Fortress Anchors

[jimbaerselman]

Re: In fairness

[ QUOTE ]
The primary determinant is the nature of the bottom - the anchor, whatever the protagonists claim, is secondary to that.


[/ QUOTE ]
Well, I'd add boat behaviour - one that sailsaround a lot in wind will give lots of lateral heaves, bad news for flat anchors. Whereas if you're bows or stern to a quay, flat anchors come into their own . . .

Also I'd add anchoring technique - all the bits like rode length against depth, and checking the damn thing had dug in properly by checking that it holds in full astern.

 

[grafozz]

Re: In fairness

FORTRESS is the way to go i use one on a 38 ft cat its so easy to handle. a little bac kground ... i was not completely happy with the way it set in hard sand so i faxed them ,in florida and, typically american , they phoned me on the way from weymouth on the mob and were upset that i was unhappy with their FX 37 , and did i have "mud palms" fitted i had no idea what they were ,and after explanation they were extra fittings to make the anchor work in those conditions , they sent me them ,free of charge ! and once fitted the anchor lived up to its high reputation , it is brilliant ! recommend the anchor and the company !

 

[snowleopard]

Agree about the tripping line. I put our kedge down as a stern anchor in English harbour which has a bottom like a bowl of soup -liquid mud. I used the soft mud setting and it headed off towards the centre of the earth. I had one hell of a job breaking it out. If I'd used the FX37 it would still be down there.

 

[bs33064]

Many thanks to all for their comments on our anchors. Your input is always much appreciated. Some quick notes:

• Regarding the anchor tests reported in Yachting Monthly, these same tests were reported in the October issue of Sail magazine and the February issue of Power & MotorYacht here in the USA.

West Marine conducted the tests for these magazines, and I have the raw data from Chuck Hawley, their Technical VP who was in charge of the tests. If anyone wants a copy, then please e-mail me at:

brian@fortressanchors.com

The comment that Fortress did not perform well by Craig Smith of Rocna is ridiculous! He is apparently hoping that no one reads the facts. Here are the results versus the Rocna at the 3 locations tested:

Rocna @ East of Wharf: top pull = 4,902 lbs. Average 4,851 lbs.
Fortress @ East of Wharf: top pull = 5,302 lbs. Average 5,009 lbs.

Rocna @ West of Wharf: top pull = 4,400 lbs.
Fortress @ West of Wharf: top pull = 5,500 lbs.

Rocna @ New Brighton: top pull = 5,904 lbs
Fortress @ West of Wharf: top pull = 2,082 lbs
(The average was 1,848 lbs. at this site for the anchors other than Rocna)

By the way, the Rocna anchor tested was 50% heavier, weighing 33 lbs to the Fortress 22 lbs.

If Craig wants to pump up the Rocna by showing the "average" pull at all 3 locations, then fine....but the fact remains that a much lighter Fortress out-performed his anchor at 2 out of the 3 testing sites.

• Regarding the shank bending in the West Marine test, yes it did bend slightly during retrieval. I understand that the anchor was buried so deep that it got hooked on a Chinese gardener!!

Fortunately our Lifetime Parts Replacement Warranty covers any and all damage to our anchor if it ever occurs....no matter what the cause!!

• If you have not done so already, please install the Mud Palms on your Fortress anchor, as they will help the anchor set faster in ANY type of sea bottom. If you don't have them, send me an e-mail and I will ship you out a set. They are free + a small amount for shipping.

• Since the Fortress anchors are precision-machined to be very sharp, they are better able to bury faster and deeper into most sea bottoms compared to heavier dull edged steel anchors.

• The US Coast Guard and US Navy would probably be in disagreement about the Fortress being a good general purpose anchor. Specifically, the US Coast Guard uses model FX-85 as the primary anchor aboard their 87' patrol boat, and the model FX-125 is similarly used aboard their 110' patrol boat. Obviously, they are anchoring in a wide variety of bottom conditions in the USA coastal waters.

