I am going to buy an anchor and rode for my new 242 and wonder what some of you are using. I will stow it in a bag down below when not in use. Thanks

Recommend BOX ANCHOR

http://www.slideanchor.com

It only needs a 2:1 scope on the line.........and they have it in beautiful Stainless!!!

On my 242, I had a 13 lb. danforth with 15 feet of chain and 1/2" rode.

I tried using an 8 lb. anchor and it was no good.

Depends on a lot of things. Were do you boat and what is the bottom like? Rocks, sand, mud... All changes what to get. I think every boat out in the ocean needs a decent size Danforth style anchor with proper chain and shakles and 100 feet of line. My pontoon boat I have 2 Danforths one large for when it is windy or we are going to raft up and one small for 90% of the time when there is no wind. We have another small one for tossing off the stern to keep it from swinging around but rarely need that. The 18 Donzi I don't keep an anchor on. They damage the boat. The Formula has large Danforth.

box anchor. without a doubt. once you use one, you will want nothing else.

fortress fx7
http://www.fortressanchors.com/selection-guide/fortress

Box anchors dont work well around the North east (ocean) when you are droping anchor in rocks.

+1 for sand or mud; none better, and very light. I use an FX-11 for my 12,000 pound 382. I used an FX-7 as a lunch hook or stern anchor, and it did great.

+1 more on the Fortress FX7. Made in the USA and guaranteed for life, if I remember correctly. Fortress anchors are incredible on most any bottom.

Have both a Danforth and a box anchor on my 302, and have a Bruce on the 330 with an all-chain rode (yes, you'll want a windlass with an all chain rode). Boat on LOTO which is mostly a soft bottom, but not exclusively.

1. Box: Easiest to use, breaks down the smallest, holds very well at LOTO, and so it seems on the west coast too where they were invented, doesn't require much scope which is very good in the deep water we have at LOTO. Believe it to be the newest anchor design of the bunch. It is my go-to anchor. But, I can see Audio's point about rocky conditions and how a Danforth could be better there.

2. Danforth: second easiest to use, requires more scope, which sometimes is just not going to happen due to water depth, stores flat enough but can hurt the boat with the bar in rough water. Can be hard to find storage compartment it will fit in, so some trim the round bar. Believe there are "break apart" Danforths for storage. This tends to be the most common world-wide go-to anchor, and has been around for a long time.

3. Bruce: Can drag that all over the friggin lake trying to get it to hook up! But, it stores nicely on the bow and will not cut someone who bumps into it on the docks when you nose the boat in the slip.