Pictures of Spade 100 Anchor _ 
Testing suitability for Tayana 37 with internal roller on bowsprit Platform
Harvey J. Karten
Posted November 19, 2005
Original Photos August 2004
I have posted a series of photos of a Spade S100 anchor showing how it raises and fits on 
the bowsprit of a T37 with a “through the platform” roller. 

This shows a sequence of photos taken when first redesigning our anchoring platform. 
A temporary platform was made of plywood, and the roller screwed in place. 
The concern was whether the Spade could 
1)	swing free of the whisker 
2)	swing free of the bobstay
3)	would it bang against the teak cross struts on the bowsprit
4)	once fully nestled, would it damage the bowsprit, the whisker stay or the cap rail
5)	is the shank short enough to allow it to be drawn fully inboard towards the 
windlass
6)	when dropping the anchor, what special precautions are necessary to avoid it 
hanging up or damaging the bowsprit, whisker stay or bobstay
As shown in these pix, you have to visually guide the drop and lifting of the anchor, as 
with any other anchor on a bowsprit. It probably nestles a bit better than a CQR, though it 
does ding the bottow of the bowsprit. It does not damage the cross-struts the way the 
CQR does. The shank is shorter, and therefore you could probably get away with 
mounting it futher aft, or alternately, mounting the windlass further forward. 

Combined with the recommendations of Practical Sailor and the experience of Rich 
Hampel, the Spade looks like it would be a useful and attractive solution for an ancor on 
internal roller through the bowsprit platform. Problem is mainly the cost (ca. $650). 
Despite all the complaints about CQR anchor dragging and resetting problems, it still gets 
one of the highest overall ratings from Practical Sailor. 
Harvey