Do heavier anchors have more holding power?
Yes and No. It is conventional wisdom that a 40lbs/18kg anchor will have greater holding power than a 20lbs/9kg anchor. But that is mainly because a 40lbs/18kg anchor has a larger fluke area. Weight, by itself, contributes little to holding power. Fluke surface area and design are the main factors that determine how well an anchor holds. The weight of an anchor does affect how well the anchor can penetrate weeds or hard surface bottoms, however. For any given weight anchor, maximum holding power will be obtained by designing the highest percentage of the anchor’s weight into the fluke itself, to give the largest fluke area possible for the weight of the anchor. The XYZ Ω has almost 80% of its weight in the fluke, producing more holding power for its weight than any other anchor. The fluke area of the 24lbs/11kg XYZ Ω is about equal to the fluke area of an 100lbs/45kg CQR or Bruce.
