Depending on how large your boat is and what type of seabeds you plan on anchoring in, the type and brand of anchor you should get varies. In this article, I will explain the exact best anchor (type, brand, model, and size) that will work the absolute best for you.
There are many different types of anchors including fluke, claw, plow, scoop, and more. Each has advantages and disadvantages depending on the exact situation. Before we get into all of the individual anchors, let’s look at the top 3 boat anchors and what these anchors are good for.
3 highest reccomended boat anchors
Best for small-medium boats in sand and mud
West Marine Fluke Anchor
Fluke anchors have great holding-power-to-weight ratio allowing them to hold a lot and be stored easily. They can also be used as a stern anchor for big and small boats… read more
Best for large boats in almost all sea beds
Vulcan Anchor
Vulcan scoop-style anchors have great holding power, while also being able to set relatively quickly. They work in almost any sea bed including sand, mud, gravel, clay, etc… read more
Best bang for buck for all-sized boats
Mantus M1
The Mantus M1 anchor performs about just as well as any anchor while being very affordable. The anchor does have some fouling problems in thick mud and weeds, but nothing beats it for the price… read more
As you can see from the 3 anchors above, not all anchors are created the same. Below, I’ve listed what you need to know to choose the right one.
Top 10 boat anchors
Below I’ve listed the 12 most popular boat anchors. These aren’t ranked in order as each one has different pros and cons making all of them the best for certain situations. However, I will start with anchors meant for small boats first and slowly continue to anchors recommended for yachts. So if you have a large boat, you can scroll past these first few.
1. Best for very small boats anchoring in sand and mud: Greenfield dipped mushroom anchor
Size Chart
| Boat Length (ft) | Mushroom Anchor Size (pounds) |
|---|---|
| under 10′ | 8lbs |
| 11′-14′ | 10-12lbs |
| 15′-19′ | 12-15lbs |
| 21′-22′ | 15-20lbs |
| 23′-25′ | 20-30lbs |
| 26′-28′ | 30lbs |
Recommended for boats: under 23 ft
Traditional mushroom anchors such as this one are the most popular anchors for very small boats (under 18ft); however, they can be used for boats up to 23 feet. Instead of digging into the ground like most anchors, mushroom anchors use their weight and suction power to keep your boat anchored.
Nobody makes vinyl-coated mushroom anchors better than Greenfield as they are the inventor of the technology. A vinyl coating adds weight, makes the anchor more resistant to corrosion, protects the anchor from scratching your boat, and deadends the sound when the anchor hits a boat.
Read more about this anchor and more: 7 Best Mushroom Anchors (Ultimate Review)
2. Best for very small boats anchoring in river beds: Roloff River Anchor
Size Chart
| Boat Length (ft) | River Anchor Size (pounds) |
|---|---|
| under 10′ | 8lbs |
| 11′-14′ | 12-15lbs |
| 15′-19′ | 15-18lbs |
| 21′-22′ | 18-20lbs |
| 23′-25′ | 25-30lbs |
| 26′-28′ | 30+lbs |
Recommended for boats: under 23 ft
River mushroom anchors are similar to traditional mushroom anchors in how they use their weight to hold your boat, but they also dig into the ground. This allows them to work in various seabeds including pebbles, rocks, and weeds, while also setting fine in sand and mud.
Although this anchor can set in more seabeds than a traditional mushroom anchor, it has less holding power and comes loose more often. A way to combat this is to purchase a heavier size river anchor. You see what sizes I recommend by clicking on the size chart.
Read more about this anchor and more: 7 Best Mushroom Anchors (Ultimate Review)
3. Best for small boats anchoring in rocks: Greenfield Richter Anchor
Size Chart
| Boat Length (ft) | Recommended Richter Anchor Size |
|---|---|
| under 19′ | 14lbs |
| under 24′ | 18lbs |
| under 32′ | 25lbs |
Recommended for boats: under 32 ft
This patented design combined multiple types of anchors to make the ultimate anchor for rocks and weeds. These anchors have the weight of a mushroom anchor, the penetration of a grapnel anchor, and the quick retrievability of a slip-knot anchor.
I would only recommend this anchor to boaters who anchor primarily in rocks and weeds as there are much better options for sand/mud bottoms such as a mushroom or fluke anchor. It also works great as a secondary anchor that can be used when your primary anchor cannot set.
4. Best for small fishing boats in shallow water: 10′ Power Pole
A power pole allows you to not only easily anchor in any seabed, but also to hold your boat in an exact location. So when you find that perfect sweet spot to cast your line, you can just let down your power poles and your good.
Power pole anchors are not for everyone, but if you are a serious angler and/or participate in tourmates, this will give you a competitive edge over those who don’t have it.
5. Best for small/medium boats anchoring in sand and mud: West Marine Performance2 Fluke Anchor
Size Chart
| Boat Length (ft) | Steel Fluke Anchor Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|
| under 17′ | 5 lbs |
| under 30′ | 8 lbs |
| under 45′ | 24 lbs |
Recommended for boats: under 40 feet
Fluke (Danforth) anchors are the most popular choice for boats under 30 feet. Fluke anchors are also great as stern anchors for larger boats because of how easily they can be stored. They provide one of the highest weight-to-holding-power ratios if any anchor and this one from West Marine is no exception.
This anchor will be heavier than the same-sized aluminum versions, but it has slightly more holding power. It’s also significantly cheaper.
