KellysEye
Well-Known Member
The Fortress is designed so you change the angle subject to what you are anchoring on ranging from soft mud to hard sand.
Fortress Anchor
- Thread starter C08
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Neeves
Well-Known Member
If the only complaint you have of a Fortress (or any anchor), after almost 20 years is that it failed to reset on 2 occasions I think you are very lucky - its a great endorsement.
C08
Well-Known Member
Yes I am aware of that but in the context of having an anchor ready for rapid deployment it would be convenient to be able to leave it ready to heave over the side quickly in the event of say engine failure on a river in which case the soft mud setting would be most appropriate.
It is interesting that the much vaunted "mud palms" on the Fortress are exactly the same as the flat & sloping plates on Danforth/KLM and other double sided fluke anchors.
Thanks for all the comments: I will have to do some trials next season myself, on sand and see how it goes on.
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
I've noticed that genuine Bruce's have VERY sharp leading edges to the flukes, which are remarkably thin. Most copies are blunter, thicker and altogether cruder. I can't claim to have gone to any great trouble to select mine - I asked the local chandler what seemed to work well in the loch (lots of fishermen with boats) and he said "These seem popular". It is, from memory, 5kg, and holds both the 500kg Hunter 490 (for which I bought it) and the 450kg Drascombe Longboat (to which I transferred it) very nicely with 4m of 6mm chain and then some braided rope.
I'd like to find a genuine Bruce in the same size sometime, but the one I have will do for now. It stows very handily in a bucket containing the chain and rope.
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JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
Many thanks. I hadn't started the search and have now contacted them in the hope that the offer still stands ...
Pasarell
Well-Known Member
JD, what size Fortress do you have? I have a FX23 bought secondhand but never used. It came with mud palms but no bolts so following that thread last year I asked Brian if the bolts are standard or special. If special, could I buy some. He insisted on sending me new bolts FOC even though I insisted it was not a warranty issue or complaint. The turned up as a pack with mud palms as well so I now have a spare set of mud palms. You're welcome to them if they will fit. PM me if interested.
Commitment to the product from Brian / Fortress is extraordinary!
Commitment to the product from Brian / Fortress is extraordinary!
ditchcrawler
Well-Known Member
I use my Fortress as a lunch hook sometimes usually in soft mud as I am on the east coast. When used on harder sand it can skip if you are reversing too quickly and once
it starts skipping it is best to stop. Lowering and reversing very slowly is the answer.
it starts skipping it is best to stop. Lowering and reversing very slowly is the answer.
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
I have a FX11. Thanks for the offer - I'll wait for Fortress's response and if necessary get back to you with some measurements,
GHA
Well-Known Member
I've seen mine sort of fly like a kite with the palms pointing up pulling it up in a dinghy motoring forward before, makes you a little bit wary though great anchor generally.
NormanS
Well-Known Member
I would say that unless you're in the habit of anchoring in real slime, just leave the anchor set at the "shallow" angle. You'll find it perfectly satisfactory.
macd
Well-Known Member
If this is motoring forward to break out the anchor, you may wish to revisit Fortress' instructions. They clearly recommend breaking out by reversing. Counter-intuitive, I know, but that's their advice.
(I asked Brian why this was so on an earlier thread. It seems that the advice came from long experience of the anchor's late designer. Evidently no-one currently at Fortress knows his precise reasoning.)
Fortress Anchors
Member
Thank you for your interest in our product and for the positive comments. Concerning the shank / fluke angle, we recommend using the 45° angle only if you are anchoring in soft mud and need additional holding power, as per the illustration below in our Safe Anchoring Guide:
We put warning labels on the Crown (center piece) of the anchor which state "Soft Mud Anchoring Only" to hopefully insure that the boater will not use the 45° angle in a harder soil, as the anchor is likely to skip along the bottom and not set, as illustrated and well-described below in Vryhof's anchoring manual:
Regarding our warranty, we will replace any damaged parts for free, which do not have to be returned to us, and the only cost is the shipping and handling for the replacement parts. Since we use the US Postal Service to ship these parts, the cost is usually nominal.
This "hassle-free" warranty is available to any Fortress owner, no matter when or where or from whom he purchased the anchor....or even if he found it on a sea bottom.
Safe anchoring,
Brian
We put warning labels on the Crown (center piece) of the anchor which state "Soft Mud Anchoring Only" to hopefully insure that the boater will not use the 45° angle in a harder soil, as the anchor is likely to skip along the bottom and not set, as illustrated and well-described below in Vryhof's anchoring manual:
Regarding our warranty, we will replace any damaged parts for free, which do not have to be returned to us, and the only cost is the shipping and handling for the replacement parts. Since we use the US Postal Service to ship these parts, the cost is usually nominal.
This "hassle-free" warranty is available to any Fortress owner, no matter when or where or from whom he purchased the anchor....or even if he found it on a sea bottom.
Safe anchoring,
Brian
GHA
Well-Known Member
Just an observation. Hard to see how direction of breaking out could make any difference, pull the fortress through the water quite quickly and you can make it fly. And after watching it happen the seed is sewn now that in a rapid windshift if the anchor breaks out the same thing could happen.
Not actually an worry as I'd never use a fortress on it's own for any length of time, great though they are.
macd
Well-Known Member
I'm sure that's right. I was commenting on the passing implication that you were breaking out the anchor by motoring forward.
I'd certainly use a (suitably sized) Fortress on its own in very soft mud, but each to his own.
