Gear: Ground Tackle

Ground Tackle could just as easily been listed under the 'Safety Gear' category, as it critical to the safety of the boat and crew. However, it is a big enough category to have it's own page.

Winches

Selden Winch (Electric)

We need one electric winch to handle heavy loads, like raising the mainsail. Of course, it can also be used for other lines as well, like taking the jib sheet in. We are planning on going with the Selden S52-ST with their Electric motor attached. We like this winch because it is the only winch on the market that allows you to preload the line onto the drum and into the self-tailer and attach the handle, and still pull out the slack. This means you don't have to try and wrap the drum and put the line into the self-tailer while the line is under a load. This is much safer and faster than a standard winch setup. Due to their new ART rib setup, you also only need to put two wraps instead of four.

Selden Winches (Manual)

We are continuing with the S lineup from Selden for our manual winches. Not only do they have all the advantages I listed above, in the electric Selden winch, but each one can be converted to an electric winch later on, and we plan to do that, eventually. We just need to keep some costs down as we finish up the boat.

We plan to purchase four of these S Series Selden winches, the S46, S52, and two S60s.

Windlass

Windlass
Your Windlass is very important as it is the winch system that raises and lowers your anchor and chain, and lugging up 300 lbs. of chain and anchor by muscle power alone would be damn near impossible, certainly, undesirable. We want to go with a 48v windlass, where most boats use a 12v. Since our boat will be wired for both 12v and 48v, it would be advantageous to go to a 48 volt windlass as the power draw from these is heavy, and we could go with smaller diameter wire (less weight and less heat).
Here is the current choice:
1) Maxwell RC10-8 48V Rope & Chain Windlass 1000W: $2,598.00

Chain

Chain
There are basically three types under our consideration:

1) High Test: This is a Grade 43 chain, called G4 or HT. It is a high-carbon steel link chain. Right now, G4 is probably the most commonly used chain for windlass anchoring systems. It has twice the working load of BBB, so you may use a smaller size to get the same strength, which means less weight on the bow of your boat. This is especially important on a Catamaran where weight is an issue, and if you are going to places, like the South Pacific, where you will need about 300' to handle some of the deep anchorages. That much chain can add a whole lot of weight!

2) BBB: Also called Triple B, works well on a windlass gypsy, and was popular in times gone by. However, it has really been replaced by G4 these days, so we won't be going with this old standby.

3) Grade 70: This is called G7 (or Transport Chain). This chain is significantly stronger than G4, has very good hardness properties, and an extremely high strength-to-weight ratio. Unfortunately, it is not compatible with a lot of windlasses. We have also read that G7 is more brittle than G4, so it will not handle the kinds of violent tugging and yanking that can be experienced with an anchor system in heavy seas. G7 is more likely to snap than deform. So, some makers of windlasses don't recommend G7.

Chain Conclusion:
We plan to go with 3/8" High Test G4 galvanized chain. This is recommended for boats up to 50' and 50,000 pounds, (S/V Lynx will be about 50'4" and around 34,000 pounds, fully loaded). The price of G4 is something like $1.49 / foot. We plan for 300', so that comes out to a price of $447.00. It will weigh about 450 lbs.

Anchors

Anchors

So, which anchor. OK, here is where people go crazy. Everybody and their uncle has their opinion on which anchor is the best. It's a minefield out there of strong opinions. Right now, we are down to a few choices, as follows:

Our Choices in anchors

Mantus

* Stainless Steel
* Heavy tip
* Can be dismantled and stored.
* Good for all seabed types
* Self-righting Bow Roller
* Lifetime warranty
* 105 lbs. (47.6 kg)
* Price $1,140.00 (without shipping)

Rocna Vulcan

* Galvanized Steel
* Heavy tip
* Good for all seabed types
* Self-righting
* Lifetime warranty
* 88 lbs. (40 kg)
* Price $1545.00

Ultra Marine

* 316 Stainless Steel
* Self-righting weighted system
* Lead filled heavy tip
* Hollow shank
* Curved Tip
* Flat Underside for easy recovery
* Side Wing plates
* Non Chain - Foul Bar
* Good for all seabed types
* Lifetime warranty
* 100 lbs. (45 kg)
* Price $4.399 ($19.99 delivery from Amazon)

Sarca Excel No. 7

* Galvanized Steel
* Tangle resistant.
* Low center of gravity self rights and keeps the toe hunting continuously.
* Full range of anchors have been tested for super high holding power certification.
* Unrivaled Holding Power.
* 80 lbs. (36 kg)
* Price $1227.41 (without shipping, from Canada)

Mantus M2

* Galvanized Steel
* Formed from high quality steel plate and high end precision casting.
* Every part of the anchor system is hot-dipped galvanized for corrosion protection.
* Nose of the anchor is reinforced to guarantee a lifetime longevity.
* Designed to fit bowsprits and pulpits
* Lifetime warranty
* Anchor disassembles for easy storage.
* 85 lbs. (39 kg)
* Price $1470.00 (without shipping)

Anchor Conclusion

For S/V Lynx, we plan to buy two anchors. The first is the primary anchor, for the bow. The second will be a stern anchor, which will be stowed away most of the time. Based on several reviews by sailors we trust, we considered the Ultra Marine for the bow anchor. However, there are some other tests done by sailors not affiliated with any anchor brand that show the Sarca Excel as the top anchor in most seabeds and it comes at an attractive price! So, for now, based on the size and weight of our cat, we are planning on going with a Sarca Excel No 7 as our primary anchor.

For the stern anchor, the Mantus M2 is a good contender and is also very highly rated. When it comes to holding our expensive floating home, only the best will do. These are our top two anchors, and better yet, at the price points of $1,227 and $1,470, they are also a good deal. You can't beat the best holding and a good price! We can even switch the primary anchor out in certain seabeds if one of our two anchors isn't doing well. However, most of the time the M2 will be disassembled and stored while the Excel will be out as our primary hook.

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