Read more about this anchor and more: 7 Best Fluke Anchors (Ultimate Review)
6. Best fluke anchor for easy transportation: Fortress Aluminum Anchor
Size Chart
| Boat Length (ft) | Aluminum Fluke Anchor Weight (lbs) | Steel Fluke Anchor Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| under 15′ | 4 lbs | 4 lbs |
| 16′-25′ | 4 lbs | 8 lbs |
| 26′-31′ | 7 lbs | 16 lbs |
| 32′-36′ | 10 lbs | 22 lbs |
| 37′-41′ | 15 lbs | 33 lbs |
| 42′-49′ | 21 lbs | 44 lbs |
| 50′-60′ | 32 lbs | 55 lbs |
| 60’+ | 47 lbs+ | 60 lbs+ |
Recommended for boats: under 40 feet
The Fortress aluminum fluke anchor is made out of aluminum, which allows it to have an even higher holding power-to-weight ratio than the traditional steel fluke anchors. Along with that, this anchor has two fluke angles: 32° for sand and hard mud and 45° for extremely soft mud.
This anchor does not perform as well as most traditional steel fluke anchors of the same length, but it performs much better at the same weight levels. So, if you need to transport your anchor often or your skipper isn’t the bulkiest, this anchor works great.
Read more about this anchor and more: 7 Best Fluke Anchors (Ultimate Review)
7. Best overall for medium to large boats: Vulcan anchor
Size Chart
Click here to see the Vulcan anchor size chart.
Recommended for boats: 25 feet to 80 feet
The Vulcan anchor is a scoop-style anchor that uses a high tip weight instead of a roll bar in order to position and set itself in a variety of different sea beds. It has a very good-looking and sleek design while also being one of the best-performing anchors available on the market.
This anchor ranked number 2 out of 13 by the popular independent anchor tester SV Panope in his anchor testing summary. Although there are better options available for soft mud such as the Rocna anchor, the Vulcan anchor is one anchor that can do it all pretty darn well.
You can check out the full independent test on this anchor here:
Read more about this anchor and more: Plow/Scoop Anchor Review (Delta, Rocna, Vulcan, and CQR)
8. Best bang for buck for all-sized boats: Mantus M1 Anchor
Recommended for boats: 10 feet to 95 feet
Size Chart
Click here to see the Mantus M1 anchor size chart.
The Mantus M1 anchor ranks very high in independent tests for its excelent holding power in almost all seabeds. It even ranks higher than the Rocna anchor in many catagories while being 20-30% more affordable. However, in some tests, the mantus M1 did struggle in very soft mud.
The Mantus also has some foiling issues, so if you are anchoring in thick mud or weeds, you may run into some problems. However, it doesn’t foul as much as the Rocna anchor which is next on this list. That being said, for the price, a bit of fouling can be tollerated as this anchor is one of the best performers on the market.
9. Best for medium and large boats anchoring in hard sand and soft mud: Rocna Scoop Anchor
Size Chart
Click here to see the Rocna anchor size chart.
Recommended for boats: 27 feet to 90 feet
The Rocna anchor comes in 3 different models, all of which are very similar. It is considered an SHHP (Super High Holding Power) scoop-style anchor. Independent tests have shown this anchor is great in sand, soft mud, gravel, and weeds, but it struggles in thick mud. It struggled to set in the heavy/sticky muddy seabed in the Pacific Northwest of the USA.
The galvanized steel anchor is the most popular option; it’s affordable and comes in many sizes. The stainless steel version will cost you a lot more, but it is much better looking and is more corrosive resistant. The fishing anchor only comes in 9 lbs and 13 lbs, but its quick-release system makes pulling up the anchor and re-anchoring very easy.
A big problem with this anchor is that it catches heavy (sticky) mud and weeds way to often, causing it to foul and not set. You can check out the video below that demonstrates this in great detail. However, if you just plan on anchoring in sand and grassy bottoms such as in Florida, expect this anchor to be one of if not the best.
Heavy mud is different from soft mud in they way it sticks to things instead of flowing around it. Heres an example of heavy mud:
Read more about this anchor and more: Plow/Scoop Anchor Review (Delta, Rocna, Vulcan, and CQR)
10. Least expensive option for medium-sized boats: Lewmar Claw Anchor
Recommended for boats: Under 30 feet
The Lewmar claw anchor is a remake of the old Bruce anchors built back in the day. This anchor is not as good as those anchors nor does it come close to competing with the other anchors I have on this list, but it is very cheap and can get the job done for lightweight boats.
Although this anchor does come in sizes for much larger boats, its performance is so bad that I would not recommend getting this anchor for any boat over 30 ft. I’d you have a small center console with a bow-roller and want something cheap and easy to put on there. Otherwise, just get a fluke anchor or any other anchor on this list.
Last look at my top 3 most recommended anchors
Best for small boats in sand and mud
West Marine Fluke Anchor
Fluke anchors have great holding-power-to-weight ratio allowing them to hold a lot and be stored easily. They can also be used as a stern anchor for big and small boats… read more
Best for large boats in almost all sea beds
Vulcan Anchor
Vulcan scoop-style anchors have great holding power, while also being able to set relatively quickly. They work in almost any sea bed including sand, mud, gravel, clay, etc… read more
Best bang for buck for all-sized boats
Mantus M1
The Mantus M1 anchor performs about just as well as any anchor while being very affordable. The anchor does have some fouling problems in thick mud and weeds, but nothing beats this at for the price… read more
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