I am considering a Seal 26 or similar. I am used to bigger boats and anchor winches but am downsizing. I usually anchor quite a bit. Have noticed quite a bit of damage to gel coat(some repaired) around bow presumably caused by lowering and raising anchor. One could obviously build some sort of short bowsprit with roller on end but this would look ugly. Also of course you can fit an undesirable wraparound stainless steel bow protector. What anchors do people use or recommend (7.5kg Delta type?) and do they overcome this or is it just keep repairing as damage occurs? Accept that it's probably possible to throw clear (after threading thru pulpit) dinghy style if anchor not that big but you would normally use roller pulling up.

Also how big an anchor will fit in the fairly small locker. Ideally for a 3 ton boat I would like at least 10 kilos. I think the locker was designed for a 20lb CQR but am not a great fan of thier in hardish sand. Great in mud though.

The locker was designed around a CQR which fits because a) its narrow ( compared with modern designs) across the plough and b) its articulated.But that same articulation and weight makes it a pain to feed between the pulpit and forestay and harder still if you have a furler drum fitted.I also found ours to be iffy in mud,having dragged on several occasions.For the time being we have a Fortress F11 which is easy to pass over the bow but has to be stowed on deck vertically against the side of the pulpit although is excellent for sand and mud.The standard Seal roller fitting is too small and hampered by the forestay.
Our CQR is worn-out anyway so anticipate getting an alternative heavier Delta and stowing this permanently onto a Lewmar roller extension fitted in the position currently occupied by the stbd fairlead i.e. off centre and clear of the furler.
If you are happy with a CQR though I would have thought that a tailored stainless protection plate need not be unsightly - I think they mostly appear business like.
3 tons is a bit too high even for a loaded 26, but yes 10 kg is about right,even if you can't actually throw it clear with the chain attached,hence the desirability of an overhang and a controlled tilt.
But do go for a Seal 26 or 27 ! They are generally a very well resolved design.

Peter
Seal 27 #131

Peter

Thank you very much for your response. I am now hopefully buying a SS 26.Bid accepted and currently waiting for a surveyor's report . Boat seems basicly sound though a few deck fittings need rebedding.

Love everything about the boat except for small size of the anchor locker It has a 7kg Bruce with about 4 metres of 8mm chain and nearly 90ft of warp.. Unfortunately the anchor lid won't shut cos the anchor's a tad too big plus I am not a fan of the type. I have a 7.5 kg Delta which would have been better but that's even bigger than the Bruce. Pretty sure it will be the same story for the Racnor which is by far my favourite anchor and the type I have used on my previous boats Not that keen on stowing anchors on deck on small boats. Am thinking about carrying Delta in cockpit locker for less good holding /strongwinds and finding a second hand proper 20lb CQR for the actual anchor locker as this seems to be the only game in town. Not a fan of the CQR by any means but believe the genuine article superior to the relatively very cheap cast copies.

Re weight I read somewhere that a Super Seal with gear and fullish tanks weighs around 2750 kilos so with crew I was thinking best part of 3 metric tons. I am quite happy to be corrected.

Would welcome any further thoughts and ideas re anchors from owners. I do have a furling genoa and drum position does not help the situation

David
Regarding the weight of a Super Seal 26, I think you are right to be working on nearly 3 tons for a boat in cruising mode.

I am basing this on the following:

In about 2008 another SS26 at my Club (diesel engine) was weighed on a load cell by an RYA measurer - 2750kg. The purpose was for the ISC RTI and would have been 'empty weight'. I helped the owner remove gear.
ISC definition - Empty weight is the weight of the boat in dry condition, fully rigged with all standing rigging, and spars
(including spinnaker pole(s)). It includes all permanent fixtures and fittings, batteries, main engine
installation, or outboard engine aboard in stowed position, but excludes all loose gear.
VPRS definition - loose gear - all sails, headsail sheets and guys, spare rigging, the contents of all tanks (including ballast tanks), anchors and cables, tools and spares. Additionally, all removable equipment (gas bottles, cooking and catering utensils, safety equipment including life rafts), all clothing and bedding, and personal effects, must be removed from the vessel.

My own SS26 LESA No 33 with Yanmar 1GM10 was weighed in 2006 by the previous owner for IRC purposes - 2925kg. This was done on a vehicle weighbridge and the weight of the trailer subtracted. Presumably again empty weight.

The weight data given in the SS26 specs on SailboatData and Yachtsnet at 2268 kg (5000lbs) is therefore high misleading - probably from the original brochure 40 years ago and perhaps for an outboard version.

I am sure my Bruce anchor is 7kg - it does fit in the locker with the lid down but only one way!

For your information, LESA's daggerboard (not a keel!) weighs 80kg. The ballast in the bottom of the boat works wonders.

Hope this helps - great choice of boat.

