You have just bought a Grand Banks trawler; shes perfect in every way. You need to upgrade her electronics and then she will be ready for some cruising. You cannot wait to set the anchor and enjoy the water.

But before you rush into it, is the anchor the right one? It came with the trawler so it should be, shouldn’t it? So what is the best type of anchor for you boat; is your anchor the best one for your cruising?" I get asked that question a lot, and the answer is that the type of bottom, be it mud, grass, sand, coral or rock, will determine the right selection of anchor, as will the size of your watercraft. And some situations may even call for more than one anchor to be used.

And of course, wind will always play a role in how well an anchor holds; each time the wind speed doubles, forces increase by 4 on the anchor and rode.

Sizing an anchor for your trawler reinforces, the "bigger is better" concept; you truly cannot have too much anchor. If your engine fails and you are floating toward an open inlet, having a suitably sized anchor ready could save you and your boat. But anchor selection has some practical issues to keep in mind; pulling a heavy anchor by hand with no windlass would be difficult if not impossible.

Anchors must provide resistance in the sea bed to work properly. And the anchor's ability to work is totally dependent on its capability to penetrate the sea floor. Therefore, the selection of an appropriate sea bed for dropping anchor is more critical than the anchor you choose. You must consider the sea bed bottom conditions when selecting your anchor.

I use a 35 lb. Lewmar CQR anchor aboard our trawler, the Patricia Ann. It routinely holds in sand and mud bottoms in our cruising region without pulling free. It sets easily.

Here is a breakdown of potential options based on sea beds you may encounter:

Sand: Fine–grained sand is rather easy for anchors to penetrate and offers dependably good holding power with foreseeable results. Fluke anchors are the best type in sand.

Mud: Mud has low shear strength, and requires an anchor design with a broad shank. This permits the anchor to penetrate deeper into mud where there is greater sheer strength. Mud bottoms may have clay just below the mud; anchors that penetrate into the clay will have even better holding power. Hinged plow anchors and CQR anchors function better in this setting.

Rock and Coral: Where you drop your anchor influences the holding power. Plow type anchors, with high structural strength to support the high point loads, normally work the best in rock or coral. These anchors include the Claw, CQR, and Delta

Shale, clay, and grassy bottoms: These are difficult bottoms for all anchor designs, with the weight of the anchor being the most significant factor in determining penetration and holding power. CQR and Delta anchors are found to be good due to their capability for penetrating vegetation. However, these circumstances have a high likelihood of failing to set, due to the anchor catching on grass, roots and protrusions, rather than something rock-solid.

The following is a breakdown of the 5 styles of anchors. Cost comparisons are based upon fitting out a 40 foot power boat.

1 - Fluke Anchors

Pros: Good holding power in sand. Can be had in light weight aluminum. Low priced. Holds good in sand. Can be bought in light weight aluminum alloy. Inexpensive.

Cons: Limited or no holding in rock, mud, grass, or clay bottoms.

Brands: Fortress, Danforth, Guardian

Costs: $109.00 for 40 ft boat

2 - Claw Anchors

Pros: Inexpensive. Sets quickly and dependably in most sea beds and resets well. High–strength one–piece design. Roll stabilized.

Cons: Difficult to stow without rollers or chocks. Limited holding power in mud or soft sand.

Brands: Lewmar Claw, Manson Claw

Costs: $109.00 for a 40 ft. boat

3 - Non–Hinged Plow Anchors

Pros: Very strong, made from heat-treated steel. Works good in sand.

Cons: May have problems setting in mud, rock, grass or clay bottoms. Pricey

Brands: Delta, Anchorlift

Costs: $278.00 for a 40 ft. boat

4 - Non–Hinged Scoop Anchors

Pros: Roll bar for easy resets. Strong high tensile steel construction. Self–launches from most bow rollers. Acceptable holding in sand and mud. Sets easily.

Cons: More expensive

Brands: Rocna, Manson

Costs: $599.00 for a 40 ft. boat

5 - Hinged Plow Anchors

Pros: Widely used. Heavy construction.. Stows easily on an anchor roller, and sets well in most sea beds. Easily penetrates mud and grass. Good holding power.· Cons: Anchors are large and heavy. Very expensive.

Brands: CQR, Manson

Costs: $749.00 for a 40 ft. boat