Anyone Using an 'Ultra' Anchor?

[CarlF]

I have both an Ultra (primary) and a Manson Supreme as secondary. Both set very fast and reset reliably. While my old Delta and CQR failed to set about 1 time in 3, this event is so rare with the Ultra and Manson that it's hard to say one is better than the other. Both fail to set less than 1 in 20 tries - and this is across bottoms good, bad and awful

I think this ability to set (and reset) is far more important than outright holding power and is the greatest advantage of all the new anchors (Spade, Rocna, Ultra, Supreme, and others). I've never known someone to go to a new gen anchor and then go back to using a CQR, Delta or even Fortress as primary anchor (A Fortress is great as a kedge or in a Bahamian moor).

I wish I didn't see so many cruisers who feel it's more important to buy a modern chart plotter but not a modern anchor.

While I haven't weathered a hurricane, my Ultra has held without complaint through several 40 knot sustained blows and one 60 knot 20 minute thunderstorm that announced itself with a most exciting 180 degree wind change.

[chasfgr]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Oh, come on. Don't pretend you don't know the one-word answer to your own question -- "BLING!"

I find it a pretty persuasive argument, that, myself.

and less rust staining - but to elimate that you have to go for stainless chain as well higher price and lower loads.

[ColdEH]

Well I just bought a 60lb Ultra at the Annapolis show. Its not on the boat yet but will be soon .
Going to give it a try this weekend and see how she sets compared to my rusting Delta .

Regards

[squirty34]

Gents I am looking at a rocna / manson / ultra.

If it is possible to avoid any debate on the tensile strength of Stainless welds versus my Mums tights it would be very much appreciated.

Can people who have bought and used the above please let me know how you have got on with them. Primarily I am looking for a good nights sleep without having to worry about anchor watch or drifting into the big rocky thing (land).

We are primarily going to be in the med. Lots of sand and weed, but you can normally find sand if you need to. We currently have a 25Kg CQR so we are well practised at that bit.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Andy

[RaySea Lady]

Hi,

i have an ultra 77 lbs. since 2010 and it has never let me down.

Having said that, the boat i have it on is in the Great lakes and i never anchor overnight, but every time i have put it down, it grabs first time every time. My CQR use to let me down frequently in the same areas.

[Delfin]

The welds are finished so there are no imperfections so I don't know where crevice corrosion would get a foothold. The shank is internally reinforced. Mine has held us firm in some fairly strong blows on the west coast of Vancouver island. And, the company is dead serious about customer service. I bought one of their very expensive flip swivels that at the time was sized by them as correct for the anchor. They changed their mind two years later and they replaced it with the next size up. No charge.

[Sailor647]

Would you drive a car knowing it had questionable brakes?

We have the UA21 Ultra Anchor (21kg/46 lb). We also have a 60 pound CQR. We selected the UA21 based on the boat weight listed on the documentation certificate (23,000 pounds/11.5 tons.) But, what we failed to take into account was the actual fully loaded cruising weight - which turned out to be nearly 30,000 pounds (15 tons) when we weighed her at haul out. In hind sight, I wish we would have purchased the UA27 (27kg/60lb). But, based on the results, that might have been overkill.

On our way down the west coast of the United States, we anchored (using the CQR) in San Simeon Bay, California. After being anchored for two days, in amazingly calm, tropical-like conditions, we left the boat to visit Hurst Castle. While we were gone, the wind came up and shifted 180 degrees, And the anchor fouled and came loose. When we got back to the bay at the end of the day, we saw our boat (the only one in the anchorage) drifting quietly but quickly toward the pier. It was a mad dash to change out of our "museum" clothes, drag the dinghy off the beach, launch into the surf, and make it back to the boat before it hit the pier. Which we did. We reset the anchor, but didn't sleep well that night.

We changed anchors in San Diego. The Ultra is now our primary anchor.

We motored into Bahia Colonet, Baja Mexico, in the dark, no moon, to take refuge from really rough seas. We realized we had made the correct decision when the fishing fleet came in after us. Bahia Colonet is a small, shallow anchorage. We anchored using the coordinates in Pat Rains' cruisers guide, and were anchored just behind the breaking swell. For two days we rode the incoming waves up and down. The Ultra Anchor didn't budge.

We have anchored so many times since then in all kinds of crappy and rough weather. Wind changing direction, calm, rough, you name it. Mostly anchored in sand, but also in clay and mud. The Ultra has never dragged once. Never.

A good windlass, solid chain, and anchor properly deployed will allow you to enjoy many solid nights sleep... and protect your boat. And act as an emergency brake if needed.

Sure, the anchor is shiny. But, it does what it is supposed to do, which is more important - to us anyway.

