Yes, they are better looking than a regular anchor, but they can cause big problems as time carries on. A rubber coated anchor is just a traditional fluke style anchor that is, just as the name suggests, rubber coated. Many new boaters like these because they are forgiving in the fact that they will not damage the boat if you accidentally hit it on the hull while raising or lowering. The various colors that the come in can be intriguing as well. Some people want an anchor that is color coordinated to their boat.
One of the biggest flaws with these anchors is what is actually laying underneath the rubber. The material that is under the rubber comprising the anchor portion is actually not a material that is good with water. Its not a matter of if the rubber coating will crack, its a matter of when. Catching the anchor on a rock or a tree stump is what is ultimately going to break the coating. Once this coating is penetrated, the metal that is underneath will begin to rust. A rusting anchor is not really the best anchor to use to hold a $50,000 boat. down.
Another trouble spot is the chain. Along with this rubber coated anchor, there is a rubber coated chain. The coating on the chain will break in the same fashion, leaving the metal underneath exposed to the water, creating a rust problem. Now, there is not as much material for the rust to go through on the chain as there is on the anchor. Once the rust on the chain starts, only one link needs to rust through before the chain will break, leaving you without an anchor or even adrift. Many times while at anchor, you will not even know that the chain has broken until you feel that funny drifting feeling.
Yes, there are pluses, but in my mind, the minuses outweigh the pluses. I would rather just recommend that boaters are careful when retrieving and setting the anchor than to recommend a product that will ultimately fail. There is no replacement for the old fashioned galvanized fluke anchor.
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