PDQ OWNERS FORUM

I am a new owner of 2001 32 MV, hull #005. One of the first purchases I will make is a new anchor and rode. I will be starting the great loop in June and want guidance on anchor, chain and line specifications. I have a 20kg Rocna and am considering 50' of 5/16" HT chain and 200' of 9/16" line. I welcome comments on anchor size, chain length and the line.

Thanks

Harold Small

Congrats, Harold, on your purchase. Ground tackle is a subject with many opinions. I think your plan is a good one as long as the chain fits your windlass gypsy (likely that it does). It is hard to imagine needing more rode than you will be carrying. The 20kg Rocna is a great anchor and more than adequate for your boat, IMHO.

Some info for consideration. Many multihull captains like to rig a bridle on the anchor rode from each bow. Often they use a chain hook or similar device attached to two lengths of nylon for elasticity. With only 50 feet of chain, you might need a very long bridle in certain anchoring depths. Alternatively, you would have to make the bridle fast to the nylon rode, which might be trickier.

While a bridle might make you "sail" less at anchor, we find we almost always deploy our 80 feet of 5/16 chain and leave another 20 feet of nylon out as our "snubber" without using a bridle at all.

Good luck with the Loop - a great experience, to be sure.

hi harold,

we use virtually the same configuration 20K rocna/60'5/16/ nylon 3 strand. as desing says we use a nylon 3 strand bridle and in fl where depths are shallow we tie right to the chain. we anchor out a lot, up and down east coast, fl, and bahamas. it has always worked.

Congratulations Harold !!

Easy Riders is running a Manson 44# (similar to Rocna), 85 feet of 5/16 chain and 200 feet of 5/8, 3-strand nylon rode. Like Duane and John say - my 85 feet of chain is more to facilitate the chain bridle. The bridle has about 22 foot legs to a Mantus chain hook. I go without the bridle in a calm anchorage.

For a stern anchor when stern-in to the beach, I use a Fortress FX-11 with 5 feet of chain and 150 feet of 1/2 inch 3-strand.

The stern anchor chain/rode does double-duty as a Swell Bridle when anchored in a current/wind with a beam sea coming in. I attach the chain/rode to the chain hook, release the bridle lines and pay out the bow anchor rode (poor seamanship, but easy), then tie the swell bridle to a stern cleat to aim the bow into the swell. If it's rough, I'll use some lines and hitch off to the bow anchor rode to make a substitute bridle.

I'm debating adding a Fortress FX-16 as a storm anchor / kedge anchor.

Good point about the bridle for wind and swell from different directions. Sleeping athwartship, we can tolerate rolling in beam swell more than we could in the monohull, but there have been times it was worth rigging the bridle to reduce the motion.

While you are pivoting the boat to take the swell more on the bow, you are simultaneously exposing more of your boat to the wind. It usually increases the loading on the ground tackle, so take appropriate caution.

I did not mention that the previous owner put a 25kg (55 lb) Rocna on our boat. By all accounts, it is well oversized for the boat, but we sleep soundly once it is set. We have dragged twice, however, where the bottom was soupy mud, so it still requires backing down and confirming a good set.

Thanks for all the guidance

We have a Rocna 20 with 90’ chain and 90’ of line and use a bridle between two hulls. I can’t remember when we deployed more than the chain. We have anchored in some very strong currents and never……(I won’t actually say “dragged” here to avoid jinxing myself). Just set anchor well and download a good anchor monitor app to instill confidence. There are other things I’d invest in before anchor upsizing given you already have the Rocna you have.

PS: We did the loop on another (lighter) boat with an ultra anchor and only 10’ of chain then nylon. No issues.