Mantas M1 or Sarca Excel

[Mike OReilly]

I've been following because I really like the Excel. But based on all the tests (including Panope's awesome ones ), my view is that you should get the biggest top contenders, including the M1 and the Excel (along with a few others) that fits your boat's roller/holder system.

As tests and anecdotes suggest, some of the good anchors do better in some specific situations vs others. If you anchor in the same situation all the time, then it is likely possible to pick the best anchor. But if you anchor in a variety of conditions, then any of the top contenders will do fine -- most of the time .

So get the biggest good anchor that your boat and crew can reasonably manage, and that fits your existing set up.

[cndcruiser]

I have used a Rocna 33 for many years. I was aware of the issue of choking on weed between the fluke and the roll bar in certain substrates and based on Panope's testing, I tried a Sarca Excel 30kg. I then had several near catastrophic dragging events. After talking to Sarca, I upgraded to an Excel 36kg, but still had great difficulty setting the anchor and more dragging. Maybe my technique?? but in my experience, the Rocna always sets very quickly. My theory about the setting issue with the Excel is that its weighted tip has a large cross sectional area making substrate penetration more difficult, unlike the Rocna or Mantus that both have very sharp, shovel-like tips that penetrate most substrates very easily. Just my observation and I might be wrong. If I was upgrading, I'd be very tempted by the new Rocna Version 2.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by cndcruiser

I have used a Rocna 33 for many years. I was aware of the issue of choking on weed between the fluke and the roll bar in certain substrates and based on Panope's testing, I tried a Sarca Excel 30kg. I then had several near catastrophic dragging events. After talking to Sarca, I upgraded to an Excel 36kg, but still had great difficulty setting the anchor and more dragging. Maybe my technique?? but in my experience, the Rocna always sets very quickly. My theory about the setting issue with the Excel is that its weighted tip has a large cross sectional area making substrate penetration more difficult, unlike the Rocna or Mantus that both have very sharp, shovel-like tips that penetrate most substrates very easily. Just my observation and I might be wrong. If I was upgrading, I'd be very tempted by the new Rocna Version 2.

Interesting. Do you know what kind of bottoms you were anchoring in? Depth and substrate?

I've owned a Rocna 25 for over a decade now. It has been a wonderful anchor. It rarely fails to set and dig in, and I've only dragged once (that I know of). This was one of those slow, almost imperceptible drags. Otherwise, it has performed near-perfectly all these years.

I do anchor a fair bit, and in a wide variety of often challenging locations and conditions. I'm also a bit anal about technique. I take the time to anchor well, and don't settle for anything other than a proper tested hold.

I've had the roll bar fouled a few times, but it's rare.

[Dr.No]

UFO, after Extensive research, I went with an 88 pound Sarca Excel for my 22,000 pound 53 footer. From my research, this appeared to be the absolute best for my vessel. We refabricated the entire anchor roller to accommodate the largest roller I could find, and the large Mantus swivel. The medium Mantus anchor chock keeps it tight. The boat is still in its multi year refit, so, it is untested. Cheers!

[cndcruiser]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Interesting. Do you know what kind of bottoms you were anchoring in? Depth and substrate?

I've owned a Rocna 25 for over a decade now. It has been a wonderful anchor. It rarely fails to set and dig in, and I've only dragged once (that I know of). This was one of those slow, almost imperceptible drags. Otherwise, it has performed near-perfectly all these years.

I do anchor a fair bit, and in a wide variety of often challenging locations and conditions. I'm also a bit anal about technique. I take the time to anchor well, and don't settle for anything other than a proper tested hold.

I've had the roll bar fouled a few times, but it's rare.

I used a Rocna 25 on an 8T sail boat for 12 years and I don't remember dragging. I have now used a Rocna 33 on a 14T sail boat for 8 years and dragged only in extremely poor holding substrates (East Cove, Deal Island in thick weed. I cruise east coast Australia and Tasmania extesively so experience a wide range of anchoring conditions. From my long experience with the Rocna I have complete confidence in this design. The fluke is 100% concave. In contrast, I had very bad experiences using a Sarca Excel which is only 30% concave. Others may have different experience.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by cndcruiser

I used a Rocna 25 on an 8T sail boat for 12 years and I don't remember dragging. I have now used a Rocna 33 on a 14T sail boat for 8 years and dragged only in extremely poor holding substrates (East Cove, Deal Island in thick weed. I cruise east coast Australia and Tasmania extesively so experience a wide range of anchoring conditions. From my long experience with the Rocna I have complete confidence in this design. The fluke is 100% concave. In contrast, I had very bad experiences using a Sarca Excel which is only 30% concave. Others may have different experience.

The two anchor types (roll bar and tip weighted) cannot be compared by single factors like % concave. Designs are wholistic and not reliant on a single factor (although a roll bar anchor would completely fail without its rollbar, but that’s a distraction).

Great that you have confidence in your anchor - that’s the most important thing.

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Interesting. Do you know what kind of bottoms you were anchoring in? Depth and substrate?

I've owned a Rocna 25 for over a decade now. It has been a wonderful anchor. It rarely fails to set and dig in, and I've only dragged once (that I know of). This was one of those slow, almost imperceptible drags. Otherwise, it has performed near-perfectly all these years.

I do anchor a fair bit, and in a wide variety of often challenging locations and conditions. I'm also a bit anal about technique. I take the time to anchor well, and don't settle for anything other than a proper tested hold.

I've had the roll bar fouled a few times, but it's rare.

The only, and I mean only- time the M1 has dragged on me in 100s and 100s of nights (mostly east coast US) was when I picked up a dock piling sitting on the bottom. The Rocna that came with my boat dragged several times in my first few months hence I ditched it. So, where one anchors makes a big difference- but Panope’s tests validated what I thought was isolated bad experiences with Rocna. In any case, the larger rollbar never clogs on the M1. Just looking at it one can see this. Rocna mk2 has tried to address some of the shortcomings that Panope exposed but who knows how it will actually work

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by malbert73

Rocna mk2 has tried to address some of the shortcomings that Panope exposed but who knows how it will actually work

Panope did some testing with the MK2 recently and it did much better than the original Rocna had in his tests.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by malbert73

The only, and I mean only- time the M1 has dragged on me in 100s and 100s of nights (mostly east coast US) was when I picked up a dock piling sitting on the bottom. The Rocna that came with my boat dragged several times in my first few months hence I ditched it. So, where one anchors makes a big difference- but Panope’s tests validated what I thought was isolated bad experiences with Rocna. In any case, the larger rollbar never clogs on the M1. Just looking at it one can see this. Rocna mk2 has tried to address some of the shortcomings that Panope exposed but who knows how it will actually work

And yes, I've only ever dragged once with my Rocna. This happened two seasons ago. Before that, I was adamant that I'd never dragged. Now I say I have dragged but only once, in over a decade of use, many hundreds of nights, in a wide variety of conditions and substrates, sometimes in fairly challenging locations. I currently cruise the NE part of Newfoundland, afterall. The M1 appears to be a great anchor. But no anchor is perfect, and all will fail at some point.

Personally, I think we put too much focus on the anchor, and not nearly enough on anchoring technique. For my money, I think any of the newer anchors are fine. But you still have to know how to use them.