Sarca Excel

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by Ozbullwinkle

Here is one which comes from a bit of a different perspective to some other tests. Ok, they have an Excel on their cat but being a "real user" gives you that different perspective.

Testing the new generation of anchors

Very interesting article. I certainly learned a few things and agree with the authors assessments. I tried to get an Excel and even contacted the manufacturer, but the cost to get it to Canada was prohibitive. I do like the convex anchor idea, but had to go with a concave Manson Boss (not yet tested by me). His 180 degree test showing the concave anchors dragging while they self cleaned was interesting. None of them dragged far, though, and this would only be an issue in certain sea beds.

On a side note, his snubber usage was different. The length was largely along the deck instead of in the water. Not a bad idea, especially in shallow water where you want to keep the snubber out of the mud.

Can't wait to get rid of my CQR.

[Snowpetrel]

Yep, looking forward to trying another anchor type. I have not had a big problem with dragging through either dumb luck or caution (maybe a bit of both). the most challenging places I have found have been the flinders group and Deal Island in Bass straight, and antarctica.

The bass straight islands have some hard packed gravel with weed and some sand overtop that defys the plow, and smaller fisherman anchors. the only anchor I ever got to hold there was a Danforth. And then only once (may have been a fluke..). I spent lots of time in the dingy with a glass bottomed bucket watching all my attempts to get an anchor to set fail.

Antarctica was also a challange, maybe a similar bottom type. On the peninsular I used a plow, with partial success, normally the drop and wait meothod, no chance it would set without a few hours sitting and thinking about it, even then it was a hit and miss affair basically you didn't dare try reversing it in... Just as likey to rip out any weak set it might have got.

In commonweath bay, east antarctica I used a big fishermans (60 lb for my 33 footer) with complete success the two times I dropped it, but we were not swinging about, using shore lines at cape denison, and a strong current and katabatics holding her steady overnight at port martin.

Over the years I had come to accept the plow anchor as the best all rounder, athough I loved the bruces fast setting, the Danforths holding in a decent bottom and the fishermans reliable set at short scope on harder bottom types.

But recently I delivered a boat down from sydney to hobart. I was very impressed by it's "toy" 15 lb Delta. Got me to thinking, maybe there is something in these newfangled anchors.

I think you learn alot from when an anchor fails to set. Tell me then, when has your newfangled anchor NOT worked for you, what was the bottom type, did another anchor work? Real life anecdotal stuff is useful to me, as much as hard scientific facts. Or when did it work, when another type failed?

Fisherman anchor holding Snow Petrel (if it attached properly)



BTW compared tip weights for the Rocna and the excel, using the highly scientific method of sticking my finger between the tip and the floor. The Rocna seemed to have more tip weight?

Sorry for the long ramble...

[Ozbullwinkle]

That's a top photo of Snowpetrel covered in ice & snow - that must have been a great adventure.

I have had a lot of trouble over the years as well with CQR plow anchors either failing to hold or dragging & I'm so glad I got rid of the most recent one & replaced it with a Sarca & I am sure that you would be too.

For the benefit of readers in the USA I understand that discussions are currently underway for another shipment of Sarca anchors to the USA through NRC in Seattle. You could register your interest &/or orders via the following contact:-

Joseph B. H. Smith
Director, Special Projects

NRC ( Products Sales Group)
9520 10th Avenue S., Suite 175
Seattle WA 98108 USA
PH: +1-206-378-4101

Email: jbhsmith@nrcc.com

[Factor]

Seeing as how I started this thread - I should update it.

So far so excellent, I will repeat, I paid good money for this anchor, it wasn't given to me. I have no commercial connection to the manufacturer Anchor Right. I was influenced to go with the excel because it fitted my anchor roller system neatly, it was modern, it had SHHP and the people I spoke to with them indicated they were working very well.

My experience has been excellent, No dramas, hits and bites and holds. Highest sustained wind has been 25knots, and it held fast. Sorry I can't give any more high wind testing - we have been lucky with our wind speeds at anchor. It self launches and self stows and generally just quietly and happily sits up the front waiting to do its job.

