Poking the Bear - a.k.a. Lets talk anchors

Don S/V ILLusion

Don S/V ILLusion

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Sep 25, 2008
7,096
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
Reminds me of the saying "the right tool for the job". It's always more important what you anchor to than what anchor.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Amazing how straightforward this can be when you remove any commercial bias or narrowly focused preference from the equation.
 
J

JimInPB

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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
It's nice to see someone include references to different bottom types when talking about anchors. That lack of that reference is usually one of my biggest issues with most "discussions" about anchors.
 
Don S/V ILLusion

Don S/V ILLusion

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Sep 25, 2008
7,096
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
The subject can also serve to provoke consideration of how any different anchors one carries if you sail to diverse areas. Most of the folks we know who sail extensively carry a few different types for use determined by local conditions. Obviously weight can affect the number one carries on a small boat but I'm often surprised to find lots of sailors who have only one anchor.
 
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Franklin

Franklin

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Jul 20, 2005
2,422
Whitby 55 Kemah, Tx
I have 4 anchors. 2 FX-37 fortress (hurricane anchors), a Mantus (backup primary anchor) and my Bulwagga. In my 6 years of cruising all over in all kinds of bottoms I have used sucessfully my Bulwagga. If I ever get a new boat I will have an engineer make me a bigger one. The Mantus is a great anchor (best anchor you can buy) but I think the Bulwagga is better. There have been many places people told me anchors do not hold there or it will not set and it sets immediately and hold is 30+ knots of wind. I give them a big smile the next day :)
 
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J

JimInPB

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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Franklin said:
...The Mantus is a great anchor (best anchor you can buy)...
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Spoken like a true man from Kemah. ;-)

That aside, I am curious why you choose the Fortress for your storm anchors. Normally I use them for working anchors in non-rocky bottoms & I use steel anchors for storms. I'd be interested to understand your reasons for making that choice.
 
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T

ToddS

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Sep 11, 2017
248
Beneteau 373 Cape Cod
JimInPB said:
Spoken like a true man from Kemah. ;-)

That aside, I am curious why you choose the Fortress for your storm anchors. Normally I use them for working anchors in non-rocky bottoms & I use steel anchors for storms. I'd be interested to understand your reasons for making that choice.
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I'm not the original poster, but I too keep a Fortress around, but not as my working or primary anchor. Personally, I find that once you set that fortress in mud or sand, it is better than any other anchor (in its weight class) at resisting dragging. I don't use it for my primary though, because if you are going to anchor somewhere long enough that you swing around the anchor, it does NOT reset itself quickly or very well, especially if there are any weeds and/or rocks/debris around. As a 2nd or third anchor, you presumably won't be swinging around it, necessitating that it reset itself, so it works great in that scenario. Additionally, I love that it is so light, which allows me to take it out in a dingy to set it when a storm is approaching... something typically only done for a 2nd or 3rd anchor... while the primary is generally deployed from the boat iself, not a dinghy. Last, but not least, it is happier to sit flat at the bottom of a locker than a delta or mantus, or CQR, or whatever else you use. and storm anchors (for me at least) live in out-of-the-way places like the bottom of lockers.
 
J

JimInPB

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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
I agree about the Fortress (and other Danforth style) anchors not resetting well by themselves. I should have clarified that when I said I like to use them as a working anchor, that is for short duration anchoring that does not include an unattended tide change. The reduced weight is why I like them for that purpose. They are my anchor of choice when I need to set & recover an anchor frequently. I don't choose them for a storm anchor because they do not seem to tolerate side loading as well as a good quality steel anchor of similar dimensions. Once they are dug in hard (like in a storm) & conditions change & they get side loaded, the shanks tend to bend more easily than I am comfortable with. Once the shank is bent, the value of the anchor is crippled. Fortress does have a wonderful warranty & they will make good on a damaged anchor after the fact, but that is after you are back on shore. In your scenario, with multiple anchors during the storm, I agree that they would be a good choice. I was envisioning a different ground tackle layout.
 
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rpwillia

rpwillia

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Sep 29, 2008
1,930
Catalina 310 #185 Quantico
JimInPB said:
Sure, what's your opinion on the outcome of the Shelly Parker case? :poke:
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Biggest problem with anchors is most don't know how to set them. :eek: The CQR is the best anchor ever if you know how to properly set an anchor. :stir: After all what could go wrong in a discussion about anchors? :deadhorse:

OK, since I am joking around, I'll bite ... who is Shelly Parker?
 
Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

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Oct 19, 2017
7,746
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
When it comes to anchors, unusual for me, I keep my own council.

And... who is Shelley Parker? I'll bet she's an anchor. Am I close?

- Will (Dragonfly)
 
J

JimInPB

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Aug 22, 2017
1,609
Hunter 26.5 West Palm Beach
Kermit said:
This is the best I could find on Shelly Parker. It’s definitely less controversial than the Supreme Court ruling on which anchor is best.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/03/17/scotus.guns/index.html
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Yep, that was it.

The original case was Shelly Parker et al, in the lower courts. Dick Anthony Heller was a secondary claimant in the case at that point. When the case got bumped up to the SCOTUS, it was renamed the Heller case, as Heller was now focused upon as the primary claimant. Heller was the first SCOTUS ruling on the Second Amendment since the often misinterpreted Miller case. The thing about Heller that I found most disturbing, was that after the SCOTUS directed DC to issue a handgun permit to Mr. Heller, they still declined his application. As far as I know, he still does not have that permit, despite having a SCOTUS ruling in his favor.

Thank god we don't need a permit to buy anchors.:biggrin:
 
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