Excellent, just what I needed, particularly your recommended thickness of the rope. It’ll live in a locker so not unduly worried about the uv sensitivity of nylon. If I did go octoplait it I guess same thickness?
For our 44 foot 10 ton AWB we have an FX23 with 6m of 10mm chain spliced on 50m octoplait of equivalent breaking strain. I forget whether it was 16mm, 18 or 20.
It will be used as an easy to deploy lunch hook in light weather and as a secondary anchor for a forked moor if needed. We don’t tend to anchor if the forecast is in any way dodgy, so this all seems ideal. Out of interest how do you shackle the chain to the anchor, I have seen a bow shackle recommended with the pin in the chain not the anchor
Like the bolts especially as the ones supplied are imperial not metricI agree with Sarabande, but would counsel 50m or more of rope-rode..... or the means to secure more on if needed one day.
Your Fortress can be stowed/carried disassembled, in a bag. I've fitted these in place of the provided little nuts 'n bolts - as the hook can be re-assembled in 2 minutes without tools.
). ).
Great reply, thanksThe shackle question (and more
I know the OP said that he already has a FX 16 - I'm assuming other people will read this thread so some of my comments are 'generalised'.
All our shackles are Crosby G209a, or the equivalent (Peerless and Campbell also make the same quality but are difficult to source). For a 3/8th" shackle they have a MBS of 10t and a WLL of 2t. If any shackle is side loaded the MBS and WLL is reduced by 50% (I know its unlikely but it does happen) this then brings the WLL down to 1t which is a bit more than the WLL of 8mm G30 chain which has a WLL of 750kg. The reason not to carry the 'other' shackles that have half the strength - they look identical and it would be easy to mix them up - and they cost peanuts. You can buy Crosby shackles from Tecni, who I think are based in. Bristol. Don't use stainless shackle - the chance of you getting anything of the right size to fit and having the same strength as the Crosby shackles is ...... small
In nearly every case bow through the slot in the anchor, pin through the chain. There are exceptions a Guardian (cheaper version of the Fortress) and Manson's Ray (Bruce copy) only have a circular hole and it will only accept the pin of the shackle and you need 2 shackles back to back. For short emergency stops we would use a cable tie to secure the pin, but we have short lengths of wire handy, cow hitched to the milk crate, with the spare rode. We also have spare shackles attached to the crate. We also secure shackle pins with Loctite - it will set underwater - and have a bottle in the milk crate.
We have never had setting a Fortress , FX16, to be an issue (but we do carry a full sized Spade as a back up anchor to our Excel and a FX37 to use in soupy mud). But we would never use the Fortress in weed, but use the Spade, A80 (they weigh much the same, both being aluminium).
For an emergency application you really don't want to be lugging much 8mm chain around and 6mm chain does offer a challenge in getting a shackle to fit. Open up the appropriate link with a drift (or cold chisel). Its mild steel and can be persuaded to bend and you will do no harm to the integrity of the chain as long as you simply open enough to fit the clevis pin of the appropriate shackle. We use high tensile chain and would not attempt to bend the links - we have special enlarged links, Omega links or Hammerlocks, at the end of our 6mm chain which comfortably accepts the appropriate, 3/8th", shackle. The chain should be the weak link - everything else should be stronger.
As a kedge I would have said that the FX16 was a bit big for the OPs yacht and you could consider the next size smaller - it will be easier to throw overboard and will offer more than sufficient hold. So if you wife is at a loss for your next birthday - maybe drop a hint (but you may prefer a bottle of malt
I am of the opinion that Fortress recognise the problem of their product - that if set deeply it is impossible (or difficult) to recover and over specify their anchors (they are too big) to make them easier to retrieve (they don't set too deeply). The downside of course is the smaller anchor will set deeply if used for a prolonged period. I understand that Fortress anchors come up for sale on eBay, quite cheaply, so investing in one might not cost too much. This of course negates that idea that bigger is better - get a small anchor deep enough and its hold is so good you cannot recover it - just think about it a bit more deeply! Anchors are about design and surface area - and Fortress is all about surface area. As far as I can ascertain people who use a modern anchor of a recommended size for their yacht do not complain about dragging - think back on threads on YBW....... In terms of my assertion - I think most people use the anchor of a size recommended, so there are more anchors on bow roller of the recommended size. I appreciate some of these anchors will not be used in taxing conditions but I am sure that if there was an issue with size - there would be threads. There are threads repetitively saying buy bigger - but there is not an iota of data to support your spending more money than necessary - and as I say - no threads complaining that their Rocna, Supreme, Spade, Excel, Kobra has dragged (except unless it was fouled).
Sorry but the thread has raised other issues - lots to think about
The other option to a Fortress, focusing on saving weight commensurate with having decent hold, is to look at the Viking which is light because the whole thing is made from high tensile steel. This allows less steel, thinner, to be used, hence saving weight. They are getting good reviews from Panope, are cheap and available mail order (last I heard they have stock in Belgium). There have been negative comments on galvanising but they have this in hand and there will be improvements. Its difficult to store, if assembled, and may not fit on a bow roller (if that is part of your specific equation). I have tested the 10kg version, excellent product, the similar hold to a 15kg steel Excel or a 15kg steel Spade, we don't use it because it will not fit on our bow roller and its difficult to store assembled (with its roll bar).
I like the idea of using dyneema - except it floats, hazard to both you and neighbouring yachts, and of course if you use it as a primary rode - you have no snubbing effect. The other down side - its perhaps a bit OTT and priced accordingly. But if you are cognisant of the downs sides and have an old dyneema halyard - something to think about.
Guardian is the cheaper version of Fortress, introduced to discourage completion. Note the same numbered Guardian is smaller than the same numbered Fortress (a slightly underhand marketing trick). Guardian are not anodised (but I've NEVER heard of a corroding Guardian anchor), the flukes are not sharpened (if you had one you could sharpen them yourself), you do not get the option of changing the fluke angle (it is set for sand at 30 degrees) and the shank is not tapered (cheaper to make). You can modify a Guardian to offer a change of angle - but its a bit of a faff and you need a Fortress to guide you with the dimensions. But yes - I've done it. If you look at a Guardian and a Fortress you will find the Guardian uses the next size down Fortress stock etc (its marked as such).
Enough - or I'll be criticised, again.
Jonathan