,
Neeves
Well-Known Member
In America Fortress are quite common as primary anchors on yachts, as Brittany or Spade are in France and Bugels in the eastern Med. As an Anglo Saxon - the Fortress really stand out - the practice is so different (and it is difficult to believe their anchor practices or seabeds are SO different).
An interesting observation made during the Fortress Chesapeake tests was that the hold and break out, retrieval, tensions of a well set Fortress anchor in mud were similar. So if your Fortress anchor develops a hold of, say 500kg when set by the engine, augmented by wind, then you will need to develop a similar tension to break it out. This might not be so surprising as the fluke is at 45 degrees to both the horizontal and vertical (though I'd expect it to be slightly less (hold) in the vertical). If the anchor is giving you sufficient hold in the horizontal - its is difficult to see why it would easily break out.
I do suspect that many carry an overly large Fortress, thinking it will be used in the ultimate storm and underpinned by the idea that anchors must be 'heavy' (hence the large size) but then use it for other reasons. But a big Fortress is difficult to deep set and in that circumstance I do see a Fortress tripping easily.
The biggest complaint of a well set Fortress is that it is difficult to retrieve - which is the reason why it is possible to buy a shallow setting danforth - so that it is easy to retrieve.
Horses for courses.
Jonathan
NBs
Well-Known Member
I have a Fortress FX23 mud palm mounted anchor 7 kg, always in a lower angle position(boat 13000kg trawler). I lead a core rope, not a chain at all. Here the clay or sand bottom usually, the anchor settles quickly and holds like a bound bollard. I only use it on a bow at the beach, anchoring Stern. Lightness is a great relief as I would need 15-20kg Bruce or delta not windlans my Stern. My head anchor 25 kg delta, 12mm chain and lofrans 1500 Tiger.
I do not know how to loosen the mud, I have never needed another setting
The only downside is, a bit tricky to handle, to watch your fingers when the moving arm and shoulders rise high.
NBs:encouragement:
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Neeves
Well-Known Member
The crown (that's the big chunky bit to which almost everything attaches) has 2 holes in it (hidden inside - but obvious it you take apart), one for 32 degrees and one for 45 degrees, see Post # 32 above. When you get the anchor new the 45 degree holes has a label covering it saying - mud only. You would need to punch the label to 'open' the hole, its just self adhesive tape.
You simply take the stock out (that's the long round rod, simply slide), you only need to loosen the clips on the flukes, so that it clears the crown and then re-insert in the other hole.
Its actually very simply - best done on a flat deck with the Fortress laid flat. For the first time best done at leisure on a nice sunny day.
The Fortress will work in slimy mud at 32 degrees - it works much better at 45 degrees. We have found that most other anchors will simply not set at all in slimy mud (but have never tried a big fluke anchor like Danforth - too heavy and ungainly to carry or launch from a dinghy). The opposite is not true. A Fortress will not work in sand if set at 45 degrees, it might never actually engage - so most people leave their Fortress set at 32 degrees.
Jonathan
You simply take the stock out (that's the long round rod, simply slide), you only need to loosen the clips on the flukes, so that it clears the crown and then re-insert in the other hole.
Its actually very simply - best done on a flat deck with the Fortress laid flat. For the first time best done at leisure on a nice sunny day.
The Fortress will work in slimy mud at 32 degrees - it works much better at 45 degrees. We have found that most other anchors will simply not set at all in slimy mud (but have never tried a big fluke anchor like Danforth - too heavy and ungainly to carry or launch from a dinghy). The opposite is not true. A Fortress will not work in sand if set at 45 degrees, it might never actually engage - so most people leave their Fortress set at 32 degrees.
Jonathan
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mariadz
Well-Known Member
Not directly related to setting or retrieving a Fortress anchor but hopefully not a thread drift since people with Fortresses (or considering them) may be interested.
We have an FX-55 and wanted this to be deplorable quickly if required. So we have created a rail mount for it. It is a bulky anchor, and right sized for the boat, but I think this works.
https://mariadz.com/2017/11/03/is-it-a-plastic-boat-or-a-stainless-steel-boat/
We have an FX-55 and wanted this to be deplorable quickly if required. So we have created a rail mount for it. It is a bulky anchor, and right sized for the boat, but I think this works.
https://mariadz.com/2017/11/03/is-it-a-plastic-boat-or-a-stainless-steel-boat/
zoidberg
Well-Known Member
It's a pleasure to see invented improvements such as yours - and I would quibble at 'deplorable' - 'cos I tend to file away good ideas, some of which I modify appropriately and use myself.
Just a question.
As an enthusiast for the benefits of Fortress anchors, I am curious to see the 'nitty-gritty' of your RailMount arrangement for the beast. That's far from clear from your link's pic and I wonder if you could be persuaded to get in a bit closer, and post the clearer detail? And do have a look at my 'bright idea' for a simple bag to contain the disassembled Fortress, for those long days and weeks when there's no conceivable need for it to sit on the rail, catching the eye of passers-by.
mariadz
Well-Known Member
You have to love spellcheck.....
Deployable has now been added to my dictionary so that it doesn’t sound like I am disgusted by my own anchor setup. I will add some more pictures, we just had a very busy weekend and you have to hate the winter, dark when you leave and dark when you come back from work.
Deployable has now been added to my dictionary so that it doesn’t sound like I am disgusted by my own anchor setup. I will add some more pictures, we just had a very busy weekend and you have to hate the winter, dark when you leave and dark when you come back from work.
