Mantus vs Fortress for storm anchor

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Mike has a Rafiki 37. I think a 55 lb. Fortress would be a huge PITA to store and use. A heavy Mantus that is able to shuffle with the wind shifts, I think would be a better deal, right there on the bow roller, and ready to go and do it's job. He has a heavy Danforth, which will provide him with additional holding power, should he need it.

Furthermore, with his plans to go to the med, we have all seen pictures of noelex's big mantus digging in, even where there is fairly shallow sand over a harder substrate.

Just my two cents' worth.


Ann

Hi Anne,
Not a 55lb Fortress, a 55lb Rocna R

[slowpoker]

Regardless of what anchor you are using and holding well, if the boat's cleats or other attachments pull out, you have nothing.
Just last week, I saw the main shaft ( 2" diameter marine brass ), on a very large modern windlass, actually shear right off, just below the drum, at deck level where the chain or rope rides..... Decapitated!!.
Actually happened from the jerking pulls of a very well set anchor, (spade in sandy mud) on 900 feet of nylon scope trying to hold a heavy boat in shallow water when the waves were very steep and close together. Winds were 72 MPH from a strong thunderstorm. Waves washing over the deck. Other boats ended up damaged on the lee shore.
The very large cleats with proper backing held so well because the load was distributed among two of those strong cleats in line, one behind the other. Guess you could tie onto the bow cleats on your own boat and bring that same tail, tight to the midship cleats also to share the tremendous jerking load. Imagine tearing a cleat out.... and the bitter end will follow!!!.
Something else to worry about besides what anchor type, if it holds when changing directions or the line chafing huh?!.
Replacing the sheared windlass shaft with stainless and using a keyway, instead of the manufacturer's design of a large shear through-pin as used in the old outboard motors for the propeller, which made the shaft weak at that particular point.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

55lb Rocna is an excellent primary anchor for your boat!

Yes, it's been good so far.

BTW, I do have a Fortress as well. It's the F37 model. This is stored below as a storm anchor. Not something I'd routinely use, but it's there for predicted major blows.


Why go fast, when you can go slow

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by Bash

Where I feel the Rocna out-performs the Fortress is in terms of how quickly it sets and resets, how difficult it is to foul one, and how it performs in vegetation. Where I feel the Fortress/Guardian anchors out-perform all other anchors is in construction, raw holding power, light weight, and ease of stowage when broken apart. For tidal swings, Rocna gets my vote as a primary because, in the unlikely event it breaks out, it has a better chance of resetting itself than the Fortress.

So, there's clearly a place in my anchor collection for Fortress/Guardian anchors. No question about that. However, I don't feel that one will reset itself as well as a Rocna.

My experience re: the Rocna is identical. Have been caught ashore I a storm, winds in mid-30's knots, but cells coming thru in different directions and the boat turned a couple of 360's around the anchor. It may be that the Rocna did unseat, but if it did, it reset within an anchor length or two because the boat was in the same place when everything ended. My only experience has been with a Lewmar Delta (which I dragged everywhere, even with all-chain rode), and several of the Fortresses (which I really like because of light weight). The Rocna has always set. Period. It is my primary, storm, whatever. I carry a large Fortress as a backup in case for some reason I have to leave the Rocna and chain rode in place (such as a boat dragging down onto your anchor.) Or a stern anchor.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Mike has a Rafiki 37. I think a 55 lb. Fortress would be a huge PITA to store and use. A heavy Mantus that is able to shuffle with the wind shifts, I think would be a better deal, right there on the bow roller, and ready to go and do it's job. He has a heavy Danforth, which will provide him with additional holding power, should he need it.



Furthermore, with his plans to go to the med, we have all seen pictures of noelex's big mantus digging in, even where there is fairly shallow sand over a harder substrate.



Just my two cents' worth.





Ann

Hi Ann, based in part on the advice given here I went with the F37 model for my storm anchor. I've yet to need it (happily), but I'm happy with the choice. It's pretty big once assembled.

Our bower is the Rocna 25 (55#). It is the one used 95% of the time, and so far has never let us down. I might eventually go with a slightly larger bower, perhaps a mantus, but not much bigger.

Oh, and no current plans to head for the Med. Still in the Great Lakes this year, then out the St. Lawrence heading for Newfoundland next season.


