Has anyone used the Kiwi Anchor Rider?

[Rez]

This is an anchor weight which looks intelligent. In Canada and the U.S. it is known as the Kiwi Anchor Rider and in the rest of the world as Anchor Buddy.
Their site is:How to anchor a boat safely with less dragging risk

I'm very interested in user comments. I have an all chain rode. Their anchor rider works with chain or rope.

[Steve Pope]

I have not used one but I know of several sailors who are happy with them, we used to get the same effect with a heavy duty discarded ships 8 inch shackle, a lot cheaper but it did tend to leave rust stains. The deeper the water the more effective they are.

[craigsmith]

The Anchor Buddy is great - if you want a kellet. The launch & retrieval system is clever and built in, and the build quality is excellent.

But why do you think you want/need a kellet?
www.rocna.com/boat-anchors/kellets.php

[Rez]

Craig Smith:
The reason I want a weight on the rode, but a bit above the bottom, is that it improves most anchors holding power. Dramatically. That's nothing new.
Also acts as a bit of a damper, on yachts activity.

But this particular kellet appears simple to mount and demount, and also appears to be kind to the rode

[craigsmith]

Originally Posted by Rez

The reason I want a weight on the rode, but a bit above the bottom, is that it improves most anchors holding power. Dramatically. That's nothing new.

No. It doesn't. At all.
Unless your anchor's a CQR a 10th the size it should be and in soft mud.
Read the link above.

Originally Posted by Rez

Also acts as a bit of a damper, on yachts activity.

The position to use the kellet for this purpose not the same as the ideal to help the anchor, so you can't do both at once, or you have a poor compromise and the thing is even more useless. The dampening effect also disappears completely in the conditions you really need it. Use a decent snubber.

[RonRicco]

I had a Kiwi anchor rider on my old boat, not so much to help with the anchor, but to cut down on swinging at anchor.. It did work for that purpose.

Brian

[Rez]

Craig Smith,

I will be polite and just say that IMO, any information from Rocna is suspect.

I've used kellets and heavy trash on anchor rodes for more than forty years and seven boats. Kellets, a few feet off the bottom, make a far better riding boat. And since I've been at anchor in winds exceeding 60mph, which dragged four of the six boats anchored in that bay, and myself and the other guy who didn't drag had rode weights, I think you will understand why I use kellets.

If you are a lucky person Craig, when the sea tests you and your boat, the infomation you put on this forum will not kill you.

[Maddog]

He does seem to be a bit of a schill. Too bad his info and experience is lost in the promotion. I do admire his passion for his product.

[jjorg]

I have used a kiwi for 3 years now and have been very happy with it. Easy to use and I have never had any problem dragging anchor.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Rez

Craig Smith,

I will be polite and just say that IMO, any information from Rocna is suspect.

I've used kellets and heavy trash on anchor rodes for more than forty years and seven boats. Kellets, a few feet off the bottom, make a far better riding boat. And since I've been at anchor in winds exceeding 60mph, which dragged four of the six boats anchored in that bay, and myself and the other guy who didn't drag had rode weights, I think you will understand why I use kellets.

If you are a lucky person Craig, when the sea tests you and your boat, the infomation you put on this forum will not kill you.

Alain Pouroud, who invented the Spade anchor and has written an excellent technical book on anchoring holds the same opinion as Craig on kellets and backs it up with a good theoretical and experimental physics treatise.

Mark

[MidLandOne]

Originally Posted by colemj

Alain Pouroud, who invented the Spade anchor and has written an excellent technical book on anchoring holds the same opinion as Craig on kellets and backs it up with a good theoretical and experimental physics treatise.

I have not read his book but have read much of the material he has presented elsewhere or referred people to (eg the Fraysse web site) and say this having a lot of respect for him, but in my view "good physics", whether theoretical or experimental, and "Alain" do not necessarily go hand in hand .

Personally I have not investigated the worth of kellets, having no need to, as I find that our chain cable gives sufficient result all by itself (even without a rope snubber) - a result which Alain's "physics" also disputes .

[David_Old_Jersey]

Whilst I can see that at full pull the Kellet may not make a great difference, my feeling (wot no Physics? ) is that in reality the anchor line (especially for chain) will not be rigid at full stretch for most of the time - so a weight half way down will give a flatter angle (of the dangle ) which can only help in ensuring the Anchor digs in and sets / resets correctly.

Of course in ideal conditions an Anchor may not need a bit more help in setting, but in the real world I figure every little helps.

Of course if one was selling Anchors it would be hard to admit that anything could make them perform better (even a little bit) as it would imply that there was something "wrong" with the design.........which is not neccesarily the case.

[Rez]

David Old Jersey,
That is what I've imagined was happening all these years. I'm also going to try some Brait, if Yale Cordage comes back with the chafe information I expect.

The bow rising in heavy seas must give an anchor a lot of jerks, I'm for anything that dampens this.

[NoTies]

My experience from chain/rope rode with anchor buddy is that there was not perceptible improvement in holding power (in saying that, I'm totally anal about setting the anchor properly). It did make anchoring in brisk conditions more comfortable. I have now gone to almost full chain rode without anchor buddy, holding power remains unaffected but possibly a bit less comfy when the wind is veering alot. All in all it is less hassle without the buddy so I was happy to sell it.

[GMac]

But then No Ties does have good sized beasties on his bow.

backs it up with a good theoretical and experimental physics

Are i can use my 2 favourites again -

'If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts' - Albert Einstein

and

'In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, In practice there is' - someone

Not that anything like that would ever happen when talking anchors