This is how it was wrapped when UPS delivered it to our house. LOLOLOL

[ColdEH]

We have been using our 60lb Ultra for a couple of months now . We had a 60 lb delta and a 55 lb CQR/plow.

All I can say is great !! This thing sets right now !, hold on to your drink! , its like you hit a rock ! Reseting as we turn with the wind is totally uneventful. Actually we don't even set it any more we just drop the Ultra and feed out the appropriate chain and walk away from the bow (lunch stops) . When I bring it up it has dug itself so far in that its like I set it .

We would drag that QCR all around a bay before it set, if it set at all , the Delta was marginally better but nothing has hooked like this Ultra . This is a very safe feeling . Ahhhhh

Regards

[ColdEH]

Just spent two weeks on the hook with many different bottom types .
Thought I would edit my last remark about dropping the Ultra and not setting it . I was doing this predominantly on lunch stops , now I do it all the time . I found that it made no difference if I set the anchor or not . If you think about it if you get a wind shift through the night and start pulling on your hook on a totally different angle , do you get up and reset it ? If you do , time to get a new anchor . I have found that my Ultra was dug in just as deep if I didn't set it .

So the throw it in with the chain and walk away is what I do now all the time .

Just one note , I do run an anchor watch on my chart plotter as soon as I drop . I have yet to drag this anchor !

Regards

[Cottontop]

I recognize the appeal of the anchor coming up clean, but I wonder if that might also result in a substantive improvement in performance. That is, does a stainless anchor's improved "shedding" of the sea bottom material help it reset during a wind shift?

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by typhoon

Just spent two weeks on the hook with many different bottom types .
Thought I would edit my last remark about dropping the Ultra and not setting it . I was doing this predominantly on lunch stops , now I do it all the time . I found that it made no difference if I set the anchor or not . If you think about it if you get a wind shift through the night and start pulling on your hook on a totally different angle , do you get up and reset it ? If you do , time to get a new anchor . I have found that my Ultra was dug in just as deep if I didn't set it .

So the throw it in with the chain and walk away is what I do now all the time .

Just one note , I do run an anchor watch on my chart plotter as soon as I drop . I have yet to drag this anchor !

Regards

I think it's a better idea for anything more than a lunch stop to set your anchor to make sure the anchor CAN set. Even a seeming sandy looking bottom could be over rock as noelex has demonstrated, so your approach seems somewhat risky. I guess if you can dive and poke the bottom around the anchor with a rod and confirm there's no rock- but by then why not test the substrate by actually backing down?


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[malbert73]

Originally Posted by malbert73

I think it's a better idea for anything more than a lunch stop to set your anchor to make sure the anchor CAN set. Even a seeming sandy looking bottom could be over rock as noelex has demonstrated, so your approach seems somewhat risky. I guess if you can dive and poke the bottom around the anchor with a rod and confirm there's no rock- but by then why not test the substrate by actually backing down?


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Whoops- realized i referenced another thread with noelex. If you're wondering about wisdom of drop and sleep approach, look at "photos of anchors setting" thread...


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[darylat8750]

Originally Posted by malbert73

Whoops- realized i referenced another thread with noelex. If you're wondering about wisdom of drop and sleep approach, look at "photos of anchors setting" thread...


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Yes do look at ALL the anchors setting thread. He has several examples of places where no anchor set properly and wound up moving to a different spot. I believe in using an electronic anchor watch also but after the anchor is set with enough force to know that the substrate is adequate and the anchor is not fouled.

[Kenomac]

Drop and forget will work just fine with your Ultra in loose sand bottoms, but here in the Med with dense weed, rock and hard packed sand that technique would be insane. We've been using a 45kg Ultra for four complete seasons, so over 700 days at anchor, and there's been many tmes we pull out the anchor with only 1400 revs reverse and end up pulling up a weed ball attached to loose mud. We've also dragged once over smooth rock. Overall the Ultra is a great anchor, but no anchor will set while sitting on a rock or trying to dig into weed and soupy mud.

You need to set the anchor, set your alarm and dive to check.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by typhoon

Just spent two weeks on the hook with many different bottom types .
Thought I would edit my last remark about dropping the Ultra and not setting it . I was doing this predominantly on lunch stops , now I do it all the time . I found that it made no difference if I set the anchor or not . If you think about it if you get a wind shift through the night and start pulling on your hook on a totally different angle , do you get up and reset it ? If you do , time to get a new anchor . I have found that my Ultra was dug in just as deep if I didn't set it .

So the throw it in with the chain and walk away is what I do now all the time .

Just one note , I do run an anchor watch on my chart plotter as soon as I drop . I have yet to drag this anchor !

Regards

You're sounding a little over confident. We ended waking up on the beach using our 45kg Ultra two years ago even after we properly set the anchor. A rock bottom can fool you.

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