Anchor

In an anchor for nautical or marine use, of the type having a pair of spaced anchor flukes each having a pair of parallel faces thereon extending substantially in a single plane, and comprising:

• an elongate anchor shaft member having a first end for attachment of said anchor to an anchor chain and a distal end remote therefrom,
• an anchor body member incorporating said two spaced coplanar anchor flukes,
• means pivotally connecting said anchor body member to said anchor shaft member for turning movement with respect thereto, and
• shear pin retaining means for retaining said anchor body member in a position in which it is inclined to said anchor shaft member at not more than a predetermined angle, said predetermined angle being determined by engagement of said shear pin retaining means with cooperating abutment means,
• the improvement wherein said pivotal connection between said elongate anchor shaft member and said anchor body member is formed at a position along said elongate anchor shaft member spaced from said distal end thereof such that a distal end portion of said elongate anchor shaft member extends from said pivotal connection of said anchor shaft member and said anchor body member to said distal end of said anchor shaft member,
• said shear pin retaining means comprise a single shear pin passing through an aperture in said elongate anchor shaft member at a point between said pivotal connection to said anchor body member and said distal end and projecting on each side of said anchor shaft member, and
• said abutment means includes two pairs of abutment plate members each pair extending rearwardly away from said flukes of said anchor body member and said two pairs forming between them a V-shape, plate members of each said pair being coplanar and parallel to one another and spaced by a gap only slightly larger than the thickness of said distal end portion of said elongate anchor shaft member such that said plate members and said anchor shaft members together act to exert a shear force on a said shear pin when said anchor body member is turned about said pivotal connection to said elongate anchor shaft member to bring said shear pin into contact with one or other of said pairs of spaced parallel abutment plate members