Why Fortress anchors

G

GMac

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 Jun 2005
Messages
580
Visit site
OK, I give in, why do so many like Fortress anchors?

85% of the ones I've seen are bent and appear to do so quite easily, heard the odd issue with them coming apart if not put togeather real well, they cost bloody moonbeams and I've never been able to sleep well on danforth style anchors having seen too many boats having issues with that type.

I've sussed the Fortress site but a lot of that is a decade or 2 old information and a tad out of date.

I do know they work OK in real real soft bottoms when set at 45 degrees but why else would I want one?
 
[ QUOTE ]
I do know they work OK in real real soft bottoms when set at 45 degrees but why else would I want one?

[/ QUOTE ] O.K. I give in, why would you want one?

In the U.K. how many anchor on a sand bottom in storm conditions? Me, I prefer deep water if it gets up rather than shallow water (bigger waves). In my experience the "danforth" type anchors are at best a "lunchtime" anchor and don't hold on a weed covered bottom.

I might be "old fashioned" but I'll stick with my Delta main with a CQR secondary anchor and a Bruce as a kedge/stern anchor. Seems to do the job for me so why would I want to change. I don't believe all the marketing hype spewed out by "newcomers" and self appointed "experts" - even if they have "written a book" or two.

10:1 scope? how many carry 200'+ of chain?. Before anyone comes in and recommends a rope/chain rode - tried it several times but never liked it.
--------------------
hammer.thumb.gif
"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
sailroom <span style="color:red">The place to auction your previously loved boatie bits</span>
 
Opps we are drifting in to 'which one' debate.

I know all the anchors mentioned so far, probably better than most (it's my job), but it the Fortress I just can't figure out. I know why most use most sorts of anchors and the answers when talking Fortress are either 'holding' and/or lite weight.

Holding is OK to good but only in certian bottom types and I suppose the weight could be handy if man-handling in a ding.

To me that is not a strong enough arguement to make them as popular as they seem to be.

What am I missing?
 
Methinks only because of their weight/holding power (if you can get them to set).

IMHO they're an limited, exotic evolutionary dead-end like crepe-pans.

Incidentally if they're bent they must have stuck fast at some time, probably counter to the users' intentions.

IMHO there's no such thing as a perfect anchor, the plough types are the least flawed.
 
[ QUOTE ]
IMHO there's no such thing as a perfect anchor, the plough types are the least flawed.

[/ QUOTE ]Oh dear, a red flag to the bulls, now we are going to have Rocna anchors mouthpiece coming on here saying their anchors are the best, then Hylas will put in his cent's worth telling everyone that no one knows SFA about anchoring except him, after all he has written a book! (or two). Time to ignore any futher posts on this thread me thinks. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
--------------------
hammer.thumb.gif
"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
sailroom <span style="color:red">The place to auction your previously loved boatie bits</span>
 
OK, I'll defend the Fortress.

I used then as main and kedge for about seven years around Greece. Contrary to others experience, it's setting was actually about 90% first time. Two exceptions were at Spiglia in Spartakhori (which is hellish deep and steep to) and in the little bay inside the entrance to Kioni. Wrong sort of leaves on the weed I think. They usually took three goes.

Weight/area ratio is low, which strikes me as a good idea. However, I think that the main feature of the Fortress is it's razor sharp edge. Certainly, when I resharpened it after five years, it was noticeably easier to get it to bite first time.

Another point to my experience is that I used all chain (60 Metres), which may have helped a lot.

And I'll tell this one again. Anchored with a line ashore in Dokos, a strong crosswind came up. Letting go the shoreline would have been preferred so as to just lie to anchor, but it wasn't an option due to depth. So my only avenue was to take a kedge out to windward, to reduce the load on anchor/shoreline. Before sorting out the outboard etc, it occurred to me that I might be able to throw the Fortress kedge far enough...

Giggling at the thought of a lightweight anchor on a floating Anchorolina tape line, wondering if it would actually sink at all, I hurled it. When it hit the water it 'flew' away from me until about 20 metres of line was out. It held, did the job, and came up with a huge ball of mud the following morning.
 
