Viking's Odin anchor vs Ultra and the original Viking anchor

[Neeves]

I'm travelling in China and there are restrictions on use of the internet, google is banned as are some other sites but

Steve Godwin aka the Panope Videos has, come out of retirement (?) and made a video, no 156, comparing Viking's Odin anchor with Ultra and the original Viking.

I have seen about 30% of the video and was then cut off. But if you Google you might gain access. I was cut off at the section where he does the cobblestone testing. I also did a quick scan before looking at the early parts of the vid (I anticipated problems) but did not see a summary spreadsheet.

If I find a way of watching the whole video and posting a link - I will do so.

Or as some members are supportive of Ukraine, which is where Viking has based its production, and someone might post the link

Jonathan

 

[TSB240]

Link

 

[Trident]

He seemed less impressed with the Odin than the Viking (which he still rates as the best over all) and notes that the Odin would not be as good as the Ultra if you have to have a non roll bar , though that does ignore that the Odin is under half the price of the Ultra!

 

[noelex]

Arguably, the most important parameter for a modern primary anchor is a consistently good performance over the range of substrates and situations likely to be encountered.

Unfortunately, in this test, the Odin did not do particularly well in this department.

 

[Neeves]

For some reason I cannot post links but believe a search will turn up links in Sailing Anarachy

 

[Dockhead]

Steve's work is magnificent, but my experience slightly contradicts his. I've been using a 100 lb. Ultra for some years now. I like it very much! But its performance gives a way a noticeable bit to the Spade. Not a huge amount, but a bit.

Nevertheless my 100 lb. Spade lies disassembled in the bilge while the Ultra graces my bow roller -- because it doesn't rust!

 

[geem]

Steve's work is magnificent, but my experience slightly contradicts his. I've been using a 100 lb. Ultra for some years now. I like it very much! But its performance gives a way a noticeable bit to the Spade. Not a huge amount, but a bit.

Nevertheless my 100 lb. Spade lies disassembled in the bilge while the Ultra graces my bow roller -- because it doesn't rust!

I agree with you about rusty Spades. Their galvanising is appalling. My new one didn't make it to 12 months old before it was rusty!
I had it regalvanised by Spin Galvanisers in Rotherham. So far so good. Its showing no signs of corrosion yet.
I used my own yellow paint to replicate what was on it originally as that came of pretty dam quick. That is also looking far better than the original paint

 

[Dockhead]

I agree with you about rusty Spades. Their galvanising is appalling. My new one didn't make it to 12 months old before it was rusty!
I had it regalvanised by Spin Galvanisers in Rotherham. So far so good. Its showing no signs of corrosion yet.
I used my own yellow paint to replicate what was on it originally as that came of pretty dam quick. That is also looking far better than the original paint

Did the Rotherham guys melt out the lead ballast, and put it back?

That's a hot tip, if so.

 

[noelex]

Steve's work is magnificent, but my experience slightly contradicts his. I've been using a 100 lb. Ultra for some years now. I like it very much! But its performance gives a way a noticeable bit to the Spade. Not a huge amount, but a bit.

I spend a lot of time observing anchors underwater, and this coincides with my assessment. The Ultra is a very good anchor, but despite the high price, it does not quite match the brilliance of the steel Spade.

I agree with Steve that the better rollbar anchors are still the highest-performing anchors, but unfortunately, they cannot be fitted to some boats.

Below is an example of subpar performance of the Ultra anchor to illustrate the point. This was at a scope of 3:1, but you can see from the puffs of sand that the anchor is dragging in only 15 knots, gusting 25 knots. The anchor was gradually moving backwards without burying deeper.

There are other examples where the Ultra is doing well, but overall, from a performance perspective, I would rate it slightly below the steel Spade.

 

[Dockhead]

I spend a lot of time observing anchors underwater, and this coincides with my assessment. The Ultra is a very good anchor, but despite the high price, it does not quite match the brilliance of the steel Spade.

The price is not for performance, but because it's STAINLESS.

Why this means a several thousand euro price difference, I'm not sure. 316 stainless costs 3 or 4 thousand dollars per tonne. A whole lot more than carbon steel, but still -- that's only 3 or 4 dollars per kilo. So -- what, 200 dollars at most for a 100 pound anchor? So why do they cost many thousands, several x compared to carbon steel?

 

[geem]

Did the Rotherham guys melt out the lead ballast, and put it back?

That's a hot tip, if so.

No, I did that. It was pretty easy. I borrowed a big burner that roofers use to do bitumen on flat roofs. It made short work of it. I repeated the procedure to put it back. I then sealed ithe lead inwith epoxy.
The galvanisers charge by weight. Once the lead was out, the cost of galvanising was about £45!