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I' want to use a Danforth anchor as a summer mooring for my 15 1/2 foot Whaler. The boat will be in a sheltered salt water cove with mud bottom (Penobscot Bay, Maine). I don't want to use a mushroom because I will want to bring up the anchor at the end of the season and perhaps use it as a cruising anchor as well. I understand the value of using a mushroom but I am interested in what people might have to say about using a Danforth anchor as a mooring anchor. Tides range around ten feet or so. What size and length anchor chain should I use. How long should the anchor rope be? What should I use for a mooring buoy? Thanks for any help you can give me from your own experience or by referring me to literature that might help.
If you aren't going to use a mushroom anchor, which is designed for moorings, I would think two claw anchors on equal length lines with your boat in the middle would do. How many other boats in this area? If for any reason, storm, hurricane, violent thunderstorm, your boat moves it will probably make a mess of everyone's lines. I would use an anchor for the most extreme weather possibly encountered and that would make that anchor unsuitable for everyday use.
I winter in Ft. Myers and summer in St. Joseph, Michigan. It’s now about 12 years since I’ve joined this group. I gave my 1972 whaler to my daughter and sold the 17’. Bought an O’Day 28 sailboat and sailed on Lake Michigan. Yesterday I bought a 2005 130 Sport.
My first thought thought was don't use an anchor for a morning( I could be wrong). My experience with mornings even in a lake was that they were quite substantial and somewhat large concrete blocks sized for your boat.
I did some quick calculations in the aisle of West Marine a few years ago. I needed a temporary mooring to "squat"while on a week-long Summer vacation. I can't recite the exact equation I used - but I ended up with a small mushroom (35 lbs) coupled with my Danforth anchor. This allowed me to store the mushroom in my early Whaler (small) bow locker. The combination of the mushroom and Danforth worked perfectly.
The size danforth you would want to use for a mooring, is not a size you would want to take cruising with you on the boat. Not to mention all the chain, swivels, shackles, bouy, etc that are part of the mooring apparatus.
So that is by way of saying that you shouldn't choose a danforth as your mooring anchor because you hope it can serve double-duty.
There is a science to putting together a proper mooring. There is the mooring anchor, the heavy ground chain, the sevondary chain, shackles and swivels, float, pennant, pickup bouy, etc. These all get sized (length, weight, gauge) based on the size/weight of boat being moored, the depth of water being moored in, and bottom conditions.
You are from Maine so you have a very good local resource in Hamilton Marine. They are experts on moorings and sell all the necessary components at reasonable prices. If you decide to go with a more conventional anchor instead of a mushroom, I agree with the earlier suggestion that a claw-style anchor (aka Bruce, now Lewmar Claw) would probably be a better choice. A 20 lb claw with ground chain etc would hold very well in mud and should be more than adequate.
Thanks everybody for your input. Considering the number of things I'd have to keep in mind and purchase - and the labor involved - I've decided to call Islesboro Marine and have them install the mooring. This way I won't hurt myself or damage my boat. And the peace of mind will justify the cost. I wish i could haul out my boat but the gravel beaches in Maine can sometimes be too soft for traction. I'll use my Danforth for anchoring only.