Why go fast, when you can go slow

[gunkylump]

Hi Mike:

Our boat is heavy....that being said, we carry a Rocna 33kg up front, and use it all the time. It was on the boat when we purchased it, we would have bought either a Rocna or Mantus if Moorahme did not have either when we purchased. It holds great! The previous owner loved the Rocna, and so do we.

Our spare anchor when we purchased was a 55 lb genuine Spade. Heavy, solid, great anchor...but heavy. I wanted a spare anchor that I could hang on a stanchion for quick and easy availability, and to keep out of a storage locker or the bilge. I chose the Fortress FX-37. It hangs in the Mantus anchor hanger very nicely fully assembled, and is out of the way, at least in my opinion.

That was the set up I wanted, for our boat. The holding qualities of the Spade are well known..but I wanted to go with a different set up.

Have fun making your choice....there are a ton of variables. If you do go with the FX, check out the Mantus anchor hanger, it works great, at least for us. They also make a great anchor bridle....<grin> I sound like a salesman, but I have no affiliation with Mantus...they do make some great products in my opinion.

gunk

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Yes, it's been good so far.

BTW, I do have a Fortress as well. It's the F37 model. This is stored below as a storm anchor. Not something I'd routinely use, but it's there for predicted major blows.


Why go fast, when you can go slow

You are well set up Mike, I wouldn't change a thing.

[kas_1611]

Just to add another anchor into the mixture I have a Vulcan 33kg (73lbs in American money) as my bower which I chose based on the thinking it would work for everything from a lunch time swim right up to a hurricane.

It replaced our Delta 16kg (35lbs) which I felt was undersized for our 40ft Bavaria. The Delta is tucked away in the cockpit locker as our secondary anchor. I know it will hold us safely in 25kts and will add extra holding if we do need a second anchor out.

I have considered (and would still consider) a comparable Fortress as a secondary anchor purely because of the lighter weight and the fact it packs down but I figure it is better to have a big lump on the bow that is capable of handling the storm in the first place.

Just my 2 Croatian Kunas

Keiron

[Fortress]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Yes, it's been good so far.

BTW, I do have a Fortress as well. It's the F37 model. This is stored below as a storm anchor. Not something I'd routinely use, but it's there for predicted major blows.


Why go fast, when you can go slow

Originally Posted by robert sailor

You are well set up Mike, I wouldn't change a thing.

Since the late 80s, Fortress have been well battle-tested storm anchors throughout our local hurricane region of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and east coast USA.

An example would be the FX-37 pictured below, which held a 42-ft Silverton during Hurricane Andrew and its 140+ knot winds that ravaged through an area about 60 miles (97 km) south of our Ft. Lauderdale, Florida factory.

According to the owners, they had three anchors out and two had broken free during this horrific storm, leaving their boat hanging on a 21 lb (10 kg) anchor. Afterwards they said that it took nearly a day to break the anchor free, and they obviously bent the flukes in the process, which we gladly replaced under warranty.

The "bottom" line, if you will pardon the pun, is that the massive surface area advantage of two large and sharpened flukes will result in superior holding capacity during the worst of conditions when anchored in common sand, mud, or clay bottoms.

[redsky49]

This is an old thread come back to life!

Regarding the Rocna and Fortress discussion I have two tales to tell from personal experience.

Fortress story - I was in coastal North Carolina several years ago when a Cat. 1 hurricane approached. With adequate advance warning I was able to find a nice creek to hunker down. I dropped a Fortress FX-55 with a lengthy shot of chain and (I believe) 3/4" 3-strand in the direction of the anticipated wind; backed it down hard, with 8 or 9:1 scope. At a roughly 45 degree angle, dropped my primary 45# CQR with 5/16" all chain, roughly 7 or 8:1 scope. Double snubber on chain and chafing gear all around, etc., etc..

After sustained winds per NOAA of 70-80 knts., with higher gusts exceeding 100 knts. I returned to the boat to find it safe and sound and appearing to be right where I left it. CQR came up from sandy mud bottom relatively easily. Fortress took the better part of the afternoon to recover, and I was seriously considering cutting the rode, attaching a buoy to the remainder, and calling a diver to recover. There is no question in my mind that the Fortress worked admirably as a storm hook. It is now disassembled and tucked away in various spots on board, awaiting reassembly when needed - about a ten minute operation.

