Anchoring Systems
Anchor with complete confidence. The full Maxwell range — from the renowned RC Series automatic rope/chain windlasses and the Tasman drum winches Australia's trailer boats run on, to MAXSET anchors, chain, rode and every accessory. Sized, supplied and supported by Luxfords.
Anchor more, work less
A quality windlass takes the physical effort out of anchoring — push-button deployment and retrieval, controlled free fall when you want the anchor down fast, and the confidence to anchor in deeper water, reset when the wind shifts, and leave in a hurry if conditions turn. The boats that anchor most are the boats with the best ground tackle.
Maxwell has been building anchoring systems for over five decades, from its automatic rope/chain windlass revolution of the 1990s to the windlasses fitted on many of the world's superyachts. Every product is backed by a three-year leisure warranty and a worldwide service network — and Luxfords supplies and supports the complete range in Australia: windlass, anchor, chain, rope, stopper, controls and wiring.
The Maxwell range
Six families covering everything from a 4.5 m tinnie to a 24 m motoryacht — plus the SY Series for superyachts beyond.
RC Series vertical
The automatic rope/chain benchmark
Maxwell's revolutionary RC Series handles rope/chain combination rodes and all-chain rodes fully automatically — the patented Wave Design™ chainwheel grips rope, splice and chain seamlessly. Stainless steel (AISI 316) topworks, free-fall anchoring via the cone clutch, and models from the trailer-boat RC6 to the 1,820 kg RC12HD for vessels to 24 m.
Horizontal
Above-deck simplicity, shallow lockers welcome
All the works above deck in a watertight case — perfect where the chain locker is shallow, deck thickness is extreme, or below-deck access is limited. The compact HRCFF and HRC10 handle rope/chain automatically with free fall; the HWC3500 handles chain-only rodes on vessels to 20 m.
Tasman drum winches
The trailer-boat favourite — all rode on the drum
The Tasman keeps the entire rode wound on a stainless drum — no chain locker required at all. The new V2 adds a water-tight motor cover and dual-speed motor with 15–20% faster retrieval. With high-strength MAX Warp rope plus a chain leader, it's the set-and-forget choice for Australian trailer boats and sports fishers.
BH8 bulkhead
Concealed installation, bow or stern
The BH8 mounts to a bulkhead inside the anchor locker — completely concealed, with a quick bracket flip for installation flexibility. It handles 6–8 mm chain with rope automatically, pulls up to 900 kg, and suits both bow and stern anchor setups.
VW / VWC Series
Traditional flexibility, serious capability
The VW Series suits sailors who want manual control of a rope-and-chain rode with a warping drum and chainwheel; the VWC Series is the fully automatic chain-only workhorse with integral chain pipe — both in 1000/1500/3500 sizes for vessels to 20 m and beyond.
Capstans
Line hauling, retractable style, compact power
From the AnchorMax compact capstan for boats to 10 m, through the fluted VC1000, to the flush-deck Retractable Vertical Capstan that disappears when not in use — Maxwell capstans cover anchor recovery on smaller boats, docking assistance and line hauling on larger ones.
MAXSET & MAXCLAW anchors
Proven plough and claw designs, 4–40 kg, stainless or galvanised — with self-launching bow rollers to match.
Anchors & bow rollers
Chain, rope & rode kits
DIN766 short-link chain 6–13 mm, 8-plait nylon, and pre-spliced rope/chain kits — plus how much to carry.
Chain & rode guideAnchoring buying guides
Ground tackle is a system — these guides cover the questions owners ask us before putting one together.
What size windlass, anchor & chain?
Our selector sizes the whole system — anchor weight, chain size, rode length and the right windlass — with Maxwell's official method.
Read the guideHow much chain do I need?
Scope ratios, chain vs rope/chain rodes, and how to work out the rode length your cruising grounds demand.
Read the guideVertical vs horizontal windlass
Deck space, locker depth and rode fall — how to pick the right configuration for your boat.
