[Rhodes22-list] An Interesting Experiment With A Fortress FX-7

[Roger Pihlaja]

Mary Lou & Doug,

The primary anchor on board Dynamic Equilibrium is a Fortress FX-7.  As you
may be aware, the Fortress anchor is made from machined aluminum alloy, not
cast or forged steel as most other anchors are.  The machining process tends
to give the Fortress anchor much more square & therefore sharper ("sharp" in
the sense of a square ice skate blade) edges.  You may also be aware that
the flukes of a Fortress anchor can be set at two different angles.  The
"standard" angle is 37 deg and the other angle is 45 deg.  The Fortress
literature recommends the 45 deg fluke angle for increased holding power in
very soft mud bottoms & it works very well for that purpose.  However, by
accident last year, I found that the 45 deg angle also gave the Fortress
anchor a greatly increased ability to hook on rocks and penetrate weedy
bottoms.  I called the NAV-X Corporation, told them of my observations, &
they were very excited.  They said no one had ever tried the 45 deg fluke
angle for these types of bottoms.   They were going to conduct their own
tests.

Anyway, I have found that the Fortress anchor with the flukes at the 45 deg
angle & set on a very long scope of say > 10:1 will penetrate a sea weed bed
&/or tends to get hooked on a partially submerged rock very effectively.  It
helps to "power set" the anchor by backing down at full reverse throttle for
several seconds.  I use 22 feet of 1/4" chain & 3/8" three strand nylon
anchor rode.  Note, if you use the Fortress anchor (or any Danforth-style
anchor) with the flukes set at the standard 37 deg angle; then, the anchor
behaves more like a "mowing machine".  The flukes will simply shear off
weeds & become entangled in them until the anchor resembles a ball of grass
bouncing along the bottom.

This is pretty exciting stuff because there aren't that many anchors out
there that work reasonably well in weeds or rocks.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Lou Troy" <mltroy at verizon.net>
To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2004 8:30 AM
Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] Ground Tackle


> Doug,
> One of the keys to getting a Danforth to set correctly is making sure that
> it lands properly on the bottom. I have heard tales (no personal
> experience) of Fortresses sailing over the bottom while they are being set
> - something about the area of the flukes to weight ratio.
>
> We keep our Danforth in a mesh bag in the lazarrette rather than on the
> bow. The rode is carefully flaked in followed by the chain and then the
> anchor so all is ready to go on a moments notice. We use the v-berth for
> storage and store the second anchor forward in its own bag. We decided
> shortly after we got the boat that we didn't like the idea of storing the
> rode in the tray in the v-berth. Didn't like the idea of introducing all
> that excess moisture (and muddy smell) to the interior. When we hauled
> anchor last weekend after the storm, not only was the anchor loaded with
> mud but the chain was extremely muddy for about half its length. We were
> able to get most of the mud off the anchor by dunking but the bag kept the
> muddy chain contained until we could get back to the dock and a hose.
We've
> been considering some sort of washdown set-up.
>
> As we've been mulling over our second anchor situation, we've considered a
> Bruce - lots of holding power for the size and it looks like we could stow
> one in the mesh bag but they aren't as good in mud as the Danforth so no
> decision yet. I'd like to hear from other Chesapeake Rhodies about their
> anchoring experiences. Uh...Don? Are we getting together this weekend?
>
> Mary Lou
> 1991 Rhodes 22 Fretless
> Swan Creek, MD / Ft. Washington, PA
>
>
>
> At 06:50 AM 5/24/2004 -0400, you wrote:
> >Thanks for the data, Mary Lou.  15' of chain seemed about right, so your
> >experience with 14' is reassuring.
> >
> >I was thinking of upgrading the anchor and keeping Stan's.  I am looking
at
> >the Fortress line of adjustable Danforth-type anchors, but need to do
more
> >research.  With a new "slightly used" boat coming in, I have to address
> >other needs first.
> >
> >Fair winds!
> >
> >--Doug
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> >[mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Mary Lou Troy
> >Sent: Sunday, May 23, 2004 4:00 PM
> >To: The Rhodes 22 mail list--
> >Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Ground Tackle
> >
> >Doug,
> >I think your 3/8 in rode and 1/4 in. chain are sufficient. We've anchored
> >for years with a 9 lb Danforth and only 6 ft. of chain. The only time it
> >didn't hold was with a 5 Rhodes raftup but that wasn't intended to be
> >overnight.
> >
> >That said, we've always thought we didn't have enough chain so we just
> >swapped it out a couple of weeks ago for 14 ft. of chain and immediately
> >had it tested last weekend. We were anchored up in Swan Creek overnight
> >with the Danforth well set with a 7:1 scope. There was a t-storm
> >overnight  - with winds said to be 30 knots/gusts higher (by others in
the
> >anchorage with wind instruments). The winds were from a different
direction
> >than the windds when we set the anchor (maybe 90 to 120 degrees
different).
> >We had the pop top enclosure and the bimini up and sailed all over the
> >place but the anchor held just fine. We had the outboard started as a
> >precaution because there were quite a few very large boats boats and
> >raftups nearby but we didn't need it. It was wild for 35 minutes or so
and
> >just very windy for another 15.
> >
> >I do think the 9 lb Danforth is a little light but we've had such good
luck
> >with it and and I am so familiar with how it sets that I am reluctant to
> >change. We have the 13 lb. Danforth that came with the boat as a back-up.
> >It also has 3/8 in. rode and 16 ft. of 1/4 inch chain. There are a lot of
> >people who don't like Danforths but in the Chesapeake mud ours always
sets
> >and has held through wind and current shifts. We keep talking about a
> >second anchor of another type but just haven't figured out the storage
> >logistics.
> >
> >Mary Lou
> >1991 R22 Fretless
> >Swan Creek, MD / Ft. Washington, PA
> >
> >
> >__________________________________________________
> >Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
>
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