Anchor

[OffIslander]

How well does the standard anchor that comes with Ranger R-25 work with the kind of mud bottom we have in the Chesapeake Bay? We are thinking about switching it out with a Rocha or Fortress but they may not fit the bow roller.

 

[Jesperjo]

It’s a decent anchor and it holds pretty well when used properly for anchoring over lunch or fishing. I’m definitely not an anchor expert, but people who are serious about overnighting on the hook at least around the Pacific Northwest typically replace it with something like a Rocna, typically a 9 or 10 depending on if you get the original or a Mk II. That’s quite a bit heftier than the standard 16.5 lb anchor that comes with it. I know even putting a swivel on the existing anchor tends to make it a little too long for the bow roller, and likely with the Rocna, you’ll need to make some modification. There are a few YouTube videos on this topic. Some, like @Submariner’s are about the R-27 and others, like @CruisingElvinRay are around an R-23, but the boats are all similar enough to provide some useful information.

Hope this helps.

 

[az9133bm]

We replaced our Bruce anchor with Mantus M1 13# anchor. Certainly, oversized for our R23 but it is all about sleeping-well-at-night. There are a lot of threads about this topic on this forum and most seem to prefer the newer "bail" type like the Rocna or Mantus. Check out our Photo Albums to see the way we solved the bow roller problem that you may encounter when you upgrade to a larger anchor.

 

[Chimo]

How well does the standard anchor that comes with Ranger R-25 work with the kind of mud bottom we have in the Chesapeake Bay? We are thinking about switching it out with a Rocha or Fortress but they may not fit the bow roller.

We spent close to 20 happy years boating on the northern Chesapeake Bay. Very different to the PNW. If that’s where you are located you’re probably in spots like Still Pond with nice soft smooth topped mud and minimal tides, often anchoring with 4-6 ft of water under the boat and a short scope. The Danforth/Fortress seemed to be the anchor of choice in the 90’s. A rode with only 10ft of chain was not unusual as a windlass was reserved for the larger yachts. We often dragged until, just before we left the area, we installed a claw like the standard RT product. It was like magic and I doubt you will have any problems using the one you have.

When we came up to the PNW we bought a 23 C-Dory. A truly great boat that came with the Bruce/Claw like the RT. This one, however, was a chromed model that had quite a sharp leading edge. It worked really well. After 8 years we bought our RT25SC and it came with the Bruce/claw but with the galvanized finish and a really blunt leading edge. Once set the anchor worked well but it didn’t set quickly, a problem in crowded anchorages. We changed to a ROCNA 10 with no changes necessary to the bow roller. It sets very fast and is really secure. A great anchor. The roller on the 25OB may be shorter, I don’t know. We’ve never found any need for a swivel but that would be another consideration.