32 ft boat, claw anchor, 25 ft of water
| claw (Bruce) anchorsets easily in most bottoms, lower ultimate hold | 36 lb |
|---|---|
| Chain sizeworking load about 3,900 lb | 5/16" |
| Chain lengthone boat length minimum, 30 ft floor | 32 ft |
| Rope size | 7/16"nylon three-strand |
| Total rode at 7:125 ft of water + 5.2 ft bow height | 212 ft |
| Total rode at 5:1calm, crowded anchorage only | 151 ft |
| Rope to carrytotal rode less the chain | 180 ft |
Notes
- Scope is measured from the bow roller, not the waterline. Forgetting the 5.2 ft of freeboard on a 32 ft boat is how people think they are at 7:1 when they are closer to 6:1.
- This is a working anchor for an overnight stop in settled weather. A storm anchor goes up one or two sizes, and no chart substitutes for watching the forecast and leaving early.
- An all-chain rode holds better at low scope because the catenary keeps the pull horizontal, but it also shock-loads the boat in a chop. Add a snubber — it is the cheapest part of the system and the one that saves the windlass.
Anchor weight is the least important number here
A 36 lb claw is the right size for a 32 ft boat, but weight is what holds an anchor on the bottom only until it sets. After that, holding power comes from the fluke area digging in and from the pull staying horizontal — which is what scope and chain are for.
An oversized anchor on a short rode holds worse than a correctly sized one on a long rode.
Scope is measured from the bow roller
At 25 ft of water, 7:1 scope means 212 ft of rode — because the height of your bow above the water counts too. That is the step people skip, and it is why a boat that thinks it is at 7:1 is often nearer 6:1.
In a crowded anchorage in settled conditions, 151 ft at 5:1 will usually hold. It is not what you want when the forecast turns.
Chain earns its keep in the last few feet
The 5/16" chain here does two jobs: it resists chafe on rock and coral where rope would part, and its weight keeps the pull on the anchor shank horizontal. Add a snubber — it takes the shock loading out of an all-chain rode and it is the cheapest part of the whole system.
Nearby sizes
- 30 ft boat, claw anchor, 25 ft of water
- 34 ft boat, claw anchor, 25 ft of water
- 28 ft boat, claw anchor, 25 ft of water
- 36 ft boat, claw anchor, 25 ft of water
- 32 ft boat, plow anchor, 25 ft of water
- 32 ft boat, spade anchor, 25 ft of water
- 32 ft boat, fluke anchor, 25 ft of water
- 32 ft boat, claw anchor, 20 ft of water
- 32 ft boat, claw anchor, 30 ft of water
- 32 ft boat, claw anchor, 15 ft of water
- 32 ft boat, claw anchor, 40 ft of water
Read more
- Chain Locker — Depth, Drainage, and the Pile That Falls OverA windlass that stops near the end of the retrieve is almost never the windlass. It is the chain reaching the top of its own pile.
- Anchoring in Weed — The Anchor Sits on Top and Looks SetA weed anchorage gives the most convincing false set there is. The boat sits still all evening and drags at three in the morning when the wind shifts.
- Marking the Rode — You Cannot Set Scope You Cannot MeasureGuessing the length of rode paid out makes every scope rule decorative. Marking it is an afternoon of work that lasts years.
- Anchor Alarms — Set the Radius From the Anchor, Not the BoatAn alarm centred on the boat rather than the anchor gives you a circle offset by the whole length of the rode, and the gap is on the side you are drifting toward.