just Fortress and fortress only

[Pura Vida]

In self defense I owned one Danforth when I bought my boat and two Danforths came with it. I now have a Bruce and am shopping for third and final anchor (Luke?.) I'll take four when I go.

RSN's good point is taken. Years ago I had a bad Danforth knockoff that came with a Catalina. The shank bent and to bend it back all I had to do was place the shank between the planks on the dock and twist the bar by hand. Sometimes price is not the issue.

[Kettlewell]

Just for kicks and a possible article, I just did an anchor survey here in Shelter Bay Marina, Colon, Panama. I checked to see what was on the bow of every cruising sailboat. These boats are all from far away, some from Europe, some from the West Coast, etc. Most of the boats had more than one anchor ready to go. Most of the anchors looked well used. The CQR and plow knock offs won by more than a two-to-one margin, with Bruce coming in second, and Fortress a distant third. The way things were rigged, it appeared all the Fortresses were secondary anchors. There were only a few of the supposed "new generation" anchors, including my Bulwagga.

[markpj23]

I use my Fortress off the stern when swing is an issue. I will also deploy it for storm prep. It's light, sets very quickly - is great in mud, and is also easy to stow below since it breaks down. Can't stuff my Bruce in a bag like that....

BTW - I snagged an FX-37 on eBay for $200.

[craigsmith]

Originally Posted by rsn48

The reason the Rocna appeals to me is the short setting distance it requires but I am assuming its holding power if tested would be around the same as the Delta, which isn't bad but isn't great either, if you look at the chart above.

Now at the risk of annoying GMac by going off topic, why do you assume that...?

[gosstyla]

By the way Craig, I assume you saw the Dashew's summary of their first year's experience with the "unsail boat". It seems they plan to stick with the Rocna. They said, for them, it does seem to work better than the Bruce.

[rsn48]

The engineering is similiar to a Delta plow, albiet the Delta doesn't have the ring on it which will provided added holding power if the anchor goes deep enough.

If it does have greater holding power, I'm guessing it will be in the range of around 750 or less (see the chart below):

Bruce spade - 46 pounds, holding around 250 pounds
CQR 47 pounds, holding power at around 450 pounds
Delta Plow 32 pounds, holding power at around 475 pounds
Dandforth J-1800 33 lbs, about 700 pounds
Danforth, deepset pivoting flukes, 30 pounds, holding around 750 pounds
Fortress FX-37 (32 degree angle), 19 lbs about about 750 pounds
Danforth Deepset VSB-3600, 30 lbs about 1250 pounds
Fortress FX-37 (45 degree angle, aluminum pivot flukes, 19 pounds, holding at 2,250 pounds

This isn't a criticism, I own a Danforth and a Bruce and I intend to purchase a Rocna when I am done my new electrical installation. But I know it won't have the higher holding power of the Fortress FX-37 (45 degree angle) for example. I personally don't think holding power over a certain limit is that important; if I need more I'll anchor first with the Danforth, then use the Rocna as well (I'm anchoring first with the Danforth because it will be needed to be dragged a further distance before it sets, easier to set the Rocna). If the bottom is softer mud and I need further holding power, I'll use the Bruce and the Rocna in combination.

[Kettlewell]

Just curious--where do those holding numbers come from?

[capt lar]

While I personally do not want an anchor that required assembly, I can see the appeal of lighter weight. How much chain are you Fortress guys using ?

[Kettlewell]

I use the Fortress as a kedge or second anchor so I just have around six feet of chain. I've used them without any chain and they work fine once dug in, but the chain helps to get the initial bite. If weight isn't an issue, the Danforth High Tensile is probably just as good an anchor and is heavier for quicker setting.

[GMac]

The numbers are from Earl Hinzs book, they are quite old and pop up a lot. I'd say that from those numbers the tests were done in a very soft bottom. The loads on the Bruce, CQRs etc are a lot lower than would be expected in a firm bottom and the flat anchors are a lot higher.

Good point Capt Lar. Who would not use a Fortress due to its bolted togeather nature? Less than those who don't mind is my guess.

[rsn48]

Tests were also done in the sand, with the top holder being the Fortress FX-85 (32 degree fluke angle - 44 pounds) at 12,000 pounds holding power. CQR 45 at 47 pounds had a holding power of around 3,000 pounds. There were others, but I chose the mud holding power illustration since it was less.

