Not another anchor?

[zoidberg]

Yes.

I'm advised by those kind folks at NauticExpo that this is now available....

What it does, apparently, on gravel and stones.

And what it does, apparently, on sand....

There are those who will be swift to acquire one, of course. You know who you are.....

 

[Neeves]

The XYZ, a genuinely different product. American, and a brave attempt at developing an anchor that appears not to have copied anything else.

It lasted a few years, or it was on the market for a few years. I've never seen one 'in the flesh' nor know of anyone who bought one. It was developed by someone who claimed to use his with success - I recall he was based in NY but hailed from somewhere in eastern Europe and had an eclectic mix of totally unrelated successful designs to his name.

Bravery was sadly not rewarded with longevity and I think (or thought) it 'disappeared' 3-5 year ago.

Jonathan

 

[Norman_E]

Is that attached to a rope or a steel wire?

 

[johnalison]

Could be useful on a mackerel line.

 

[vyv_cox]

It was one of the anchors tested in the YM/Sail/West programme in 2006. As far as I remember it was an unmitigated disaster, but I do not have my records with me now.

 

[Neeves]

The wire is a good idea, it helps any anchor to set more quickly. Perfectly acceptable to Classification Societies - though it does need watching for issues with the swages (and may need to be hand retrieved for the last metre or so). I vaguely recall that Danforth, genuine, were sold (or could be sold) with wire - though that might have been to overcome weight of chain pulling the rode into thin mud.

My recollection of performance of the XYZ was similar to Vyv's - it was a long time ago. I don't recall it being a total disaster more that it was not very good.

But I can admire people that step outside the norm and bring out something original using their hard earned cash. Pity - it could have shaken up the industry. The model illustrated seems no different to the original. I note there is an aluminium version - which was not part of the original portfolio.

Jonathan

 

[thinwater]

Yes, the wire was standard.

The unicorn horn for turning was interesting, but seems like a fouling problem.

In testing the performance was best described as inconsistent. When it set, it was quite powerful, but often it did not set, even on good bottoms.

Every anchor is a compromise. I wish I understood the reasoning. I'm guessing the short shank was to make it less sensitive to yawing and changes in wind direction. The horn with a head at the top was clearly to keep it off its back. But it seems there was just not enough pressure brought to bear on the toe; hard to accomplish with such a short shank.