Buying an anchor is not always an easy task. There are so many types, they vary in size, material, shape and are always related to the type of boat that is to be anchored.
Clearly, a 12-meter sailboat is not going to have the same needs as a fishing boat or yacht, so during the purchase you should always keep an eye on both the size and the bottom that the boat will face.
How many types of anchors are there?
TheAdmiralty strain anchor is the one in the common imagination. It is a highly efficient accessory but little used in recreational vessels because it is heavy and bulky. Its validity, however, derives precisely from its significant weight and the position of the flukes, which make it excellent for various types of seabed from sandy to seagrass-rich. For a yachtsman, it is best taken as an anchor of hope.
The plowshare anchor, on the other hand, derives its shape from the very agricultural implement from which it takes its name. It is precisely because of their shape that they are very safe and work on all types of seabed, but without excelling in any of them.
From 1972, on the other hand, we get the Bruce anchor, named after the naval engineer Peter Bruce, which works very well in all bottoms except particularly muddy or rocky ones, the only flaw being stowage, which is made particularly complicated because of its shape.
Another still good one is the umbrella one designed specifically for smaller boats as a small, foldable lightweight tool (just like an umbrella), which, however, has some shortcomings in terms of holding except in particularly rocky bottoms.
Usually all shipyards rely on multi-purpose anchors forbasic equipment, then leaving free choice to the boater for possible change dictated by his habits and the seabed needs he expects to face. As a general rule of thumb, flat and large, stump or bruce anchors work on gravelly and sandy bottoms, while thin flukes, or croup and umbrella anchors for example, are designed for rocky or muddy bottoms.
The advice, however, is to always equip oneself with a respect anchor/safe/reserve. In fact, all boaters, with the exception of those who own a really small boat, should always have two anchors with different characteristics on board. Assuming that you own a Bruce anchor and that the bottom where you want to lower it is predominantly rocky, it is necessary to rely on the respect anchor, which is known to have characteristics that will compensate for the shortcomings of the first one so that you can be safe even in windy situations where the risk of plowing is high.
Lewmar provides you with a wide range of anchors and winches that take into account all the particularities of your boat and all eventualities arising from anchoring on the seabed.