For me the big big big thing is that it comes up clean, I am not impressed with that cause I am too lazy to clean it, what interests me is reset ability. If an anchor comes up holding great clumps of crap, then that would suggest that if it had to turn and reset, that it may be compromised, whereas the Excel appears to self clean and this I suspect would enhance its ability to reset. This is a big deal in my view, and one not often talked about.

First class and I recommend to anyone. Indeed I have recommended to many.

[Ozbullwinkle]

I totally agree with Factors comments and this has been my experience as well although my experience has been with the Excel's stablemate the Super Sarca.

I also have no commercial connection to the manufacturer Anchor Right and just happily recommend them to anyone who is interested because my experience was so positive.

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by Factor

Seeing as how I started this thread - I should update it.

So far so excellent, I will repeat, I paid good money for this anchor, it wasn't given to me. I have no commercial connection to the manufacturer Anchor Right. I was influenced to go with the excel because it fitted my anchor roller system neatly, it was modern, it had SHHP and the people I spoke to with them indicated they were working very well.

My experience has been excellent, No dramas, hits and bites and holds. Highest sustained wind has been 25knots, and it held fast. Sorry I can't give any more high wind testing - we have been lucky with our wind speeds at anchor. It self launches and self stows and generally just quietly and happily sits up the front waiting to do its job.

For me the big big big thing is that it comes up clean, I am not impressed with that cause I am too lazy to clean it, what interests me is reset ability. If an anchor comes up holding great clumps of crap, then that would suggest that if it had to turn and reset, that it may be compromised, whereas the Excel appears to self clean and this I suspect would enhance its ability to reset. This is a big deal in my view, and one not often talked about.

First class and I recommend to anyone. Indeed I have recommended to many.

OK, I am about to buy myself an Excel 4 for my steel clipper bow Herrreshoff 28. The thing that impresses me is the quality with the four up having a better alloy in the shank and toe. Unlike the Rockna etc, it fits my bowsprit.

Of late I have had a lot of dramas with my CQR not resetting after direction changes and even being pulled out by oth!er boaters. I am really hoping that sharp toe will make a difference!

The four might sound like overkill, but after getting smashed at anchor by June's East Coast low, "overkill" now means appropriate cruising equipment.

Oh, so far Rex from anchor right has been a great help.

Give me a few months and I will add my opinion!

In passing, all the best to the person or persons who "salvaged" (stole) my CQR with a smaller Bruce daisy chained behind within hours of myself bouying it off so I could recover my ground tackle later. Hopefully the Excel will be a much better anchor and I don't intend making the same mistakes again.

[Mr B]

As he doesnt live far from me, Other end of the mountain I live on,
I dropped in to see him, He showed me a video of the testing of his anchors, I could not say any thing about the video's as he had not released them at that time,
But now the video's have been released I can say some thing about them,
I am very impressed with what I saw on the video's, and will be buying two of them,

One for the front and one for the back, Some places I have been in, there just isnt enough room to swing around on the changing tide,

My Bruce anchor, Hahahahaahahahahaahahahahahaha, It just slides along the bottom on its side,

My Danforth was very good, It held when I got washed up on the beach, But it was bent real bad,

It also has the problem of in a changing tide, when it flips over, it can get a rock lodged in the hinge and wont reset, Unless you pull it up and clear the rock out,

Not good to be floating down stream amongst other boats with a rock lodged in the hinge,
But it does reset when you drop it back in,

I will ask Rex his advice, whether I get one of each, or both the same, Its still a few months away yet tho,

[Ozbullwinkle]

Hi Mr B, I'm glad to hear that you were impressed with the Sarca anchors & you may remember that I suggested that you drop in to see Rex when at the time you were thinking about welding up your own what would have been heavy anchors.

I thought that you would be impressed by them & it's great that you liked what you saw & I'm sure that Rex was just so helpfull as well.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by Ozbullwinkle

Hi Mr B, I'm glad to hear that you were impressed with the Sarca anchors & you may remember that I suggested that you drop in to see Rex when at the time you were thinking about welding up your own what would have been heavy anchors.

I thought that you would be impressed by them & it's great that you liked what you saw & I'm sure that Rex was just so helpfull as well.

