Fortress Anchors customer support

[Davidhoy]

Just wanted to give a shout-out to Brian at Fortress Anchors in Fort Lauderdale. I recently acquired a used FX-55, and wanted to make sure it was good and I had all the pieces. Fortunately my office is literally around the corner from Fortress. Brian took the time to chat with me, look it over, and gave me a couple of small missing pieces at no charge. Very impressed with their professionalism and courtesy. Thanks, Brian!

Regards,
David

[Matt Johnson]

Yes! Fortress customer service is amazing.

I too was missing pieces from a used Fortress I purchased. I posted to some thread on this site about not having the mud pads. FORTRESS REACHED OUT TO ME and offered to send me some.

While it's not my primary anchor, I won't have a boat without at least one Fortress aboard.

If you'd like another type of anchor on your boat from a company with similar values, I'd suggest backing the Fortress up with a Mantus Anchors too. They have awesome customer service as well.


Matt

[freshalaska]

I recently had good customer support from Mantus. Good service gets talked around and so does bad.

[Snowpetrel]

I'd say the same exactly the same, Brian at fortress sent me a new stock to replace the one a previous owner had butchered for some unknown and stupid reason (probably for easier storage, then wondered why it didn't work! : I payed the freight, but he was happy to replace the stock at no charge under warrantee. Excellant customer service for a great anchor!

[Training Wheels]

Fortress is top notch!

[wingless]

The FX-37 anchor that I use as my primary anchor is great.

Once I attempted to ensure it was properly set, using two 380hp engines pulling hard, when the sea bed was boulders. When I pulled it up many parts were bent like a pretzel.

They sent replacement parts and I was up and running.

[Fortress]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

Just wanted to give a shout-out to Brian at Fortress Anchors in Fort Lauderdale. I recently acquired a used FX-55, and wanted to make sure it was good and I had all the pieces. Fortunately my office is literally around the corner from Fortress. Brian took the time to chat with me, look it over, and gave me a couple of small missing pieces at no charge. Very impressed with their professionalism and courtesy. Thanks, Brian!

Regards,
David

David,

Thank you for starting this thread and for your post. It was nice meeting with you and I was glad to be of service.

Thanks to others who posted kind words as well, they are all greatly appreciated.

Years ago I read a comment from a customer service manager in another industry that stuck with me:

"It is not enough to only satisfy a customer, you must also amaze them."

I have found that by doing so, not only does it create good will within our relatively small boating community, it sure is a lot of fun as well.

Safe anchoring,
Brian

[skipmac]

I will also jump on the band wagon. Have never found a company with better customer service and a very pitiful few that even come close.

I also will have a Fortress on any boat I own.

[captstu]

I had a 25 kg Bruce has a primary anchor on my voyage 430. Facing a storm I shackled and FX 37 to the trip point On the Bruce set the two anchors in a line. I laid out 120 feet of chain in 10 feet of water and attached a primary and secondary 5/8 inch nylon bridal to the chain.

The veer of hurricane Wilma came directly over the Anchorage .

Most of the anchor boats were lost. The Voyage 43 ran down her chain, tripped the Bruce, and bent the FX-37, which held fine, into a Potato chip .

The shank and both flukes could barely be recognized.

In the process, both bridals broke, not at their spices, and the windless pulled out of its mount. The boat was saved by the safety shackle jamming in the hawse pipe. I had to replace the chain and rebuild the windless bed because the chain had stretched beyond being useful.

Someone saw my published write up and the photograph of the bent Fortress that saved my boat by giving up its own life.

I don't know who or how this was forwarded to fortress. Within two days I got an email offering to replace the broken parts and explaining how do you do the process. My then reincarnated fortress prominently figured in every note I've ever written about fortress superior customer service.

Fortress just can't be better about their anchors. Since this anchor was literally the only one in the Anchorage that held in the storm, I have purchased one for every boat I've owned since that event.

Fortress: unsurpassed product and superior customer service. Thank you for saving my boat.

[Valmika]

I'll jump in here also. I bought a used FX 23 that had a bent fluke. I called Fortress to order an new one and was told they have a lifetime warranty. They sent me a new one no charge, no shipping

Also Shout out to :

Magnum Marine- (charger Inverter) Had no problems but great customer and tech support

Em-trak Marine (AIS)-- Same as Magnum, great US based customer support and they answer their phones

[SV Bacchus]

I'll always have a Fortress on board. Amazing anchors! Another big plus is the anchor wench, Oops, my wife, likes pulling in 7 pounds instead of the 30 she used to pull.

You have to admire the design work that went into a 7 pound anchor that holds much better than the ridiculous 30 pounder I gave away!

[wrwakefield]

Agreed. Fortress sets a great example, and always has...

Around thirty years ago I experienced extreme conditions that bent a fluke on my years old and well used FX-37.

I sent a photo to the company in case they were interested. [In the days of film and prints... and snail mail...]

A week later [and unexpectedly] all the parts necessary to make the anchor new again arrived.

All at their expense, and to a remote place in Alaska where the freight wasn't cheap...

Kudos. Great product and company that stands behind it.

Cheers! Bill

[wingless]

My boat was equipped from the factory w/ a plow anchor. At one anchor area I was never able to bury it up to the shank, plus it was always problematic to get it to set at all.

The first time I used my Fortress FX-37 at that same location it caught immediately. I used the normal process to set it, to avoid problems. I discovered when attempting to leave how well it had set. When using my windlass to retrieve the anchor / rode, the rode went vertical, then stopped. I would pull down the bow, over and over, to inch out the anchor. Eventually it came out.

I buried the entire anchor, plus 10' of chain into the sea bed.

Now I know that a light set is required, because it will just set deeper and hold better when more set force / time is applied.

[Chuck Hawley]

And, not to induce topic creep, but they probably do more legitimate anchor testing that any other brand.

Chuck
Alerion Express 38 with a Fortress FX-23

[rendern]

I 2nd all kudos to the anchor and the support. No better anchor for the Chesapeake Bay, period.