240 DA Anchor Recommendation

M

meant2be

New Member
Jul 16, 2009
39
CT
Boat Info
240 Sundancer 2007
Engines
5.0 Mercruiser
Bravo III
Hello all. I am 3 weeks into a 2007 240 Sundancer. We were out the other night with full tank of fuel, coolers and the works. There was a good breeze that night and our anchor just would not hold. I have an 8 lb utilty anchor with chain and had plenty of line out. I now know that anchor is undersized but the next size up will not fit into the anchor locker so I bought a 16.5 lb claw as it is not as wide but that also is a pain in the but to get into and out of the locker. Does anyone have any recommendations as to what anchor is adequate for this boat and will fit into the anchor locker easily without causing damage? I do not have an anchor roller either, another issue with this 240 Sea Ray Sundancer. You would think that Sea Ray would make a large enough anchor locker to fit the correct size anchor.:huh:
 
Are you backing down the anchor when setting it? Also the type of anchor you choose would be determined by the type of bottom and conditions you are anchoring in. Mud, sand, rock, tides, wind, etc.

A fortress Fx 7 8lbs would fit your boat. Or Delta makes a 14lbs plow that would fit your boat.
 
meant2be said:
Hello all. I am 3 weeks into a 2007 240 Sundancer. We were out the other night with full tank of fuel, coolers and the works. There was a good breeze that night and our anchor just would not hold. I have an 8 lb utilty anchor with chain and had plenty of line out. I now know that anchor is undersized but the next size up will not fit into the anchor locker so I bought a 16.5 lb claw as it is not as wide but that also is a pain in the but to get into and out of the locker. Does anyone have any recommendations as to what anchor is adequate for this boat and will fit into the anchor locker easily without causing damage? I do not have an anchor roller either, another issue with this 240 Sea Ray Sundancer. You would think that Sea Ray would make a large enough anchor locker to fit the correct size anchor.:huh:
Click to expand...

A major design flaw in the 240. There are a lot of variables to your achor holding. I use a small danforth and I can hold the boat easily in 3-4 foot waves.

But the bottom has a lot to do with it. I have mostly sand bottom. One thing to check with a danforth is whether you have enough chain to keep it down. Also pay out enough rode to allow the anchor to set.

:thumbsup:
 
Sorry I should have mentioned that the bottom is mud.
 
I have always used a Fluke/Danforth style anchor as well. I think the anchor is around 12lbs and it works just fine. I think the key point here is having at least 6 feet of a good heavy chain leader. I also take the time to set the anchor and let out plenty of line according to the wind. I see so many people just throw a anchor over the side and wonder why they are drifting.
 
Here in RI, I have a delta and don't like it. Prior to this boat which I just got last winter, I have always used a Danforth. I will be switching over to the danforth this weekend. Like others have said, you also have to set the anchor properly....I too see people throw the anchor over all the time and sit there and wonder why they are drifting.
 
When I have the space I always let out plenty of rode. The Delta Plow is the same dimensions as the claw anchor I have so I will have the same issue with it getting in and out of the locker. I think what I will try doing is adding an additional 6' of chain and see if that helps. I will have a total of 12' of chain then.
 
a 14 lbs. plugh is a good anchor but I like the fortress better for small boats because it is lighter and holds very well! The most important thing to me is to have a 10 - 15 ft. chain rode on it before the line so it settles well and hooks up.
 
If it's an actual 8 pound fluke, and not an economy number 8, it can work. Still would be a good idea to get the next size up, though.

But, here's the thing. Where you following the proper procedures for anchoring? How much chain do you have? What was your scope?

There's quite a few threads on here about anchoring technique - when you get a chance, use the search feature. I think you'll be surprised at just how much info is already in other threads.
 
meant2be said:
When I have the space I always let out plenty of rode. The Delta Plow is the same dimensions as the claw anchor I have so I will have the same issue with it getting in and out of the locker. I think what I will try doing is adding an additional 6' of chain and see if that helps. I will have a total of 12' of chain then.
Click to expand...


I think you'll be surprised how well the extra chain works. I just had a similar problem with my 280, NEVER could get the anchor to hold. So I went out and spen $300 on a new anchor, then more chain, and finally a new rode. For the heck of it, I changed the chain only at first (I should note here that another member suggested this to me once, and at that I had 18 INCHES of chain, and I replaced JUST THAT with 12 feet of new chain.) MAJOR difference. We were out on the local party bay nearby with decent wind and I was anchored quite firmly for several hours. It was the first time in 3 yrs of owning this boat that I didn't have to keep pulling the swimmers out of the water to re-anchor.

Bottom line is I spent $500 on all new ground tackle and really only needed $35 worth of chain. Just my $0.02.
 
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Lauralex said:
I think you'll be surprised how well the extra chain works. I just had a similar problem with my 280, NEVER could get the anchor to hold. So I went out and spen $300 on a new anchor, then more chain, and finally a new rode. For the heck of it, I changed the chain only at first (I should note here that another member suggested this to me once, and at that I had 18 INCHES of chain, and I replaced JUST THAT with 12 feet of new chain.) MAJOR difference. We were out on the local party bay nearby with decent wind and I was anchored quite firmly for several hours. It was the first time in 3 yrs of owning this boat that I didn't have to keep pulling the swimmers out of the water to re-anchor.

Bottom line is I spent $500 on all new ground tackle and really only needed $35 worth of chain. Just my $0.02.
Click to expand...

Now that's experience that makes you an expert. :thumbsup:
 
Thanks for all the good advise. I am going to add the extra length of chain and see how that works.
 
Meant 2 Be:

I have an 07 240 Sundancer also. (love it) The dealer gave me an 8 pound Danforth with about 4 feet of light chain rode when I bought the boat. Found out the hard way that 8 pounds in insufficient, especially in a good wind. Bought a 14 pound Danforth with 6 feet of heavy chain rode - and it fits pretty easily into the anchor locker....Good luck.

Vman
 
I use a 5lb danforth, hi tensile, with about 6-8ft of 3/8 chain. Works better than any other anchor I've tried. I even cut the...tines?? off.
I have a fortress, don't like it, and a plow, works ok. My 5lb danforth used to be my picnic or stern anchor. I got caught in a storm in the bahamas one year with the family rafted off me. Three other boats. We all swung off the little danforth and waited for it to fail, but it didn't. So I use it as my main anchor now.
That's my experience, and my opinion.
 
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