Epsilon

[Neeves]

Other than the poor quality of the galvanising of Epsilon there have seen no negative comments on the performance of Epsilon.

In view of the repetitive comments on the absence of Lewmar's Epsilon anchor I asked them what was happening.

This is the reply

quote

Thank you for your email, we pulled this design from our range of anchors and currently we will not be brining this back to our ranges

The alternatives are either the Stainlass Epsilon or Galvanised Delta

unquote

My assessment is they are having fundamental problems of production - which makes little sense to me. They can successfully make the stainless version and also continue to make Delta.. If I combine the skills and techniques necessary to make the stainless Epsilon and the galvanised Delta it should be no more difficult to make the galvanised Epsilon. The Epsilon design seems acceptable, Lewmar have an enviable reputation in terms of supplying the Delta design - and adding Epsilon seemed a winner. They seem to be giving up on being a leader. Contemporaneously Lewmar introduced their clone of the Fortress anchor - I have never seen it mentioned.

CMP/Rocna must be laughing their socks off and companies like Maxwell and Quick should be taking advantage and focussing their marketing strategies

The comment I might make is - has Lewmar lost its way?

Jonathan

 

[Boathook]

Seems like.

Years ago I very good aftersales service from them for something I 'broke'. I don't know what it is like nowadays but for blocks, tracks, etc, the other manufactures seem just as good when I last looked.

 

[antares]

What a shame , two of us in the yard bought Epsilons three years ago and we’ve both found them to be fantastic little anchors and no problem with the galvanising either . Doesn’t make any sense at all.

 

[Roberto]

- has Lewmar lost its way?

In practice, is there a need for this plethora of new anchors regularly coming into the market these last x years? Imho really not, a handful of anchors have already demonstrated to satisfy every need of every sailor, take your pick.
Bring into the market an anchor weighing one kilo, setting in half a meter, holding a 50' with a 1:1.1 scope and a light dyneema rode, retrievable by hand, self cleaning from mud etc etc that would get you the whole anchor market Increases in performance or better features of actual new anchor models are marginal at best; newer and newer models may appeal to you who write articles about anchors, for the very vast majority of sailors (with some experience) they are little more than a curiosity.
In commercial terms, an Epsilon could maybe aim to get a tiny % share in an overly saturated market? Worth it?

 

[Sticky Fingers]

It was worth it in the sense that it’s a direct fit where the Delta would fit your current anchor roller, but with improved set/reset/ holding, so Delta owners who’d like to update their anchor (like me) could buy another Lewmar product secure on the knowledge that the thing will fit.

I researched this a few months ago, came up with the Epsilon as recommended by my friend @Elessar and discovered I could not buy a galvanised one, only stainless.

 

[Tranona]

Big potential as it was half the price of most other NG anchors and just as effective. Plus, easy replacement for the Delta which is fitted as OE on most production boats. I have one.

 

[Dellquay13]

It was worth it in the sense that it’s a direct fit where the Delta would fit your current anchor roller, but with improved set/reset/ holding, so Delta owners who’d like to update their anchor (like me) could buy another Lewmar product secure on the knowledge that the thing will fit.

I researched this a few months ago, came up with the Epsilon as recommended by my friend @Elessar and discovered I could not buy a galvanised one, only stainless.

How does a stainless Epsilon price up against the galvanised competition? If the stainless Epsilon is as comparatively cheap as the discontinued galvanised Epsilon was it might not be much more than other galvanised NG anchors but with added bling. (About £550 for the 6kg model)

 

[ylop]

How does a stainless Epsilon price up against the galvanised competition? If the stainless Epsilon is as comparatively cheap as the discontinued galvanised Epsilon was, at about £550 for the 6kg model, it might not be much more than other galvanised NG anchors but with added bling.

Eyewatering! Was a Galv Epsilon really £550?

All 6kg size:
Epsilon s/s £800 rrp (but available for under £600)
Epsilon galv £360 on ebay
Most of the rocna/spade etc are 250-350 in this size.
Lewmar Claw (actually 7.5kg) essentially a Bruce £76
You can get a Knox for £215
(All + shipping).

 

[doug748]

I bought an Epsilon around launch, 10kg was about £180 IIRC. Delta would have been about £110.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

I have lost two anchors in the last 40+ years due to issues including one embedding itself immovably in some underwater limestone reef. Possibly anchoring in Plymouth sound and other anchorages I may yet lose another to debris. At £250 for my current NG anchor I might curse, but at £800 I would surely weep

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Stainless Epsilon for my boat.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

I’m thinking of going Knox. Got the templates I need to test for size.

 

[Dellquay13]

Eyewatering! Was a Galv Epsilon really £550?

All 6kg size:
Epsilon s/s £800 rrp (but available for under £600)
Epsilon galv £360 on ebay
Most of the rocna/spade etc are 250-350 in this size.
Lewmar Claw (actually 7.5kg) essentially a Bruce £76
You can get a Knox for £215
(All + shipping).

