Hi all,

I'm considering purchase of a Spade anchor.
I'm curious if there are any members of this group with experience.
I have seen various reports and I know about the bolt-problem
What I want to learn in addition to that info:
1) how do YOU think it holds in various types of soil (please rate it
as a % of succesfull tries)
2) what is your loa/displ versus your anchor's weight.
3) at what windforce will you probably be blown off.
Anything relevant....

Thanks,
Len
S/v Present

I use a S-140 on a Krogen 42, 29 tons displacement. I anchor mostly in mud,
here on the Texas coast. It takes a bit longer than a Fortress to set, but
seems to hold just as well. I haven't had any problems with the bolt,
although I've heard about that and check it regularly. Overall I like it,
and it's my primary anchor now, although the Fortress FX-23 was always my
primary until I got the Spade. The only downside that I've seen is that the
Spade takes a bit longer to set.

--


Keith
__
Fine day to work off excess energy. Steal something heavy.
"Len" wrote in message
news:1098432323.2mpmk5YQ+IoUijLEYqlwow@teranews...
Hi all,

I'm considering purchase of a Spade anchor.
I'm curious if there are any members of this group with experience.
I have seen various reports and I know about the bolt-problem
What I want to learn in addition to that info:
1) how do YOU think it holds in various types of soil (please rate it
as a % of succesfull tries)
2) what is your loa/displ versus your anchor's weight.
3) at what windforce will you probably be blown off.
Anything relevant....

Thanks,
Len
S/v Present

Except for very soft gelatenous mud, I prefer my spade as a primary
anchor in all other bottoms.
I was anchored on nite in a contrary strong tidal flow versus a
contrary and unstable strong wind which made the boat do a 360 every
3-4 minutes; the anchor reset itself in hard sand every damn time. When
the flow finally stopped I found myself less than 50 ft. from the
original spot that I had anchored - probably resetting over a hundred
times.

For very soft mud, I have difficulty setting it; in spite of letting it
'settle-in' before pulling strain on a very long/shallow scope.

I have a 24,000# boat and use a 44# steel Spade. I probably should have
gone to the next larger size to better handle soft mud. I carry a large
danforth and use that for soft mud bottoms; otherwise, I use the spade.

On Fri, 22 Oct 2004 10:05:18 +0200, Len
wrote:

I'm considering purchase of a Spade anchor.
I'm curious if there are any members of this group with experience.

Yes, S100 (44 pounds), 23,000 pound, high windage sportfish.

I have seen various reports and I know about the bolt-problem

No problem with the bolt.

What I want to learn in addition to that info:
1) how do YOU think it holds in various types of soil (please rate it
as a % of succesfull tries)

The only bottom type that was ever problematic was very soft mud. As
others have said, it needs time to settle in, lots of chain helps. In
other bottom types the success rate approaches 100%.

2) what is your loa/displ versus your anchor's weight.

33 feet/23,000 pounds, 44 pound anchor

3) at what windforce will you probably be blown off.

When properly set it is comparable to a good Danforth. The advantage
of the Spade being the ability to stay set during wind shifts and a
greater range of satisfactory bottom types.

Anything relevant....

I like the Spade a lot as a good overall anchor, much easier to set
than a Delta plow or CQR in my experience, and less prone to drag.

I'm going to get a S200 for my new boat.

I've had an A-80 for quite a while on a 26' powerboat and think it's the
best anchor I've ever used. I've never heard of this bolt issue and
found out last year on a cruise up the Inside Passage to Alaska that it
likes to settle in a while before setting it, at least in that
shale/mud. It has pulled out only once, and that was in Florida this
March in quite a gale when the weeds kept it from getting down far enough.

The best place to buy one is through Glenn Ashmore on this newsgroup. He
sells them lots cheaper than West/BoatUS.

Capt. Jeff

I'm staying out of this so I don't get the newsgroup police excited. I'll
just let my customers do the talkin'. :-)

"Tamaroak" wrote in message
...
I've had an A-80 for quite a while on a 26' powerboat and think it's the
best anchor I've ever used. I've never heard of this bolt issue and
found out last year on a cruise up the Inside Passage to Alaska that it
likes to settle in a while before setting it, at least in that
shale/mud. It has pulled out only once, and that was in Florida this
March in quite a gale when the weeds kept it from getting down far enough.

The best place to buy one is through Glenn Ashmore on this newsgroup. He
sells them lots cheaper than West/BoatUS.

Capt. Jeff

Len wrote in message news:1098432323.2mpmk5YQ+IoUijLEYqlwow@teranews. ..
Hi all,

I'm considering purchase of a Spade anchor.
I'm curious if there are any members of this group with experience.

