Fortress size for kedge

JumbleDuck

JumbleDuck

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I want to buy a Fortress as kedge, to replace the dubious looking Danforthalike which came with the boat. Fortress recommend an FX-7 for up to 8m and an FX-11 for 8-10m. My boat is 8m long, has a long keel and weighs 4 tons as sail. If I was looking for a main anchor I'd go for the FX-11, but is it worth going for the smaller kedge to get (even) greater lightness and easier handling? It has to live in a fairly crowded cockpit locker.
 
I asked myself the same question when I bought mine, but a size up. The FX-16 was the recommended size for the boat, presumably as the bower, and I thought I might well get away with the FX-11. In the end I bought the FX-16 and have to say that its holding is superb. I suspect it comes down to whether as a kedge it might double up as a spare for the bower, in which case the larger one might be best. If only as a kedge then the smaller will be quite adequate. With hindsight I could probably have selected the FX-11 without any problems.
 
+1 with Vyv.
I went through the same debate, but opted for the FX23, rather than a kedge size, purely for emergency use as a bower or with a two-anchor set-up in a blow. (Like Vyv, we spend most nights at anchor, so these are significant issues). They work as Vyv describes them, and I'm sure for kedge use your smaller option would be more than adequate. And they're so amazingly light: even the 23 can literally and easily be lifted with one finger.

Incidentally, Jumbleduck, do shop around (as if you wouldn't...): we bought ours from Force 4, no dearer than many suppliers, including a well-known Scottish one, were offering Guardian anchors at the time.

Incidentally, one thing that's not universally known about the Fortress/Guardian, is how to get them out. Get the bow over the hook with the rode tight, as per normal, then reverse. Counter-intuitive, I know, but the handbook, which I uncharacteristically read in a moment of boredom, is quite adamant about this.
 
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I agree, it really depends on whether you see the anchor as a kedge or as a second choice of anchor. I chose a Fortress as a second anchor, so took the size which approximated to the Danforth that it was replacing. Mine still only weighs about 7kg, so can easily be handled, and dinghy'd out, but stowage is a consideration.
The selection is not helped by Fortress's size numbers, which don't readily mean anything.
 
NormanS said:
The selection is not helped by Fortress's size numbers, which don't readily mean anything.
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Agreed. If they refer to anything real, perhaps it's the weight in kg of the steel anchor your might otherwise be using? But then that would probably leave their home market as baffled as we are now ;)

P.S. Having checked out their website, the size numbers do indeed seem to follow the above pattern, but in lbs: indeed it's roughly the median of their figure for "replace steel fluke anchors" weight. Those figures, incidentally, seem very conservative: there's no way I'd trust our boat to a "19 - 28lb" steel anchor, but I would trust it to an FX-23 in most conditions.
 
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I have the FX11 on a Moody31 as a kedge. When I bought mine I sent off for the free mud flaps which are recommended for soft beds which we have here on the east coast. I do not know if these are still included as an option but they were included as a send off card and even though it was from America they were still provided free of charge.
My boat is about 4.5 tons loaded.
 
Many thanks, everyone, for the views. Please keep 'em coming! I'm still completely undecided, but the advice is extremely useful.

macd said:
Incidentally, Jumbleduck, do shop around (as if you wouldn't...): we bought ours from Force 4, no dearer than than many suppliers, including a well-known Scottish one, were offering Guardian anchors at the time.
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As it happens, I shall be in the Force 4 shop in Bristol tomorrow morning, which has prompted this train of thought.
 
As you are intending to buy as a kedge anchor, it seems safe(ish) to use the smaller option. The thing with an aluminium anchor is that it is light but large - OK if you are going to stow it on deck as the bower, but may be a problem in your cockpit locker! You will still be able to use it as a spare bower though the ultimate holding might be compromised, but also still good for use in tandem. Best to actually make the decision when you have them in your hands and can envisualise the pros and cons on your boat.

Rob.
 
rob2 said:
The thing with an aluminium anchor is that it is light but large - OK if you are going to stow it on deck as the bower, but may be a problem in your cockpit locker!
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The nice thing about the Fortress though is that it comes to bits. I wouldn't want to have to build my main anchor before deploying it, especially in a hurry due to engine failure etc, but for a kedge it's probably ok.

The blue bag against the tube next to the yellow bottle in the Contraption here contains a dismantled Fortress, 2m of chain, and 30m of paracord "warp" on a plywood winder:

7503E672-8554-4459-9F96-8CFAF77E4B13_zpsohdq4xzo.jpg


Pete
 
michael_w said:
FX-8 works fine as a kedge. I've used it on three different boats ranging from 9m to 11.5m. It just works.
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In some conditions anything works. I have occasionally kedged my 11m ketch with a 4.5lb Danforth. (Normally my dinghy anchor). What does that prove?
 
Have the FX-7 on mine. Fits well in the main cockpit locker, with a bucket of some chain and mainly rope. Not used in anything too demanding - save that for the main, but have been pleased so far in Mudway gloop. Have been unable to make it drag yet. Havn't tried it on hard sand though.

Under what conditions are you likely to use it? If as a 'storm' anchor then the larger, but anything else then probably the smaller.
 
We have the size recommended by the makers for our boat, can't remember what size it is but the only problem we've ever had with it is extracting it from the seabed after a blow..... The first one we had was a Fortress (got lost after a grounding incident. Don't ask...) but as pennies were tight we replaced it with the 'utility' version called the Guardian. The only real difference is that the Guardian doesn't have a choice of angles for the blades, just a single one. Both have mud palms. The only significant difference is price with the Guardian coming in at about half the cost of the Fortress when I bought it.
 
As to Guardian v Fortress, I've never compared the two side-by-side, although they're clearly similar. However the Fortress is better finished, if that matters; it's manufacturer also rates it for greater holding power against a Guardian of similar size. As I mentioned earlier, the distinction was moot in my case, since I found I could buy a Fortress for a similar price to an equivalent Guardian.
 
Hm, the Guardian seems to have a straight sided shank, compared to the tapered one on the Fortress. Is that the only difference? Maybe I could have saved some bawbees.
 
Pye_End said:
Under what conditions are you likely to use it? If as a 'storm' anchor then the larger, but anything else then probably the smaller.
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To be honest, I'm not sure when I'd use it. Kedging off when I run aground springs to mind. I have a feeling that if I had a nice light Fortress with a bit of chain and lots of rope it might rival my CQR plus chain for sheer lightness of handling.

tokoloshe said:
And quantity of chain?
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The existing kedge has 5m (I think) of 6mm chain + 30m (I think) of anchorplait, bought from Jimmy Green when I got the boat. My feeling is that that would do for kedging but that if I started using the Fortress for serious stuff I'd get something similar but meatier - 8mm chain + 50m, probably.
 
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