Anchor

Abstract

An anchor for boats comprises a hollow body having an outer shell of molded resinous plastic material. The body includes an integral stem having a lower end integrally joined to a ballast chamber elongated to extend transversely of the stem in opposite directions. A pair of claws are integrally formed to project transversely outwardly of the ballast chamber and transversely of the stem axis for engagement with a supporting bottom surface under water. The outer shell is designed to withstand loads imposed by an anchor line between the stem and a bottom engaging fluke or claw. Ballast material such as metal punchings and scrap pieces, and/or concrete is carried in the shell to provide sufficient anchor weight for causing the flukes or claws to bite to dig into the underwater bottom surface and hold. In one embodiment of the anchor the ballast material includes a plurality of relatively small, dense discrete elements, such as metal punchings, loosely contained in the shell and occupying an aggregate space less than the internal volume of the shell. The ballast moves in the shell providing for a shift in the center of gravity maximizing the effective digging power of the anchor. An opening is included in the shell for introduction of ballast material. The shell in this embodiment includes a lower support for supporting the anchor in a stable condition when stored. The anchor of this embodiment includes a plurality of claws each with an upward sloping base and an upper pointed end that slopes downwardly and outwardly from each pointed end.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.