Kobra Anchor

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

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We recently anchored (Kobra 16kg) in a very tidal area; I underestimated the force of the current at that particular area. The depth was about 10m and we had 30m of chain and the rest was rope, total 70 m out. We always use the electric windlass to pull the anchor and never had any problems, but this time it was different. The tide was running at 5 knots plus and using the engine and the windlass it was a very slow and painful task particularly as the Kobra was digging in. We eventually dislodged it with the help of a rib powerboat with a big outboard engine, driving the boat forward and sideways at speed. I was expecting to find a badly bent shank but to my surprise the Kobra was intact with a perfectly straight shank.
 
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CAPTAIN FANTASTIC said:
We recently anchored (Kobra 16kg) in a very tidal area; I underestimated the force of the current at that particular area. The depth was about 10m and we had 30m of chain and the rest was rope, total 70 m out. We always use the electric windlass to pull the anchor and never had any problems, but this time it was different. The tide was running at 5 knots plus and using the engine and the windlass it was a very slow and painful task particularly as the Kobra was digging in. We eventually dislodged it with the help of a rib powerboat with a big outboard engine, driving the boat forward and sideways at speed. I was expecting to find a badly bent shank but to my surprise the Kobra was intact with a perfectly straight shank.
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I may be reading your post incorrectly but one should not use the windlass to break a deeply embedded anchor out. They are not designed for that purpose.

You simply need to use the weight/momentum of the boat and the waves and the power of the boat engine. There is no anchor which can resist the force of its shank being pulled in an upwards direction, no matter how deeply it is buried.

Richard
 
RichardS said:
I may be reading your post incorrectly but one should not use the windlass to break a deeply embedded anchor out. They are not designed for that purpose.

You simply need to use the weight/momentum of the boat and the waves and the power of the boat engine. There is no anchor which can resist the force of its shank being pulled in an upwards direction, no matter how deeply it is buried.

Richard
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You are right, the windlass it is always used to take the slack chain while we power the boat forward using the engine and in this case I also used a chain snubber to take a breather.
 
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It is a great anchor, has the hold of many other modern anchors, you would not tell the difference between it and a Rocna, Spade and Excel (of similar weight) - except the Rocna would remove a big clod of seabed on retrieval. Its cheap and would fit on many, most, all bow rollers. We bought ours in Preston Marina and being in stock in the local chandlery there were a few on yachts (one of which was bent). But then I have seen Spades with bent shanks, Rocnas with bent toes and seen pictures of Mantus with both bent toes, bent roll bars and in its original version, bent shanks - you can bend any anchor if you try hard (and sometimes not very hard)

I would quite happily use a Kobra as a primary anchor on a yacht - but I would take care and not abuse it when set hard or stuck under a dead tree. I have never quite seen the point of the folding mechanism - anchors are difficult to store as one piece (whether they fold or not). We had ours welded up.

They are grossly underrated by many - most of whom have never used one (and some who troll them cannot define the attributes of their own anchor accurately - so why they troll others is something of a mystery - and disgrace)..

The point has been made - don't use the windlass to power retrieve, use a chain hook/lock, patience and the waves to allow the anchor fluke to slowly break free. Nothing will resist a vertical, tight rode and the tension imposed by the yacht bow rising and falling in waves.

As far as I know it is not sold in Oz but a few French yachts have had one on the bow at boat shows - so they come here as standard commissioning equipment. This is a pity as being much cheaper than a Rocna and Spade they would sell well - another opportunity missed.


A cautionary addition to my comments - Kobra were cheap when we bought ours, this may have changed. Equally Rocna and Mantus were once also cheap - they seem to have risen in price, markedly, even though they are made, like a Delta and Kobra, in China - prices might have changed.


All credit to the OP for having the courage to stand up for a grossly misrepresented product.

Jonathan

And continuing another sub theme that is correctly developing - a Kobra will not perform well in thin slushy mud, you need a Fortress. But a Kobra with its long narrow fluke does work well, adequately, in weed (but you should not anchor in weed anyway) and loose stoners and pebbles. Having no roll bar and being convex it does not collect mud on retrieval.

There is no perfect anchor, carry more than one and all your extra anchors should be large enough to be promoted to be used as your primary. If you want a 'kedge' it can be big enough to be your primary if you buy a Viking, Fortress or the aluminium Excel - and it is then possible to deploy from a dinghy (unless your yacht is a monster - which excludes most on YBW.)
 
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chrishscorp said:
I have just purchased one at 14Kg for my 26 footer, this replaces a CQR @ 25lb, we are out next week so will give it a really good testing on hard sand and mud
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Hi chrishscorp, sv panope has just done a youtube video test on a genuine cqr anchor. The results are surprising, watch it if you can before you dispense of your cqr. Best regards , Oz. Ps. I am not doubting the abilities of other anchors or the opinions of any one.
 
oz-1 said:
Hi chrishscorp, sv panope has just done a youtube video test on a genuine cqr anchor. The results are surprising, watch it if you can before you dispense of your cqr. Best regards , Oz. Ps. I am not doubting the abilities of other anchors or the opinions of any one.
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Panope was a surprising one off, masses and masses of real world experience of cqr just not being very good compared to modern offerings
 
oz-1 said:
Hi chrishscorp, sv panope has just done a youtube video test on a genuine cqr anchor. The results are surprising, watch it if you can before you dispense of your cqr. Best regards , Oz. Ps. I am not doubting the abilities of other anchors or the opinions of any one.
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Hi Oz thanks for that, i had a look at that, not sure how he got the anchor to sit there with the shank upright, mine would just fall over, i do wonder if mine is a copy.
CQR sets fine in mud but on hard sand it just lays on its side and will not set, which does not give me a good nights sleep when on the hook.
 
chrishscorp said:
Hi Oz thanks for that, i had a look at that, not sure how he got the anchor to sit there with the shank upright, mine would just fall over, i do wonder if mine is a copy.
CQR sets fine in mud but on hard sand it just lays on its side and will not set, which does not give me a good nights sleep when on the hook.
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An older genuine CQR has 'Made in Scotland' and the patent number stamped into the shank. More recent ones (and surely you did not buy it recently) sold by Lewmar I believe are made in China - and I confess to have not seen one. Most people who wanted a genuine CQR and with any sense (is that a contradiction?) could buy a genuine model cheaply second hand.

Jonathan
 
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