Delta to Kobra holding

[Arcady]

The Kobra 2 is much better than the folding arrangement of the Kobra 1. Some years ago I switched from a 15 kg Delta to a 16kg (I think) Kobra 2. As I recall it set more quickly and never gave a moment’s concern. It is (was?) very good value for money.

 

[Bouba]

My experience is that the Delta has no holding power...it’s a plough...and it ploughs very well

 

[Neeves]

I have never used a Delta long term - primarily because I found it difficult to set reliably and when set its hold was less adequate than every other anchor I had tried, excepting CQR. Both Delta and CQR were down near the bottom of my list of likes. Having said that when I did get a CQR to set - it could be tenacious - but I was always left with doubts in my mind - especially concerning tide or wind shifts.

There are plenty of anchors that do not have these 'weaknesses' Rocna, Supreme, Excel, Spade, Fortress, Viking, SARCA , Knox- but no anchor is perfect - but this list is generally reliable. I know Fortress are no use in weed - I'm assuming people know the specific points of weakness of anchors.

One problem with many of these anchors is they are wallet frighteningly expensive - though over the long term a good anchor is as cheap as chips. I thus tend to ignore the initial investment and look at anchor pricing as a long term investment in relaxed sleep.

I have missed out Kobra - specifically - as that is what the thread is about.

Kobra is, or was, a very cheap and reliable anchor. It sets easily and develops a reliable hold. In a change of tide or wind it will re-set without outside intervention (except like any anchor it can clog with weed). I found the folding mechanism a complete waste of time - in the same way I find the removable shank of a Spade or Excel and the demountability of Fortress and Viking a waste of time. All our anchors are carried assembled - ready for use (but we have a bow locker almost big enough to live in! )

Any anchor can be clogged with weed and Fortress and Knox have a specific propensity with the gap between the flukes to catch weed or 'right sized' pebbles. The tripping slot on a SARCA is a tripped anchor waiting to happen. You might not find some of these anchors easy to buy, mail order only or not in stock in your local chandlery. You may also find that the anchor you really covet does not actually fit on your bow roller - because the windlass has been installed too far forward.

But re-focussing on Kobra - its a great anchor, cheap and I think stocked in many chandlers. it gets good reviews from people here who use one.

My grouse is the stupid folding mechanism and I had ours welded up. I do not use it as a regular anchor because the shank is wimpy - and when I bought ours in Preston Marina I had had a walk round the marina - and there was a Kobra anchor on a bow roller - slightly bent. I don't know if the owner had noticed - but I look for these things. You thus need to toss up my fears of bent shanks and its significant cheapness - you get what you pay for. There are no bargains.

Delta has a pretty indestructible shank but I'd favour the risks I outline with Kobra - and go for the Kobra - because it does what is says on the box - sets easily and reliably and there is only a low risk you will ever bend the shank.

I strongly favour Viking in the new anchors available and do not have enough experience of either Vulcan or Epsilon to comment (they might be fantastic and cheap - I simply don't know). Knox is also excellent (note my comments on clogging of the split toe), Spade and Excel excellent but significantly pricey (and on a budget I'd look at Kobra and Viking). I'd always carry a Fortress, its so easy to deploy from a dinghy.

To the OP - I don't understand why your thread is Delta or Kobra, it should be Kobra, or Excel, Viking, Spade, etc etc (unless for some reason these others do not fit or are outlandishly expensive).

Price is a strange measure of performance or choice. To you an Excel is expensive because it commands an expensive shipping cost - its obviously cheaper in Australia. Same with a Fortress - much cheaper in America (and if you travel a lot you can pick one up at the Manhattan West Marine store and bring it back in your checked in luggage (that's how we got out Kobra to Oz). So what is expensive for you might be cheaper for me - and Spade will be cheaper if you can pick one up on your next cruise to Bluewater Supplies as I assume you can escape VAT....? Galvanising is another odd measure of excellence - how can you judge galvanising if you cannot measure gal thickness? So look at spread sheets of anchor performance with a critical eye.

To the OP - it is always interesting in any thread that the OP has a range of options offered. It is interesting to the people who try to help, any, OP to learn what the OP concludes as it then allows us, next time, to consider this decision process in how we offer advise. If we know that some things don't fit, are the wrong colour - we know these things are important and we can highlight or down grade our comments in the future.

Take care, stay safe

Jonathan

 

[Arcady]

My grouse is the stupid folding mechanism and I had ours welded up. I do not use it as a regular anchor because the shank is wimpy - and when I bought ours in Preston Marina I had had a walk round the marina - and there was a Kobra anchor on a bow roller - slightly bent. I don't know if the owner had noticed - but I look for these things. You thus need to toss up my fears of bent shanks and its significant cheapness - you get what you pay for. There are no bargains.

Delta has a pretty indestructible shank but I'd favour the risks I outline with Kobra - and go for the Kobra - because it does what is says on the box - sets easily and reliably and there is only a low risk you will ever bend the shank.