Thanks again,
Brian

Fortress Marine Anchors

 

[thailand69]

Re: In fairness

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No other retailer (of anything) I can recall seems to feel the need to do "defend" his product quite so much............

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Oh well I got THAT wrong as well (LOL /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif)

 

[davidbains]

Can you explain why the mud palms are not automatically fitted if they work better in any bottom? My Fortress works well and was supplied with palms which I fitted immediately so as not to lose them!

 

[wayneA]

Yes, I'd like to know why the plams aren't recommended for all bottoms in the assembly instructions. My Fortress came disassembled, but instructions recommended the plams for soft mud only - therefore I don't generally use the plams.

We find the 6kg Fortress we have, great for using as a kedge when med mooring (we like to go bows-to as were longkeeled) as the lighter weight makes handling off the stern SO much easier.

Should I add the plams for this type of application?

Wayne

 

[jerryat]

[ QUOTE ]
Can you explain why the mud palms are not automatically fitted if they work better in any bottom? My Fortress works well and was supplied with palms which I fitted immediately so as not to lose them!

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, this puzzles me too. The other thing I'd like clarified is that, given we are now advised to fit the 'mud palms' standard, should the 'For soft mud anchoring only' setting be used where the bar passes through the 'hub' assembly?

I've never fitted the palm yet and have only used the anchor bar through the 'standard' hole.

I'd really appreciate some guidance on this from our friend 'Fortress'.

 

[bs33064]

Thanks again for your input and questions. The orginal Fortress anchor that was manufactured 20 years ago or so ago did not have Mud Palms or the 45° angle hole drilled into the crown of the anchor.

As our product research and development continued forward, we learned through extensive testing in very soft mud that the Mud Palms would dramatically improve the anchor's setting performance, and the 45° angle would do the same for the holding power.

We started by offering the Mud Palms as a free option that we would ship to customers upon request, but then we decided that it would be best to include them in the box with the anchor. The original instructions were to install the Mud Palms if you were anchoring in soft mud to improve setting performance.

As our testing continued, we found that the Mud Palms helped to improve the anchor's setting performance to some degree in other types of bottoms as well.

Our new instructions now clearly state to install the Mud Palms permanently.

Also, the 45° angle should only be used to improve holding power in very soft mud, and not in any other bottom type or for any other reason.

Final note: You can find some good safe anchoring tips on our web site that apply to all anchors on the following web page:

http://www.fortressanchors.com/safe_anchoring.html

Safe boating,
Brian

Fortress Marine Anchors

 

[Bejasus]

I have the Fortress/Guardian brochure beside me, and it certainly recommends fitting the Mud Palms permanently for use in all conditions. It also recommends fitting them thus on the Fortress website.

 

[jerryat]

Hi Brian (and Bejasus)

I bought my FX16 some years ago and the instructions do say fit the (included) palms IF anchoring in soft mud as you say. Obviously the later instructions supercede this.

So, unless my brain cell isn't working, I fit the palms permanently, but still only use the 45 degree hole setting when soft mud beckons and at no other time.

Right, though God knows how the hell I'm ever gonna get the anchor out of the seabed if this system IMPROVES the current holding power!! Does a bit of broken chain count as a claim .................!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Many thanks for your explanation Brian.

 

[scarlett]

I sent for my palms when I got the anchor in the early 90s Fitted them and forgot them. I am sure if I hadn't I would have lost them.

 

[thailand69]

Just looked at the Fortress website, I didn't realise they made bow rollers for them.........

I always found the Danforth anchors a PITA to handle on the foredeck. Something to mull over for the next purchase.

 

[bs33064]

Hi Jerry,

Your brain is working just fine. As you made clear, use the 45° angle only when you want to improve holding power in soft silty mud.

Yes, I have heard some stories about the difficulty of retrieving Fortress anchors after heavy blows.

A guy wrote in after Hurricane Katrina to say that "it took me a day to get the damn thing out, and I must have had it hooked on the core of the earth. I think I pulled up dinosaur bones with it."

Be safe,
Brian

 

[jerryat]

Love it Brian!! Many thanks for confirming my understanding! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif