Bruce anchors

R

riversun45

New member
I have been searching for a 22# Bruce anchor as a replacement for the Danforth on my CD-22 and emailed the Bruce British Company and got this return email. A true Bruce anchor is no longer being manufactured. It seems that claw type anchors are being labeled as Bruce but the reviews I have read say that the claw type anchor is inferior to the Bruce in it’s holding and setting properties. Can anyone enlighten me as to what type of anchor I should look at as a replacement for the Bruce OR if anyone has a 22# or 16# Bruce they want to sell me that would also be great.

Jon

Dear Sir,

In response to your recent enquiry, regarding an original Bruce anchor, we would advise that Bruce Anchor (Leisure) Limited, a former sister company,
ceased the production and supply of genuine cast steel Bruce anchors in
2005.

There are numerous look-a-like anchors and copies being passed-off as Bruce
type cast anchors. No other manufacturer has been licensed to produce the
Bruce cast steel anchor, use Bruce pattern equipment, or authorised to use
the Bruce name, which is a registered trademark and the property of Brupat
Limited. Lloyds Register of Shipping Design Approval is specific to genuine
Bruce cast steel anchors and as such does not apply to non-genuine products.


Please note that Bruce Anchor Limited primarily supplies anchors to the
offshore oil industry. However, it can supply a Bruce cast steel anchor of
250kg or, alternatively, the Bruce TS anchor in sizes 110kg, 130kg, 184kg
and 237kg (mass excludes galvanizing), for leisure market and naval
applications. We regret that we are unable to assist if your requirement is
outside this range.

Best regards,

David Ledgerwood
Sales Office Manager

Bruce Anchor Ltd
Tel: +44-1624-629203
Fax: +44-1624-622227
E-mail: sales@bruceanchor.co.uk

-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Cross [mailto:jbcrossrvg@mac.com]
Sent: 14 October 2010 20:16
To: sales@bruceanchor.co.uk
Subject: price of 22# bruce

What is the price and shipping to the US (87508) for a 22# Bruce anchor?
 
I have a genuine Bruce anchor, which was produced in Brazil. The following is based on my experience.

The Bruce works great in mud, sand and rocks. It's not so great in kelp or thick weedy bottom. However, when I'm anchoring in the PNW, it's my primary anchor.

I have owned a plow (CQR) which is similar to the Delta. They set well and hold well. I have had the plow drag through mud and sand when it was windy (~15-20 knts.) In the Chesapeake Bay and the Florida Keys. After all it's a plow. Set and held in coral, seaweed and rock.

I also bought a Manson Supreme, since I need an anchor that holds in seaweed and grass as well as the other stuff, for SoCal. Well made and penetrates grass and seaweed. Hard to set in mud and doesn't hold well. For mud I go back to the Bruce/claw; but we don't have mud in SoCal.

I've finally decided that the plain ordinary Danforth, around since WWII, is probably the best all around anchor for the places we go: up and down the West Coast with some river travel. Doesn't look as "Cool" as the Manson.

So no one anchor is the "best", but pick the one which suits you. Actually the 110 kg Bruce would really anchor your 22. I'd highly recommend it.

Boris
 
journey on":2kvdpgly said:
So no one anchor is the "best", but pick the one which suits you. Actually the 110 kg Bruce would really anchor your 22. I'd highly recommend it.

Boris
Click to expand...

And furthermore, once you get that sucker down and holding, you'll need the mother of all windlasses to bring it back up. On the plus side, you could put some very heavy engines on the stern to offset it... :mrgreen:

Charlie
 
"Bruce" anchors are now marketed by Lewmar. They have, as far as I know, the same design geometry and should set and hold just as the originals did. Lewmar has marketed these for years and I would not be concerned about "inferior" quality. We had a 22# Bruce/Lewmar on our 22 for years and it worked well in most cases. I found difficulty getting it to set in heavy kelp and switched to a Delta fast set claw/plow. It has proven very good thus far and has set in everything. My backup anchor is a Bruce.
 
prior to my current boat, my anchor of choice was the danforth. worked reasonably well, but was a bit awkward. had the two ends sticking out and returning it to the anchor roller presented a challenge if the flukes reversed themselves while pulling it up.
my current boat has the delta-plow. works like a charm. holds extremely well and has never presented a problem.

i agree with charlie, when the anchor gets cemented in, beyond the capacity of a windlass, it becomes very embarrassing to stand at the bow pulpit, bare chested, displaying muscles resembling harden steel, fighting off the on looking 21 year old babes, and physically pull up the anchor as if it were no more than a piece of string. so, to avoid this situation i either cut the line or have my wife pull in the anchor.

best regards
pat
 
I bought my first genuine Bruce in 1981 it was a 30 lb model I think I finished paying for it this year! Some pricey over $1100 bucks as I recall. Since then that is all I have used got great results. Bruce stopped mfg when their patent ran out. The Lewmar claws are really inexpensive in comparison and they are plenty strong for our boats. I have used the Lewmar claw since. My CD19 used the 16lb claw again good results. My new CD22 will run a Claw 22 lb. Backing these things up with 30 or 40 feet of good chain is the key. I will use a 5lb claw for a stern hook. I sat out a 30+ knot blow last winter in my 19 in 20 feet of water. When I went to retrieve my hook I found I only had a 3 to 1 scope. Didn't drag a bit however so all good. One needs several anchors aboard anyway in mho, George
 
I think Charlie, with his tongue planted firmly in cheek, was refering to the 110 kg Bruce (242 lbs.!) :shock:

Caution, only TomCats should attempt to use those :lol: :lol:
 
If you buy enough of the 250kg Bruce anchors, all you need to do it put them in the boat - no chain or anchor line will be required to get a firm hold on the bottom. Something between 4 and 6 of them should do the job just fine.
 
I frequently dive Buchanan's Reef in SoCal, which is a great spot to find new anchors. The rocky bottom has lots of small caves, swim-throughs and overhangs. Danforth anchors tend to bend when pulled with enough strength, but the Bruce type and their clones get left behind. For years I used an anchor found at Buchanan's on my last boat. It was a Bruce clone made in China, so I called it my Bruce Lee anchor.
 
I use an 11# Bruce on Adeline. 15' of chain. Anything heavier seems overkill to me. Bruce tables list the 11#er as a working anchor for boats to 29'. BRUCE ANCHOR SELECTION GUIDE

Never dragged in any of the blows I've been in. Seems perfect for Puget Sound/San Juans.

If I boated Alaska I MIGHT go bigger.

I tried the Lewmar and it looks identical, but, the castings were not very precise and I couldn't get a 5'16" shackle to insert in the shank eye.

It was cheaper by far. $50 vs $130 ?

The Fortress FX-7 makes a nice backup. Disassembles for easy stowage. Light.

Always carry spare line/chain/shackles. If you lose an anchor you'll lose them too.

I switched from seizing wire to zip-ties to secure the shackle pins. Gotten lazy.:roll:

Good ground tackle is is indispensible.

When, and I mean WHEN your motor dies, the tide will be running, the wind will be blowing, rocks, reefs, dolphins, wingdams, freighters, and more will instantly become hazzards that threaten your boat and your life.

Think of the anchor as a sea-going "emergency brake".

A collision at sea can ruin your whole day. :wink:

Here is a great resource
 
Various anchors work well in different bottoms. The Bruce is very popular in the PNW--but not at all in FL area. For rivers and inland areas, I would consider the Delta or Manson Supreme.

In one test we did, we used the same chain and rode--winched a 22 lb genuine Bruce back to the boat 6 times. One set of a 12 lb HT Danforth, and it pulled the boat off the dock. (Sailboat with large manual and two speed electric winches--don't try that with a C Dory windlass.
 
Forgot to mention the Fortress anchor. Strong and light. The light part is that which got me. The only time I tried to set a Fortress, it sort of floated to the bottom and then skipped along the top of the seaweed. Would not grab a hold, and I had ~30' of chain on it.

Be aware that anchors need some weight to set, so if you're getting a Fortress, look at the weight and the bottom in which you're going to anchor.

Fortress, in the larger sizes supply "mud paws" to help it set in mud. That make the flukes stick out, so they may be good for seaweed. I never tried them.

They look like a Danforth, so they're going to store on the bow the same way, sorta uncool. Just remember you're buying an anchor to save your rear, so how it stores on the bow roller should be a second or third consideration.

Again Bob's got it right (glad to hear that, Bob?) A Danforth still is a good anchor. They were developed (so I heard) to hold landing craft on the beaches in WWII. So you're buying a piece of history.

Boris
 
“Ask and yea shall receive” I knew I would get a tutorial on anchors with humor. And that I did. I thank all of you so much. I guess I’ll get two 110 kg Bruce’s, one for the bow and one for the stern-good weight distribution and I can ride out a hurricane. I AM looking at a Lewmar though. Pat, of Misty Seas, you say you no longer get bare chested and pull up the anchor yourself but rather let your wife Linda do it. Now I know better than to walk into a bar and ask a stranger (I have never met you folks) about his wife but there is an obvious question here. But rather than commit a fopa, I won’t ask the question “)”)”)
Thanks All-Jon
:lol: :lol:
 
Here is a quote from another forum by some guy named "Thataway4" a few years ago--and it is still valid today.


"The Danforth patent was basically for the 32 degree angle between the flukes and the shank. The Danforth was inverted by Robert Danforth Ogg in the late 30's and there was a patent application about 1941. Almost immediately Northill filed a law suite. Northill was working for Northrop aviation and developing sea plane anchors. The anchors were enough different that both patterns were allowed. The use of the Origional Danforth (as slightly modified by the Navy) was for landing craft. The landing craft had large reel winches with cables attatched to the anchor which was deployed from the stern as the boat drove onto the beach. The anchor would winch the boat off the beach after the load was deployed. I have a couple of the origional Danforth and Northill anchors. The Danforth came in two forms (neither is currently produced). One was an anchor which had both flukes forged in one piece. The shank and crown was also forged, with the cross bar pinned in place. The second type had each fluke forged (with the "T" inner flange like the current HT)separately, and the two crown pieces forged separately. The two halves of the crown, were riveted to the flukes and other half of the crown--no welding. The shank was heavier than the current anchors and the cross bar, was also heavier. These were mass produced in 40, 75 and 150 lb sizes (some much larger for the larger landing craft). Some were made in bronze. These were almost given away at the end of WWII.

Rule industries made a number of versions of the Danforth--all variations of the standard or HT. Some were not particularly good anchors. (as I recollect the 2500 was one I almost gave away after trying) None were better than the HT, or the origional ones made for the landing craft. The HT is a forged steel. The standard is just bent heavy sheet metal. The deep set have higher strength steel, and a spring type steel for the shank, but both of these are susceptible to bending if caught under a rock or coral head. In the sands of S. Calif, or some of the small rocky/sandy beaches of S. Calif (and many other places) the standard Danforth is a satisfactory anchor. I never trusted my boats to a standard Danforth anchor as its primary anchor in the 40+ years I sailed out of S. Calif. I used a high test. The problem with "XX size rated for 20 knots winds" is that winds often shift, currents shift, and the danforth can pull free--then if the boat starts dragging, the anchor will not reset, and tends to float. Fluke area and design, not only weight is important in an anchor. The lighter Fortress holds better than the standard Danforth. One of the other reasons that folks get away with using the standard danforth in S. Calif. is that it is customary to anchor fore and aft, to keep the bow into the wind and swell, thus the boat does not swing widely and pull out either of the anchors."

Today, as during WWII the engines push a landing craft on the beach--and some still carry an anchor aft to winch off with. Although the landing craft were "dissposiable" they had to do a number of runs onto a beach during a landing. A number of the WWII landing craft were used as fishing boats in San Pedro (where i grew up around the docks) after WWII. Most had a more permeant bow attatched. There may still be a few of the larger steel landing craft around, but I suspect that most have rusted away.

The Fortress (or cheaper Guardian)--have the 32 degree angle for sand, and a 45 degree angle for mud. The mud palms can be attatched for more rapid penetration in some conditions. They have fairly sharp edges, and thus do set well in sand--some folks use them effectively with rope rode only--but setting an anchor this way is more of an art--and I don't recommend it. I carry a 37 lb Fortress on the Tom Cat as a storm anchor--the daily stern anchor is a 7 lb.
 
Interesting

On edit by Da Nag - Almost as interesting as the fork I just stuck in your spammin' butt...
 
Back
Top