Hilary
SS26 No 33 LESA Wootton Creek Isle of Wight
Royal Victoria Yacht Club fleet - 3 x SS26, 3 x Parker27, 1 x Parker325

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Hilary,

I really appreciated your post. Thank you. It was good to learn that you agreed with my weight calculations.The boat I am hoping to buy has the GM10 one lunger which seems pretty standard for these boats. Also intrigued to learn that you have found the trick of getting a 7kg Bruce in a SS26 locker.

You did qualify the achievement by saying that there might be a slight doubt that it is a 7kg. Would really appreciate if you can confirm.Save me tearing out what little hair I have left tying to solve the impossible! Also how do you find the 7lb Bruce works around the South Coast? How you ridden out any strongist winds? I had a 5kg Bruce on a quarter tonner with a length of lightish size chain (everything deliberately a bit undersize) plus warp but did not anchor that much. OK for kedging in light wind with adverse tide but dragged a few times in anything of a breeze, especially if there were any waves or wash . Possibly not a fair test so I might be inclined to give a 7lb model with a length of somewhat much chunkier chain a trial(this can help quite a bit) ..assuming I can solve the chinese puzzle of stowing it! Also assuming Survey is OK and I become the owner in the course of the next few days . The boat was built in 1980 by John Baker and seems very well maintained.

Seems there are several SS26 on the market at the moment.

Regards

David

David
Good luck with your purchase.
My superseal "rascal" has an 8kg CQR on 10m chain plus 30m warp, I have ridden out several stormy nights at anchor around the solent, mainly mud and sand.
The anchor is a bit awkward to get on deck through the pushpit past the furler, but it's never let me down. My kedge is a smaller CQR 2m chain plus warp only used when beaching bow in.
I live with the odd chips in the gell coat.
Philip

PS It fits in the locker.
Philip

David.
Confirming what Philip has said ... I have had the original CQR anchor since I bought Elsa in 1982 have anchored in mud and sand hundreds of times and dragged rarely ... mostly in thick kelp.
As Philip says it fits neatly in the locker.
My furler drum is a little higher than most which makes recovery easy especially as I have a slim swivel on the shank so that it lifts straight up onto the deck with the fluke clear of the bow in the roller.... avoiding the swinging into the bow on retrieval.
I use 5m of heavy chain (3/8 inch) then a further 5 of standard chain then rope. When anchored in deeper water I deploy one or two 5kg lead 'angels' which are run down the rope to the rope/chain join to reduce swinging range and keep the chain angle more horizontal.
I have famous photo (taken by the harbour master at Newtown who couldn't believe his eyes) of seven of our club boats (RVYC .. see Hilary's post) all hanging on my anchor. The raft just started to drag slowly as the tide and wind increased.
Chris Turner Elsa 26 103

PS. Why would anyone keep the same boat for 37 years? Excellent choice. Goes anywhere and quickly!

.

Hi David

My SS26 Mya came with a Rocna which I am in love with. It's light (I think it's the 6kg version but happy to check), fits in the anchor locker (just - one direction only) and in spite of only about 5m chain it has never dragged. if it has one annoying habit it's that it digs itself in so deep in a blow that I have had to winch it out of the mud next morning, much of which is then attached to the shelf/claw thing. Better that than dragging though.

Now that we have all publicly declared faith in our undraggable anchors we are going to have cross our fingers all next season...

Good luck with the new boat
Peter

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It all depends on the bottom of course but having felt the need to go for something newer generation, pointed and heavier for the kind of'clunch', shell ,stony bottoms where our Fortress FX11 won't penetrate,and our old 9kg CQR failed to impress ,it's interesting to compare what others are carrying compared with current recommendations.These all err on the cautious side of anchor weights indicated for the 26 and using 3 tons where weight is stated :
Generally based on Lewmars tables,those for the Rocna/Vulcan and Spade by mnfr:

Vulcan 9Kg ( based 50 kts & poor holding)
Rocna 10Kg (ditto)
Spade 15kg (ditto)

Lewmar LFX (danforth type alloy sim.Fortress) 3.2Kg ( sand and mud )
Lewmar CQR 9KG plus
Lewmar Claw 7.5Kg plus
Lewmar Delta 10Kg
The awaited galvanised Lewmar Epsilon doesn't seem to match its earlier billing as equivalent to the Spade.

The ability of the Seal to shuttlecock at anchor and to lie across either the wind or current can impose extreme loads on the rode and with the foil keel down movements across the current are induced.So for a main anchor in a blow I think the choice should be firmly in the 30 foot range.

Many many thanks to everybody who contributed to this thread. Assuming the Survey goes well on Monday and I become the owner I will experiment with what anchors I have or can temporarily borrow next summer.

Peter D Liked what you said about the rocna. Confirms my own experiences.Presume yours was the hoop design. If you can confirm 6kg size fits locker I would be grateful

Peter L my research revealed similar results to yours but I would prefer to try and find something that will fit in the locker. Best wishes for your anchor stowed on the roller design. Sometimes the stock can interfere with the anchor locker lid opening but am sure you have a plan in mind.

Hilary. Just a quick note to say that you are correct .The 7kg Bruce will fit,just. Not sure why I could not get it to fit before

Thanks for the info.

