Anchoring guide: how to choose the anchor and chain for your boat

2026-07-15 · Marine Point

Few pieces of kit on your boat work as hard — and get chosen as casually — as the anchor. In the Balearics, where almost every summer outing ends at anchor, properly sized ground tackle is the difference between sleeping soundly and spending the night watching your drift.

The three factors that rule

1. Length and displacement. Anchor weight is sized by the boat, not by the budget. As a general guide, an 8–10 metre boat usually needs a 10–16 kg anchor; from 12 metres up, we are talking 20 kg and more. When in doubt, go up a size: nobody has ever regretted a generous anchor.

2. The seabed where you sail. In the Balearics we alternate between sand, posidonia and rock. New-generation concave-plough anchors — like the Rocna range we distribute — bite quickly in sand and reset themselves if the boat swings. Remember: you don't anchor on posidonia — besides the fine, it holds poorly; always look for the patch of sand.

3. The chain, as important as the anchor. A good anchor is worth little with a short or uncalibrated chain. The classic rule: anchor with 3 to 5 times the depth, and check the condition of the swivel and shackles every season.

Signs it's time to renew

• Links with deep rust or a worn "neck" where they run through the bow roller.
• An anchor that "ploughs" and needs several attempts to set.
• Shackles without a safety pin, or deformed.

Our advice

Tell us what boat you have and where you usually anchor, and we will recommend the complete set — anchor, calibrated chain, swivel and shackles — without selling you a single kilo more than you need. We keep the whole anchoring range in stock in Palma, ready to collect today.

Unsure about your particular case? Write to us or drop by Can Valero.