[Hiracer]

Why Fortress:

1. Lightweight, a major plus for dinghy use.

2. Lightweight, a major plus for weak or disabled sailors. I had a grandma explain to me that she would have lost her boat in Tahiti if didn't have the Fortress to bail her out when another boat dragged and hooked her Fortress. She was able to get it up and reset without outside assistance.

3. Holding. They hold very well, so long as the wind doesn't shift.

4. Strong. They seem to hold up well.

5. Lifetime warranty if you somehow manage to bend it. I've heard of some tests bending these anchors at fantastic pressures, but never a cruiser in real life. Still, you only buy this anchor once, unless you leave on the bottom.

6. Storage. I have my FX-37 disassembled stored with short, heavy chain in a red bag. I don't ever plan on using it again and it takes up almost no space or weight, but it's there if I ever need it. Great storm anchor.

7. Changable fluke angles. If you find yourself in solf mud, no anchor can come close to its holding power once you move to the 45 degree fluke angle. Nothing. That 13 degree change makes a huge difference. This is a major biggie if you run in to soft mud. I have. I one ran an oversized SuperMax in tandem with the FX-37 and was able to anchor in an Alaskan bay where the locals claimed anchoring was impossible due to pea-soup mud. Saw lots of wildlife, probably because nobody spends the night there. Was one of our most special evenings ever at anchor. All because of the Fortress and SuperMax had changable fluke angles.

8. Cost. I was comparing a Danforth to a Fortress for my boat (thinking up sizing my kedge) and the comparably sized Danforth was more expensive.

9. Never have to worry about regalvanizing.

GMac, it's no one thing. No other anchor can do all these things that the Fortress does. And it really excels as a back up, kedge, mud, 2nd half tandem, or storm anchor.

[maxingout]

I carried an FX-37 and an FX-110 all the way around the world. The FX-37 was our kedge, and was occasionally used to limit swing in restricted anchorages. It did an awesome job of firmly gripping the seabed in soft mud when the plow wouldn't hold because it was plowing through the soft bottom. I carried the FX-110 just in case we got into a killer storm and there was a sand or mud bottom in which I had to anchor. I never used the FX-110, but I did assemble it once in Fiji when a cyclone was in the vicinity.

The last half of my circumnavigation I exclusively used a 70 pound Beugel anchor in all of my anchorages from Australia -Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand-Red Sea-Mediterranean-Atlantic-and Caribbean. The only place we stayed in marinas in that trip was Bali, Sinapore, Egypt, and Turkey. Every place else we anchored using the 70 pound Beugel. The only place I had a problem with the Beugel anchor not setting was once in the Red Sea and once in the Canary Islands on a rocky bottom.

The anchors you need depend primarily on where you are cruising. If you are limiting the extent of your voyaging to sandy and muddy bottoms with small tidal streams and no wind against current, and shallow water, your ground tackle can be lighter and you have more options.

If you are going to sail around the world, you need a good all around performer that you can count on for every type of bottom condition, and a good argument can be made for a larger anchor rather than a smaller one because you will face bigger challenges. You will be facing areas with deeper water, wind against current, strong tidal streams, other yachts anchoring close by, and storms. So if you are going around the world, bigger is better and a 100% chain rode is in order.

I love my fortress anchors because they are specialty anchors designed to do a specific job when you need them, and if you use them in the conditions for which they were designed, they work well. And when you aren't using them, you break them down and stow them out of the way.

My Beugel anchor lets me sleep at night, and I know that my boat will still be there when I come back from a trip on shore. My Fortress anchors are always waiting in the wings ready for those special occasions when they are needed.

Cheers,

[islandflyer]

I carry a 45 lb. CQR which is my everyday on 200 ft of chain. Sets everywhere (well NUTHIN sets in grass worth a hoot), stays set thru wind/current changes. ALTHOUGH.... There have been times when I've set my #2 (35 lb. Danforth) as well, and by gum, she STUCK. Resettings not an issue when it's blowin 45 out of a given direction. I know, but if she CLOCKS......

[islandflyer]

Maxing out - Did you say you had a 75 pounder?!?!? Wow, suddenly I fell SO inadequate..

Mike