I strongly favour Viking in the new anchors available and do not have enough experience of either Vulcan or Epsilon to comment (they might be fantastic and cheap - I simply don't know). Knox is also excellent (note my comments on clogging of the split toe), Spade and Excel excellent but significantly pricey (and on a budget I'd look at Kobra and Viking). I'd always carry a Fortress, its so easy to deploy from a dinghy.

To the OP - I don't understand why your thread is Delta or Kobra, it should be Kobra, or Excel, Viking, Spade, etc etc (unless for some reason these others do not fit or are outlandishly expensive).

Price is a strange measure of performance or choice. To you an Excel is expensive because it commands an expensive shipping cost - its obviously cheaper in Australia. Same with a Fortress - much cheaper in America (and if you travel a lot you can pick one up at the Manhattan West Marine store and bring it back in your checked in luggage (that's how we got out Kobra to Oz). So what is expensive for you might be cheaper for me - and Spade will be cheaper if you can pick one up on your next cruise to Bluewater Supplies as I assume you can escape VAT....? Galvanising is another odd measure of excellence - how can you judge galvanising if you cannot measure gal thickness? So look at spread sheets of anchor performance with a critical eye.

To the OP - it is always interesting in any thread that the OP has a range of options offered. It is interesting to the people who try to help, any, OP to learn what the OP concludes as it then allows us, next time, to consider this decision process in how we offer advise. If we know that some things don't fit, are the wrong colour - we know these things are important and we can highlight or down grade our comments in the future.

Take care, stay safe

Jonathan

Neeves - are you referring to the Kobra 1 or Kobra 2? My recollection of the latter is that it was much more like the Spade, in so far as there is a single bolt securing the stock in the operational position. I put a decent nyloc nut on and never disassembled it again. It really wasn’t an issue thereafter.

 

[noelex]

The Kobra is a good anchor and great value for money, especially when you consider it is made by a reputable company and therefore the quality control should be good.

However, it does not perform as well as the better anchors, especially in less friendly substrates.

The photos below show a long setting mark with a heaping up of the sand rather than diving under the substrate. In medium substrates the Kobra can penetrate the substrate well and will do much better, but as the substrate becomes softer again, the limited blade area and reduced drag of the convex plow configuration mean the holding is not generally as secure. Below is just one example. This was in 4m @ 6:1 scope. You can see many other examples and make up your own mind in “Photos Of Anchors Setting”.

[/QUOTE]

 

[LittleSister]

Are the flukes in the Cobras in Noelex's photos (or at least the top 1 or 2) at the wrong angle to the shank?

p.s. Looking more closely, I think the three photos are of the same anchor in the same place.

 

[Neeves]

It does look as if it has suffered some damage - as if the shank has been bent up, and slightly sideways - it does not look central and the shank seems to be too high. The apex of the heel of the flukes does not look quite right either. All of this would explain a poor performance - but even well taken photos can offer images that look distorted.

We have never had an issue in getting ours to set, but then it not been run over by a bus, and no members here who own one have ever admitted to setting issues (or weak shanks)

Our Kobra is a Kobra 1, in fact I think when we bought it - it was just a Kobra, there was no Kobra 1 or 2. The Kobra 2 came later. However the fact ours is a 1 does not impact its performance, except the folding mechanism (which we had welded up). As far as I know the basic design did not, and has not, changed.

Arcady Interesting - the anchor was designed round folding - and you and I are not interested. We paid for something we did not need. I wonder how many Spade owners dismantle their anchors. This Spade that I removed the lead, had regalvanised (Armorgalv or Thermal Diffusion Galvanising, TDG) and melted the lead back had had the shank welded (badly) to the fluke (he bought a 6mm light weight high tensile chain). He has sailed, with his partner, the yacht half way round the world, via Patagonia, from France anchoring along the way.

Our aluminium Excel with a removable shank, - we have never disassembled (its our primary anchor). We carry 2 Fortress (FX16 and FX 37), both assembled.




Jonathan

 

[Arcady]

Neeves - like you, I prefer to carry my anchors ready for deployment I’ve just bought a 30kg Spade for our new boat and don’t envision ever disassembling it. I also have a Fortress FX23 as a second (probably stern) anchor and I will probably carry a 13kg Knox as a lightweight spare, simply because I happen to have it already!

 

[noelex]

Are the flukes in the Cobras in Noelex's photos (or at least the top 1 or 2) at the wrong angle to the shank?

A good observation. The Kobra always looks “wrong” on the seabed. I have seen countless Kobras underwater and the angle of attack of the fluke always looks excessive. There is nothing wrong with the anchor in these particular photos.

p.s. Looking more closely, I think the three photos are of the same anchor in the same place.

Yes these are photos of the same anchor taken from different angles to show what is happening on the seabed.

Here are some photos of another Kobra dropped by a different boat, you can see the same illusion about the fluke/shank angle. This one was 3:1 in 6m of depth.

 

[TonyMS]

You can stop s Kobra 1 folding with a couple of cable ties. The ties don't need to be strong - they are only holding the metal fold preventers in place.