Claw does very well. I don't know any anchor that does seaweed, kelp and sea grass w much grace but your Delta should be average or better.
There is a new anchor that I think has great posibilities but I thought that about another anchor that wasn't a holy grail at all. This anchor is made by Spade and called the SeaBlade. I'll be watching it but as the best anchor to have on your boat a SARCA will probably be supperior. An anchor that does basically everything fairly well is a very good anchor to have on the bow of your boat.
Old deckhand
Guru
Never heard of the Sarca or Seablade. You have given me some research fun.
Old deckhand
Guru
Murry, in my younger climbing years we called that an "ah ****".
The Super Sarca and the Sarca Excel (both anchors are from Anchor Right in Australia) are discussed at length in many threads on this forum. Just use the name of the anchor in the search function and you'll find tons of posts about them in the archives.
The Seablade is a new one to me, too.
Old deckhand
Guru
Thank you!