I paid £189 for my 6kg Galv Epsilon online.

The SS is offered for about £550, I wondered how that compared to other NG galvanised.

 

[Neeves]

I wonder if Lewmar made a large batch of gal Epsilons and a smaller batch of stainless. They decided to discontinue Epsilon, completely, sold all the gal versions relatively quickly and are left with a decent number of expensive models. Being expensive they don't sell quickly and are a cost that Lewmar might want to recover. Once the last of the stainless models are sold they will then discontinue Epsilon completely.

It must have cost them a fortune to develop the anchor and then they had a further cost having it certified. The certification and the user feed back, read this complete thread, suggests there is nothing wrong with the design.

The mystery is - why are they discontinuing after all the investment and the good customer feed back.

The only other change is that Lewmar has been bought, I forget by whom, American? outdoor company, focussed on 4x4?.....But its difficult to see why that would be relevant.


'We' are now left with a situation where commissioning anchors will be a Delta which no-one wants where Lewmar are selling a package to a boat builder. Delta anchors will be as cheap as chips as people upgrade. In many respects it does not affect 'us' - there are plenty of good anchors easily available, though some may not fit on every bow roller. I had a quick glance at Jimmy Green's website and they sell almost all the decent anchors already - plenty to choose from. The omissions are Knox and Viking (there maybe others missing). The casualty is Lewmar - who, in the absence of more information from inside the empire, look questionable and who may lose sales to other companies, Vetus/Maxwell, Quick, CMP, Plastimo etc as Lewmar no longer sell a fully desirable package.

As an aside - I quoted the Lewmar response in full - I expect better English from Lewmar - though I was actually surprised to get a response at all.

Jonathan

 

[ylop]

The only other change is that Lewmar has been bought, I forget by whom, American? outdoor company, focussed on 4x4?.....But its difficult to see why that would be relevant.

Well, I think you might be missing an important bit of the jigsaw there. You are assuming that as a company they think about “marine products” and what the market needs. They are stock market listed so it’s really about quarterly performance not having a suite of nice anchors. They have a budget option and a premium option so for all the OEM contracts (after-all who cares about individual yachtsmen if you can get specced on production boats), there are option available.

Of course the other important piece might be where they are actually made and impact of tariffs on production cost?

 

[Boathook]

Well, I think you might be missing an important bit of the jigsaw there. You are assuming that as a company they think about “marine products” and what the market needs. They are stock market listed so it’s really about quarterly performance not having a suite of nice anchors. They have a budget option and a premium option so for all the OEM contracts (after-all who cares about individual yachtsmen if you can get specced on production boats), there are option available.

Of course the other important piece might be where they are actually made and impact of tariffs on production cost?

I suspect that boat manufactures will be looking as to what they could replace the delta with seeing that it is an old style anchor. Maybe other manufactures will come up with a bow roller that has the same base as the lewmar one so easy for them to fit.

 

[jakew009]

I wonder if it was a patent infringement issue?

 

[vyv_cox]

'We' are now left with a situation where commissioning anchors will be a Delta which no-one wants where Lewmar are selling a package to a boat builder.

I am not sure that is the case. Speaking to owners of French boats who bought in France, they came with a French anchor as standard, a FOB or Britany. I am guessing that French built boats must number a good proportion of the market, owners either keeping the standard anchor or specifying their preference. I don't know about other builders but no doubt their specified anchor is in the bargain basement category unless an upgrade is paid for.

My impression is that it is flotilla charter companies who specify Delta for their new vessels - a perfectly acceptable anchor for the duty at a very reasonable price, no doubt. I see older flotilla boats with Bruce copies and other questionable kit, again, fit for purpose. I see no reason why a charter company would pay for a new generation anchor, completely unwarranted. Bareboat charter maybe but these are a drop in the ocean of the ever expanding charter fleets.

 

[Neeves]

I am not sure that is the case. Speaking to owners of French boats who bought in France, they came with a French anchor as standard, a FOB or Britany. I am guessing that French built boats must number a good proportion of the market, owners either keeping the standard anchor or specifying their preference. I don't know about other builders but no doubt their specified anchor is in the bargain basement category unless an upgrade is paid for.

My impression is that it is flotilla charter companies who specify Delta for their new vessels - a perfectly acceptable anchor for the duty at a very reasonable price, no doubt. I see older flotilla boats with Bruce copies and other questionable kit, again, fit for purpose. I see no reason why a charter company would pay for a new generation anchor, completely unwarranted. Bareboat charter maybe but these are a drop in the ocean of the ever expanding charter fleets.

This suggests Lewmar's market research was incorrect that supported the development work and paid for Lloyds. Developing and certificating a new anchor is not cheap and the development of Epsilon must have been supported at quite a high level.

See my last sentence post 1

Jonathan

 

[Tranona]

Just looked through the current cruiser ranges brochures for Beneteau and Jeanneau and they all have Deltas fitted, although not so easy to se with the "snouts" they seem to all have these days.