Are my anchors obsolete? CQR 60 Lbs, Delta 55 Lbs, Bruce 20 kg

[robert sailor]

We carry a large take apart /Fortress as well for storm conditions.

[redsky49]

We had pretty good results with our CQR, though are glad we switched to a Rocna.

As long as the pivot point hole on the CQR has not become oval shaped (elongated), and you are happy with its performance, go for it!

[Schooner Chandlery]

The Spade is one of the only more modern anchors that seems to easily fit a wide range of bow rollers. The Rocna, well....it doesn't. I'd probably think it was a really great anchor if it weren't for that shortcoming.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Schooner Chandlery

The Spade is one of the only more modern anchors that seems to easily fit a wide range of bow rollers. The Rocna, well....it doesn't. I'd probably think it was a really great anchor if it weren't for that shortcoming.

The Rocna is a very good anchor. I owned one.

But besides bow roller problems from the hoop, it is also balanced poorly, which makes it hard to recover, and this also is likely the reason why it doesn't set quite as well as the Spade.

But once set, it holds as well as anything. We had great confidence in ours.

[groundtackle]

For those who feel the CQR is good enough I have a genuine 65# that I use for a lawn ornament. I'm willing to sell it cheap. It came with my boat and before I decided to retire it I had it regalvanized so it's in good shape.
Nick


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[Tayana42]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The Rocna is a very good anchor. I owned one.

But besides bow roller problems from the hoop, it is also balanced poorly, which makes it hard to recover, and this also is likely the reason why it doesn't set quite as well as the Spade.

But once set, it holds as well as anything. We had great confidence in ours.

Dock, I'm not doubting your experience with your Rocna but for the record we don't have that trouble with ours. Maybe they improved the balance or the size difference changes the balance (ours is the 25kg, 53 lbs). No swivel either but we do often go into reverse to get mud off and that may help orient the anchor.


S/V B'Shert

[Don C L]

Seems a lot of folks see the Fortress as the "go to" anchor for the stern, for a kedge, for an emergency... why not just take a little extra time and set two Fortresses in a Bahamian mooring and you're golden just about everywhere?

[Schooner Chandlery]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Seems a lot of folks see the Fortress as the "go to" anchor for the stern, for a kedge, for an emergency... why not just take a little extra time and set two Fortresses in a Bahamian mooring and you're golden just about everywhere?

It's not the best shape for a kedge anchor, but when you need a heavy kedge it is really nice to have that large size and light weight. If I had a smaller boat, I wouldn't use a Fortress for a kedge.

I don't trust a Fortress or Danforth until the anchor has been set for a while--a couple days. While waiting, it's nicer (for me) to have a different kind of anchor that I can immediately trust. After the Fortress or Danforth is set well for a few days in mud--that's when it really does well, IMO.

We swing on one anchor 99% of the time. We don't like to anchor in crowded places. The few times we've been places where two anchors are needed, it has been along the side of a river or slough--where anything will do the job--even tying to shore OR it has been in a deep rocky fjord where, again, a shore tie makes a good deal of sense. So, one hook and a line to shore.

[charliehows]

Its sad but true; anchors simply lose the will to live when newer, shinier, sexier anchors come along and everyone rushes over to admire them...

[leftbrainstuff]

Can ypu sell your current anchors to fund a rocna?

We have an 88lb Rocna. We gave away our CQR.

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[Schooner Chandlery]

Originally Posted by charliehows

Its sad but true; anchors simply lose the will to live when newer, shinier, sexier anchors come along and everyone rushes over to admire them...

👍


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[Fortress]

Originally Posted by Schooner Chandlery

I don't trust a Fortress or Danforth until the anchor has been set for a while--a couple days.

During the Chesapeake Bay soft mud tests, we pulled a 21 lb (10 kg) FX-37 for 10 minutes and it achieved over a 2,000 lb tension, which was far superior to the other 35-45 lb (16-21 kg) steel anchors in this test.

While directly above the FX-37 and trying to recover it at a 1:1 scope, the winch operator aboard the 81-ft Rachel Carson research vessel estimated that the anchor was buried 13 feet into the mud, and we ended up breaking the wire rope at 3,500 lbs, as noted in the chart below, and we lost the anchor.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Fortress

During the Chesapeake Bay soft mud tests, we pulled a 21 lb (10 kg) FX-37 for 10 minutes and it achieved over a 2,000 lb tension, which was far superior to the other 35-45 lb (16-21 kg) steel anchors in this test.