Regards

David

Hi David hope your survey went well. Just to correct myself, I checked the Rocna anchor and it's 10kg not 6. I have to say I am feeling better, having guessed at 6kg by guessing the measurements I was already worrying it was too light! THe 10 fits the locker fine as long as don't let the chain get in the way on the shelf bit. Good luck with the boat - Peter

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Hi Peter,

Survey went fairly well although I am expecting a lengthy "to do" list in the report which I should have Mon or Tues.

Am intrigued that you have got a 10kg Rocna to fit. This would definitely have been my first choice for the boat. When I measured the locker I came up with just under 12ins at the deepest part at the front . According to the internet the 10kg delta and rocna had widths of 12.5 inches and 14.4 inches respectively so I obviously excluded them as being too big. Did the later Seals have bigger lockers?Or am I missing something.

David

I can offer no warranty on the size of either a Super Seal anchor locker or of a 10kg Rocna anchor! Certainly it is a tight fit: it only goes in with the big bit of the anchor in the deep well at the fron and the shaft on the shelf at the back, and if you get chain under the shaft then the lid won't fit. My boat is one of the oldest - no 15 - and the Rocna, while presumably a lot younger, is far from new and came with the boat, so they might have changed the dimensions since.

Rocnas are terribly expensive I believe and you don't want to get it wrong so you'd be very welcome to borrow mine while the boat is out of the water over the winter and make sure it fits before you part with hard cash. The boat is near Emsworth, just let me know.

Cheers
Peter

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David

I can offer no warranty on the size of either a Super Seal anchor locker or of a 10kg Rocna anchor! Certainly it is a tight fit: it only goes in with the big bit of the anchor in the deep well at the fron and the shaft on the shelf at the back, and if you get chain under the shaft then the lid won't fit. My boat is one of the oldest - no 15 - and the Rocna, while presumably a lot younger, is far from new and came with the boat, so they might have changed the dimensions since.

Rocnas are terribly expensive I believe and you don't want to get it wrong so you'd be very welcome to borrow mine while the boat is out of the water over the winter and make sure it fits before you part with hard cash. The boat is near Emsworth, just let me know.

Cheers
Peter

Hi Peter, I've just bought a Super Seal 26 and am too looking for an anchor that fits in the locker. Does your 10kg Ronca have the hoop as pictured?

kind regards,

Nick.

Hi Nick, Congratulations, which one?

Yes that looks like my anchor. The hoop apparently is the clever bit that rolls it over to make the spike dig in.

No relevance to your question but I was tickled by the title of this thread, as I came across some original and potentially embarassing anchor damage this season which I would love to have prevented. Released from lockdown no-overnighting in early July I made a beeline for Devon - so stir crazy that I happily set off into the high twenties on the nose. I was dismayed to find water in the boat but put it down to a leaky hatch and simply sponged out in Yarmouth. Next day even more wind, two hours into Christchurch Bay and even more water. Heading below I discovered the focsle now had a water feature at the sharp end caused by the bottom of the anchor well splitting. Every time the bow went through a wave (most of the time in those conditions) a thin sheet of water squirted through and onto my brand new bunk cushions. Back to Yarmouth and a morning with the harbourmaster's hot air gun and a quantity of glass fibre mat and resin and the holiday began rather late, and remained damp for the full ten days.

Moral of the story for all SS26 owners - whether your anchor is 7 or 10kg and regardless of what brand it is, have a good check around your well before you put the bow into a wave, and maybe investigate preventing the anchor from bouncing up and down on the floor of it. I suspect Mr Baker was thinking weight saving plus Lark-sized grapnel kedge when he built the front end of the Super Seal.

Cheers
Peter

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Hi Nick, Congratulations, which one?

Yes that looks like my anchor. The hoop apparently is the clever bit that rolls it over to make the spike dig in.

No relevance to your question but I was tickled by the title of this thread, as I came across some original and potentially embarassing anchor damage this season which I would love to have prevented. Released from lockdown no-overnighting in early July I made a beeline for Devon - so stir crazy that I happily set off into the high twenties on the nose. I was dismayed to find water in the boat but put it down to a leaky hatch and simply sponged out in Yarmouth. Next day even more wind, two hours into Christchurch Bay and even more water. Heading below I discovered the focsle now had a water feature at the sharp end caused by the bottom of the anchor well splitting. Every time the bow went through a wave (most of the time in those conditions) a thin sheet of water squirted through and onto my brand new bunk cushions. Back to Yarmouth and a morning with the harbourmaster's hot air gun and a quantity of glass fibre mat and resin and the holiday began rather late, and remained damp for the full ten days.

Moral of the story for all SS26 owners - whether your anchor is 7 or 10kg and regardless of what brand it is, have a good check around your well before you put the bow into a wave, and maybe investigate preventing the anchor from bouncing up and down on the floor of it. I suspect Mr Baker was thinking weight saving plus Lark-sized grapnel kedge when he built the front end of the Super Seal.

Cheers
Peter

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