Probably hardly relevant to most users here but we have specified them on biggish (80-130 foot) commercial power cats in service on routes where they are never expected to anchor. The anchor needs to be deployed and recovered manually (or the anchor may be abandoned for recovery later), so needs to be light and saves the fuel costs of carrying the weight of windlass, heavier anchor, chain, etc for the life of the vessel

This is last resort anchoring stuff for multiengined vessels where the likelihood of ever being forced to anchor is very low. For that they are perfect but I would never specify one (nor any other light weight anchor) as a main anchor for normal circumstances.

Some say ok as a lunch hook type anchor but in my mind the main anchor on any capable yacht should be so easy to deploy and recover as to make the concept of also carrying a lunch hook meaningless.

John
 
Why Fortress anchors? Because they work, perhaps?

I suspect that most who comment about this will be talking from a theoretical standpoint. I don't know, or if I'm honest care, about the theory, the reason we bought it was because of the test results and it's lower weight.

Like a poster above, we have one on Rival Spirit and have used it successfully in all kinds of wind (upto 50 knots) and bottoms (sand, mud, shingle). The Fortress was deployed on a multiplait rode and would hold when the our old bower, the CQR, wouldn't and vice versa. We have now deep sixed the CQR in favour of a Spade. which to date has held in all circumstances that we have used it.

We still have the Fortress and expect to use it whenever we need to lay a pair of anchors, as a kedge and as a stern anchor for Med and ring bolt mooring.
 
Fair point. I've overnighted many times when we've swung with the wind direction, sometimes up to 30 Kts, without a hiccup. But I can't tell you if the anchor turned at all, we may not have even pulled the chain straight. (I tend to use five times depth).
 
Ok so we have;

Weight seems to be the top reason, holding appears to come in second, there looks to be no 3rd and price does not pop up.

All seem to be used for alsorts except the primary anchor.

What can I make of this? Eerrr... I have to ponder that a bit. Seems to be one of the few 'all comers' anchors as opposed to the usual 'XXX only' types. Very interesting......

One more quick question regarding Fortress's.
Where did everyone find out about there holding power?
A mate told me, from the Fortress website/broucher, asked a user or what?
 
[ QUOTE ]
Weight seems to be the top reason, holding appears to come in second

[/ QUOTE ]

youcan't seperate these like this - weight in this context is holding per lb/KG.

they also stow easily (in a locker) again making them a good kedge anchor. They don't suit many standard stemhead fittings so rarely get selected for mobo primary.
 
[ QUOTE ]

youcan't seperate these like this - weight in this context is holding per lb/KG.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yes you can. For the same 'holding' you can use a range of different 'weight' of anchor just as for the same 'weight' of anchor you can have different 'holding'.

The 2nd options are very limited obviously, I only know of one actually and a rumour of a second.

Some boats do actually like a bit of weight up the pointy end.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Some boats do actually like a bit of weight up the pointy end

[/ QUOTE ] true but here we are looking at a light anchor to deliver maximum holding for the weight (probably stowed aft!) so that you can take it out in the dingy.
 
Weight is fine sometimes, but many of those hefty anchors won't fit through the hole in foredeck that goes by way of name of anchor locker on many sportsboats. Which is what makes the likes of the Danforth most useful
 
so that you can take it out in the dingy

What would you want to do that for, get an anchor of appropriate size for the dinghy /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

Seriously though, I personally have never had to take an anchor anywhere in a dinghy during my now quite long life and conceive no time when I would think it necessary (or even safe if waves) so would be very low on my priorities for selection of any anchor.

All the talk of kedging off and setting second anchors is all just amateur playing with the toys. Look at some commercial vessels that anchor (eg inshore fishing vessels) - never see them playing around with second anchors, carrying anchors in dinghies, etc (well you don't here).

The key is a competent main anchoring system and in some instances as in my earlier post, that may be required for operational reasons to be a light one. But if so the operations of the boat should keep that light duty anchoring system in mind.

John
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top