While directly above the FX-37 and trying to recover it at a 1:1 scope, the winch operator aboard the 81-ft Rachel Carson research vessel estimated that the anchor was buried 13 feet into the mud, and we ended up breaking the wire rope at 3,500 lbs, as noted in the chart below, and we lost the anchor.

Now I have buried my Danforths pretty deep at times too, and it can take a while to coax them out (and pulling them out backwards is best if a trip line was attached,) but dragging is not really in their vocabulary if they are in mud or sand. And I have never had a problem with them setting quickly. Is the equivalent size Fortress stronger than a Danforth Hi-tensile?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Seems a lot of folks see the Fortress as the "go to" anchor for the stern, for a kedge, for an emergency... why not just take a little extra time and set two Fortresses in a Bahamian mooring and you're golden just about everywhere?

Because a Bahamian moor is a total PITA and like all multi anchor moors, prone to tangling and general buggery.


The Fortress has a reputation for popping out in wind or tide shifts and failing to reset. That is why not a single cruiser I've ever known, uses a Fortress as a bower anchor, preferring a heavy conventional anchor which you know will sink in.

But I know this only as hearsay -- never having experienced it myself. I've been using my Fortress overnight from time to time lately, particularly in soft mud which my Spade doesn't work well in, and I've had no problems so far.


Just instinctively, using a lightweight anchor like this for anchoring overnight doesn't feel right. But it would be interesting to know how people do, if they try this.

One thing which is beyond any controversy -- the Fortress has no competition whatsoever as a kedge. A key quality for this use is the extremely aggressive setting behavior, which is really important in a kedge since you might not have a chance to back down on it and set it the way you would your bower. I've been using it a lot in the Baltic for bows-to mooring -- it works like a dream! Just throw it in, and voila, you're anchored.

Another thing I love about the Fortress is how beautifully made it is -- it's a lovely object.

[Fortress]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Is the equivalent size Fortress stronger than a Danforth Hi-tensile?

Don, while the Danforth HT is certainly a very strong anchor, and it will most likely out-perform any new generation anchor in common mud, clay or sand bottom conditions with its massive surface area advantage, the precision-machined and sharpened Fortress has proven to perform even better, dating all the way back to the US Navy testing for the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) vessel testing in 1989.

During this testing, three Fortress models were compared with similarly-sized Danforth anchors along with various US Navy anchors, and not only did the Fortress anchors set faster and provide greater holding capacity than the Danforth anchors, they were also proven to be structurally stronger as well.

The result of this testing was that the Fortress FX-125, our largest model, was approved for use aboard this new vessel, and approvals followed afterwards for Fortress anchors to be used aboard US Coast Guard vessels with lengths of 28, 33, 45, 47, 87, 110, and 154 feet.

US Navy Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) with Fortress FX-125 pictured on port side of bow.

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The Fortress has a reputation for popping out in wind or tide shifts and failing to reset. That is why not a single cruiser I've ever known, uses a Fortress as a bower anchor, preferring a heavy conventional anchor which you know will sink in.

But I know this only as hearsay -- never having experienced it myself. I've been using my Fortress overnight from time to time lately, particularly in soft mud which my Spade doesn't work well in, and I've had no problems so far.

Just instinctively, using a lightweight anchor like this for anchoring overnight doesn't feel right. But it would be interesting to know how people do, if they try this.

Another thing I love about the Fortress is how beautifully made it is -- it's a lovely object.

Dockhead, thank you for your kind words. During my 19 years with Fortress, the only extremely rare cases that I have heard about the Fortress breaking free from a tidal or wind shift have occurred when the anchor was undersized for the wind and bottom conditions. Two specific cases that I recall from well-known cruising sailboat forum posters have occurred with the 10 lb (4.5 kg) FX-16, which broke free while holding a 35+ ft boat in soft mud and in winds that exceeded 30 knots.

By a vast majority, the most common issue I have heard is recovery, as the sharpened Fortress will bury to the depths of dinosaur bones and fossils under heavy and even normal loading, which was clearly evidenced by the Chesapeake Bay testing.

Regarding the "lightweight" issue, if this is an instinctive problem for you, then I highly recommend that you simply get a heavier Fortress anchor for anchoring overnight, as we manufacture models up to 70 lbs.

Please find below an image of the new US Coast Guard's 154-ft Sentinel class cutter which displaces 353 long tons (about 791k lbs) with the 70 lb Fortress FX-125 mounted on the bow. I don't believe that there is another 70 lb anchor in the world which would have the capability of meeting the performance standard required to be approved aboard a vessel of this size.