We used the spade throughout the east coast (Maryland to the Keys) and
the through the Exumas, Jumentos back. Probably relied on it for
around a year fulltime.
I have seen various reports and I know about the bolt-problem

Bolt not really and issue, very strong anchor. Would recommend
possible protecting it while docking as we have the 19 lb aluminum
version and it can bend if you hit a piling.
What I want to learn in addition to that info:
1) how do YOU think it holds in various types of soil (please rate it
as a % of succesfull tries)

In sand it was great, in many types of mud it was good, in soft mud
found in Florida and Georgia it could refuse to set. I would use a
Danforth deepset or fortress with it set for mud. Overall, a good
anchor, but frankly I might try the bulwagga for my current boat as
the Chesapeake has lots of soft mud and people have problems with the
spade in certain locations here. In sand though, literally I would
spend two weeks in 50 knots plus winds without it budging.

2) what is your loa/displ versus your anchor's weight.

It's a catamaran, so 36 ft, displacement is only 8,000 lbs, but for
Cats you go by windage. Our windage would be the equivalent of a 40
ft sloop.

3) at what windforce will you probably be blown off.

If it bites, and it almost always will in sand, you really won't have
to worry about it dragging. Once again we saw 50+ knots of wind while
stuck on the wrong side of Georgetown in the exumas because we were
fixing our engines. Didn't budge an inch.

Anything relevant....

Be careful when setting it at first. I would use a technique of
dropping it, and then feeling the anchor rode with your hand as you
set it to feel any dragging. If it seems to be dragging a bit, drift
down and let it lay with the current, then apply the engine with light
force and let it settle. Finally, after you're sure you're not
moving, really back down on her.

BTW, she's light enough that you can dive down and move her from one
spot to another, try doing that with a 55 lb delta!

Thanks,
Len
S/v Present

Actually, you're frank opinions on this are valuable - post away.
Did you ever get the test results you took into a format that you can put on
your website?

Paul
www.jcruiser.org
"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:TDced.76810$tU4.51916@okepread06...
I'm staying out of this so I don't get the newsgroup police excited. I'll
just let my customers do the talkin'. :-)

"Tamaroak" wrote in message
...
I've had an A-80 for quite a while on a 26' powerboat and think it's the
best anchor I've ever used. I've never heard of this bolt issue and
found out last year on a cruise up the Inside Passage to Alaska that it
likes to settle in a while before setting it, at least in that
shale/mud. It has pulled out only once, and that was in Florida this
March in quite a gale when the weeds kept it from getting down far
enough.

The best place to buy one is through Glenn Ashmore on this newsgroup. He
sells them lots cheaper than West/BoatUS.

Capt. Jeff

The web page version of the anchor test results is still on my round-to-it
list for a combination of factors. First, I after a summer of lethargy
about Rutu I am on a building jag and don't want to waste it. Second I got
hit by lightning when Ivan came through. When I restored the files to my
new machine I lost all the web site formatting so I need to rebuild the
whole thing.

I will get it up but it will probably be when the weather gets to cold to
work on the boat.

Glenn

"Paul L" wrote in message
news:qPeed.1279$C_6.284@trnddc04...
Actually, you're frank opinions on this are valuable - post away.
Did you ever get the test results you took into a format that you can put
on
your website?

Paul
www.jcruiser.org
"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:TDced.76810$tU4.51916@okepread06...
I'm staying out of this so I don't get the newsgroup police excited.
I'll
just let my customers do the talkin'. :-)

"Tamaroak" wrote in message
...
I've had an A-80 for quite a while on a 26' powerboat and think it's
the
best anchor I've ever used. I've never heard of this bolt issue and
found out last year on a cruise up the Inside Passage to Alaska that it
likes to settle in a while before setting it, at least in that
shale/mud. It has pulled out only once, and that was in Florida this
March in quite a gale when the weeds kept it from getting down far
enough.

The best place to buy one is through Glenn Ashmore on this newsgroup.
He
sells them lots cheaper than West/BoatUS.

Capt. Jeff

May thanks for the info.
In uk.rec.sailing I received this reaction about the Spade:

Yes, I see them in use regularly around the Med - and regularly dragging
on weedy bottoms.
It is as easy as teasing aussies to design an anchor that sets well in sand
and mud like the Spade. Indeed the Spade is so good on these bottoms that
it digs itself down almost indefinitely and you can have a hard job getting it
out. But it is as useless as a large frying pan in kelp.
-----snip

Anyone with a comment on the statement that the spade, when used in
sand or mud, keeps on digging down and can be difficult to get out ?
Thanks again,

Len
S/v Present