Anchor, should I change or not?

[longjohnsilver]

At the risk of opening a can of worms, I am in a bit of a quandry. We changed boats at the end of last year and now have a 48' trawler yacht that weighs somewhere in the region of 30 tons. On the bow roller there is a Fortress FX37 which weighs about 23lbs.

I have never had any experience or knowledge of these lightweight aluminium anchors before, but looking at their web site it states that it is suitable for a boat up to 50'+. The original owner fitted it and apparently was keen on anchoring where ever he could. All the tests I've read state that this is a top performing anchor.

So what's my quandry. Well it just seems far too light for my size of boat. I'm on the verge of ordering a 32kg Delta as this is far heavier and one piece (unlike the Fortress which can be disassembled) and keeping the Fortress as a kedge. The delta blurb state that this is suitable for boats 55-65'.

I've had experience of cqr s and danforths in the past. Not impressed with the cqr but the danforth was brilliant. So the Delta looks a bit like the old cqr and the Fortress similar to the danforth. I guess that I still want more weight for peace of mind. So the Delta it will be, unless persuaded otherwise.

 

[jimg]

What do they fit to a comparable boat such as a Fleming 55 or Grand Banks 47?

 

[ccscott49]

I would stick with the fortress for a season, then decide.
I have a FOB 120lb, does for me, although I bent it last year in a ballearics storm.
I also tend to want a bit of weight in my anchor.
The Delta seems to have a good following and good reports.
If you are buying a completely new anchor, why not look at the more modern designs, if you can fit one, I cant on mine, or I would!

So given up on the diving/fishing boat eh?
What did you buy?

 

[snowleopard]

I have two Fortresses, a small one as a kedge and a FX37 as a last resort storm anchor. As a result of my experiences to date I would never use one as a bower. I have several times rowed out the kedge to pull myself off and I have never yet persuaded it to set. In both sand and mud bottoms it has simply slid without biting. OTOH when used in very soft mud it has buried itself so well I had a lot of trouble getting it up again.

The Delta has worked for me in every situation except soft mud. It has a passing resemblance to the CQR but the performances are poles apart. You might also look at Spade, Rocna and Bugel which seem, from published reports, to be similar to the Delta or a little better.

 

[longjohnsilver]

So given up on the diving/fishing boat eh?

Well not exactly. Debs wanted a bit more comfort and I liked the idea of more space and headroom. We've now got a DeFever 48. Displacement with twin Ford Lehmans, 830 gal fuel capacity so should go a few miles before re-filling (and that will always be with cheaper Channel Islands fuel!)