Bruce or Delta anchor

A

Anita Marie

New member
I have a Bruce anchor on my 22' Cruiser but I also have a 14 lb. Delta that I have not used yet. What are folks feelings on these anchors? If I changed anchors what bow roller is right for a the Delta on a 22? I have anchored with the Bruce many times but I like the write ups on the Delta, it also is self launching.

Fred
 
Fred, I am looking into getting a Delta for my boat. I too have a Bruce. The Delta, as I have been told, will set quicker and set through grass and weeds easier than the Bruce, or any other common type of anchor. I was told that the majority of the weight of the anchor is at the "point" when it rolls and starts to set. This helps it dig in more effectively and it has more surface area for holding. (pound for pound) I need to do more research concerning the pros and cons of these anchors, and also the price, size and whether a 12 pound Delta will fit in my bow roller. I will be interested in what others have to say about these anchors. Robbi
 
Just ordered a 22 from Cutter, Chesapeake Bay. All of their 22's come with
the Delta, and 150 ' of chain, with 600 windlass. The Chesapeake bottom is mostly soft mud, occasional hard sand, almost never any rocky ground. I plan to carry a small Danforth (i've always liked them) in the stern for a backup.

terraplane
 
OK, sounds like it is the Delta. Now I just need to decide what roller. The one that is on the boat now the Delta does not fit. Does anyone have a Delta installed and what roller are you using?

Thanks to everyone for the help
Fred
 
I think the best bet is the Windline BRM-4 anchor roller. This is a real skookum self launch roller and is specifically designed for the Bruce 22# anchor and the 22# Delta as well as the 14# Delta. This roller has a lock pin which fits the Bruce anchor to secure it in place during travel and I believe it will secure both the Deltas as well.
 
Thanks for this thread gentlemen as I have a new 14# Delta sitting on my desk and have been wondering if the current bow roller would work with it. As soon as the temps reach double digits I'll go out and test the Delta in the current roller.
Mike 'Levity'
 
Just checked my Boat US Catalog for anchor rollers. It lists options for the 14lb Delta as follows: BRM-2, BRM-3, BRM-4, CR-1, URM-1, URM-3, URM-4; priced from $110 to $235. The URM-3 sure looks like the current anchor roller on Levity. Maybe some persuasion from the big 'ammer is all that is needed to make the Delta work with the URM-3.
Mike 'Levity'
 
A bunch of us that anchor multiple times a day while stugeon fishing use Lewmar's Pivoting roller #SIMLA#66840007 (West Marine #221440). It will work well with most anyones anchor.

I also use a Bruce 22# here on the river. It holds well in the mud/sand mix and also is considered a fair rock anchor. That's small rocks and not bolders. As far as grass goes we don't have a bunch here but the 22# model with a fair shot of chain is meant for 28' to 32' boats, all of which most likely weigh in at more than a C-Dory. The ability to get into grass should be good for most any body of grass given the anchor weight and chain. Not sure what kind of wind this setup would hold in but, given river current of a spring run off on a full ebb tide at the mouth of the Columbia River, I've never felt even close to coming unhooked. Not sure about TyBoo Mike but I think this is the same setup he uses. Also Raven Dave and others so I feel pretty secure when it's deployed.

Tim
 
Not sure about TyBoo Mike but I think this is the same setup he uses. Also Raven Dave and others so I feel pretty secure when it's deployed.
Click to expand...

Exactly the same. My chain is 15'.

I used a fluke type anchor on my 22 CD (one size bigger than specs), and never had much for problems. I liked to deploy 75' and crank back in to 50' when sturgeon fishing in 12' to 20' depth (using those exact numbers on the line counter was superstition, you see). That held the 22 just fine and limited the swing. I have a Bruce as Tim describes on the CD 25, and I found I need at least 5:1 scope to get a set and hold in the current. A good rip of 5 knots or so, and I feel more comfortable with 7:1. Not real sure if it's the bigger boat or the different style anchor, but I much preferred the shorter scope. Fortunately, the 25 doesn't get blown around as easy at anchor as the 22 did.

I absolutely love the pivoting roller. The Bruce falls off with no swing or bounce, and parks itself right side up and dead center in the roller every time when retrieving (swivel between chain and shank). You could probably get by without the hinged job with the Bruce or Delta, but if I lost my anchor and my wife had the checkbook hidden again, I would scrounge up a cheap Danforth knockoff and be back fishing quick. And I would still be able to adhere to the cardinal rule for windlass use: Never leave the helm seat during anchoring operations.
 
Mike (Levity)-

While the catalogue lists all those models as working with the Delta, it means they will hold the anchor. It doesn't mean they will self-launch. Try it and see.

One fellow on another site added a roller in the middle of one of the "fixed" URM types to lift the shank which made it self launch.

The pivoting type referred to by Tim is what I've got and it works like nothing else.

Mike's Cardinal Rule is for safety even more than convenience and why we all want the hook to self-deploy. Good Luck! Joe.
 
Today I installed the 14 lb Delta on the Simpson Lawrence pivoting bow roller. The aft end rises enough when pivoting to cause the chain to approach the Sprint 400 at too steep an angle. It pivots all the time until pulled tight by the windlass.

I fear excessive wear or malfunction. I bought, but have not installed a roller type fairlead - AR-2. The fairlead would occupy the entire 6 inches between the end of the shank and the windlass. If it fits, it would lower the chain to a horizontal pull at the windlass.

Have any of you,who use the Simpson Lawrence pivoting bow roller, found this to be a problem?
 
Tim on Lynn Marie had a similar problem, and solved it with a similar solution. I take it you are planning to install the fairlead between the back of the pivoting job and the windlass? Works great for Tim.

By the way, the problem of the chain rising too high above the gypsy would likely still occur with a fixed bow roller. The shank of the anchor would push the chain up just before it slammed down. You did good getting the pivot job.
 
Amen brother. I did put the fairlead roller in right after the rope jumped out of the windlass the first time. I knew I didn't want to see the second time. What I installed was the "Windline" AR-4 which can be found in the West Marine catalog in their anchor roller section. It works great.

Tim
 
I think the answer to your question is yes Al but thats just what I have heard. I'll take a back seat to someone with first hand experience.

My question in regards to the BRM-2 roller is if a 13lb fluke style anchor will self launch or even fit this roller? I've gone down to West Marine several times over the past few months but they haven't had the roller in stock to try out for myself.

Tim
 
Back
Top