Read the guideStoppers, snubbers & controls
Why every installation needs a chain stopper, plus rode counters, remotes, foot switches and breakers.
Read the guideAnchoring FAQs
What size windlass do I need for my boat?
Maxwell sizes windlasses two ways, and both must check out. First, boat length and displacement against their selection chart — a heavier vessel needs the next size up. Second, and decisive: the windlass's maximum pull should be at least three times the total weight of your ground tackle (anchor + chain + rope). A 30 kg anchor with 45 kg of chain and 12 kg of rope is 87 kg of tackle, so the windlass needs at least 261 kg of pull. Our selector runs both checks for you.
How much anchor chain or rode do I need?
Work from scope — the ratio of rode length to the distance from your bow roller to the seabed (water depth plus bow height, allowing for tide). For an all-chain rode, 3:1 suits calm day stops, 5:1 is the typical overnight minimum, and 7:1 or more for exposed anchorages or strong wind. Rope/chain rodes need roughly two ratios more (5:1 / 7:1 / 10:1) because they lack the chain's catenary weight. Anchoring in 8 m of water with a 1.5 m bow height at 5:1 means carrying close to 50 m of rode — and more is always better insurance.
Should I choose all-chain or a rope/chain rode?
All-chain gives the ultimate holding security, chafe resistance on coral or rock, and excellent catenary — at the cost of weight in the bow. A rope/chain combination (short-link chain leader spliced to 8-plait nylon) is lighter, absorbs shock naturally and quietens the boat at anchor, and it's what Maxwell's automatic RC/HRC windlasses are designed to handle seamlessly. Heavier cruisers and boats anchoring on rough bottoms favour chain; trailer boats and lighter cruisers favour rope/chain.
Vertical or horizontal windlass — which is right?
Vertical windlasses (motor below deck) take less deck space, wrap the rode 180° around the chainwheel for better grip, and accept line pull from any direction — they're the majority choice. Horizontal windlasses keep everything above deck in a watertight case, which wins when the deck is very thick (over 200 mm), the locker is shallow or below-deck access is limited. The deciding factor is usually rode fall: chain needs at least 300 mm of fall below the windlass, rope/chain at least 200 mm.
What is a drum winch, and why are they popular on trailer boats?
A drum winch like the Maxwell Tasman stores the entire rode — rope and chain leader — wound on a stainless drum, so no chain locker is needed at all. Deployment and retrieval are push-button, and there's no rode to re-flake. That makes them a firm favourite on Australian trailer boats, sports fishers and tinnies up to about 11 m.
Do I really need a chain stopper?
Yes. Maxwell is explicit: the windlass is designed to lift the rode and anchor, not to hold the boat. A chain stopper (or snubber) must take the load while you lie at anchor, secure the anchor in the fully raised position under way, and remove shock loads when setting or breaking out the anchor. Skipping it shortens the windlass's life and voids the protection good practice provides.
What anchor size suits my boat?
The Maxwell MAXSET (plough/delta style) runs from 4 kg for ~4–6 m boats up to 40 kg for 16–18 m vessels, with the stainless MAXCLAW claw range covering similar spans. Heavier displacement, high windage or exposed cruising grounds justify going one size up — an anchor one size too big is cheap insurance; one size too small is a sleepless night.
What's the difference between maximum pull and working load?
Maximum pull (stall pull) is the windlass's short-burst capability for breaking the anchor out. Working load is what it sustains during normal retrieval — generally about one third of maximum pull, and roughly what your complete ground tackle should weigh. That's exactly why Maxwell's rule is maximum pull ≥ 3 × ground tackle weight.
Ready to anchor with confidence?
Tell us about your boat and where you anchor. We'll size the complete Maxwell system and quote it as one package, delivered anywhere in Australia.
Luxfords is an authorised Maxwell distributor — we size the complete system (windlass, anchor, chain, rope, stopper and controls), supply genuine parts and back it with Maxwell's three-year leisure warranty.
(03) 5973 6444