Rocna story - Was in coastal Georgia in late spring of 2012, heading north on ICW, when weather alerts encouraged us to stop early for the day and get the hook down. We had replaced the previous CQR with a Rocna 25 (55#), while keeping the 5/16" G40 all chain rode. We were in the Darien River, about a half mile from the ICW, good swinging room and had probably a 5:1 scope out. Winds and rain came as expected - 20 to 25 steady with gusts in the mid 30's. Nothing that worried me as we had at that time 200(?) nights at anchor with the new Rocna and were quite impressed with the vastly improved performance compared to the prior CQR. The lightning began to increase to the point that I was getting really concerned, and, with the wind starting to increase, my wife and I moved to the aft cabin to be further away from the mast if we were to be struck by lightning.
After just a few minutes in the aft cabin we heard a roar and the boat started rolling to starboard, there was a huge bang on deck and we were nearly knocked horizontal - while at anchor!
My wife thought we had been hit by one of the shrimp trawlers that come through this river. I went up the companionway hatch once we bounced back upright and saw that our dinghy (which had been lashed on deck) cartwheeling across the water and ending up on shore.
There is more to the story, apparently we were struck by a microburst per a Towboat US operator I spoke to on VHF who had watched the entire storm on his computer. We were in the center of one of those purple spots on the color radar. The punch line though is that we did not move from our original anchoring spot!

As a result of these two events, and now coupled with about three years experience with the Rocna, I am absolutely a disciple of new generation anchors. The Rocna (or Manson, Spade, etc.) are superb primary anchors and the Fortress is a great back-up, especially since it can be disassembled.

Even more important, my wife no longer frets at anchor. She is at the wheel when anchoring and she tells me she can readily tell the difference with the Rocna as to how quickly and firmly it grabs. And as we all know, Happy Wife - Happy Life!!

I have been through seven or eight hurricanes now, and if you are going to be on the hook, you can't go far wrong with a Fortress being part of your storm tools.

Just my opinion.

[Mike OReilly]

Nice to have an anchor thread that doesn't turn to flames. Thanks all .

I am happy with our arrangement, and I thank everyone for all the good advice. The FX-37 is a great anchor. It's well oversized for our boat, so should do us well should we need to hold through a big predicted blow. But it's weight means I can still use it for kedging or other semi-routine events.

We've used our Rocna 25 as a bower for four or five years now. I am completely satisfied with it, but I am pretty sure I'd be just as happy with a Mantus, Spade or Manson of similar size. As I say, I might consider going one size up if I had to replace the Rocna, but the 25 has held us through sustained 50knot blows (with 360-degree wind rotation). Before this anchor I would routinely switch between our CQR and our Danforth, depending on the bottom. The Rocna now covers it all, and does it better.

[Fortress]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Nice to have an anchor thread that doesn't turn to flames. Thanks all

Mike, the ultimate goal and higher purpose for us is to help boaters stay safe and enjoy their time while on the water. However that is accomplished, and with whatever brand of anchor, is secondary.

Enjoy,
Brian

http://ww.fortressanchors.com

[zboss]

You can't beat the Fortress warranty either! I bent a cross bar when pulling it out (must have been stuck on something) and they replaced it without question, even though I was willing to buy a new one.

[Bpw]

I think the fortress is one of the best secondary anchors around.

I love our Rocna primary, but we have two fortresses on board as well. The big one is storm anchor size (fx-37 on 28 foot boat) and the second is normal size for everyday kedge/secondary. Being engineless we do a lot of kedging etc so having something light that sets fast is really useful.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sanibel sailor]

I am still in the process of coming to terms with my trusty CQR not being the best thing out there. Stages of grief I guess. The extensive anchor setting pic thread has been a eye-opener. I plan on replacing my plow with a scoop in the near future.

I have purchased a FX23 as a secondary and a FX55 as a storm. It is enormous but manageable.

The pics of the hurricane Fortress are significant. The tips being bent suggest to me that it snagged something (like bedrock) rather than force on the entire fluke. The fact it held and boat was saved is a great testament to its value however.