He is actually a very nice bloke to talk too,
By the time I made them and got them galvanised, its just not worth the effort, And the cost of Galvanising to me is a lot higher than Rex can get as a bulk customer,

The anchors I would have made would not be any heavier than these ones, Just different materials,
Shame I dont have any stainless laying around, Other wise I would have made my own,

[JonJo]

My experiance at Flinders is not too extensive.

The Excel worked a treat at Roydon Island and Port Davies, specifically Emita Beach. Further round Jamiesons and Babel, again no issues. The anchor set well and held well. I've used it in Parson's Bay, off Smithton in storm force winds and round the various anchorages at 3 Hummock. I've used it all down Tasmania's East and West coast, no issues. I've used mine for years now and it has never crossed my mind to change it. However new anchors are still being developed, Mantus, I have not tried them all in anger - so who knows. The Fortress has a lot to commend it, in association with other anchors, it has a major advantage over most others, you can deploy it easily and safely as a second anchor from a dinghy. I'd commend the alloy Spade for the same, and other, reasons (but Spade cost a king's ransom in Oz).

Someone mentioned the testing of the SARCA and reports in Sail magazine, these were of an earlier model, and the anchor has been tweaked since, but of the same tests YM said, something like 'the best all round performing anchor'. It might merit the reminder that some of the results are questionable - given that one anchor supplier provided a specially balanced and chosen model (and even though this was done the manufacturers still quote the ambiguous results (so as someone has said) - be careful how you read them and anything else.

Both the Excel and Super SARCA have reviews in Cruising Helmsman (for those in Australia). But if you find Practical Sailor in America and the recent article on Rode Loads, all the testing was done with an Excel.

[JonJo]

Sorry to post again,

For USA readers, the Excel was used in the Rode Load testing published in Practical Sailor, May 2012. For the UK members I have just been advised that the Excel was used in Sailing Today's recent article on Rode Loads, September 2012 (this gets to Oz in about 6 weeks time).

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

I think you learn alot from when an anchor fails to set. Tell me then, when has your newfangled anchor NOT worked for you, what was the bottom type, did another anchor work? Real life anecdotal stuff is useful to me, as much as hard scientific facts. Or when did it work, when another type failed?

Sorry for the long ramble...

G'Day SP (Ben if I remember correctly...)

We've been using a 60 lb Manson Supreme on Insatiable II for a few years now, with an all 10mm chain rode. Find it to be a big improvement over a Bruce knock-off of 30 kg. It has failed to set in a very few situations: hard sand with thick grass (near Barrenjoey in the Pittwater), a place in the Clarence River where the bottom has been scoured by countless passes from the river prawners, and a similar spot in the Burnett river where it had been recently dredged. It has dragged twice, in nearly the same spot on the Clarence, and I believe it to be due to a thin silty mud bottom. In one case the river was in flood (about 6 knots flow) and we had a huge wad of hyacinth and other debris built up on the bow and on the chain which put enormous loads on the anchor. In the other case (just a few days ago) we had been twirling around the anchor in a big eddy, and then, just after the change in the tide we got a 30+knot gust and come loose. I suspect that we had fouled the stock whilst circling about but will never know.

I exclude from this discussion the several times it failed to set, but when retrieved had some sort of junk impaled on the toe... that can happen to any anchor at any time!

Have not used this anchor in the Furneaux, but it has worked well in Pt Davey and all up and down the SE and E coasts of Tassie.

FWIW, we live at anchor, so typically are anchored some 330+ nights a year, and not always in the pest of places.

Cheers,

Jim

[JonJo]

We would concur - catch a lost towel (in a popular anchorage) or bit of driftwood and your anchor will not set. Its one of the joys of using your anchor frequently, it fouls occassionally - but has nothing to do with the anchor!

We once caught a 4.5kg gas cylinder someone had tossed overboard! It looked to have been modified as a fishtrap weight, or something.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

G'Day SP (Ben if I remember correctly...)

We've been using a 60 lb Manson Supreme on Insatiable II for a few years now, with an all 10mm chain rode. Find it to be a big improvement over a Bruce knock-off of 30 kg. It has failed to set in a very few situations: hard sand with thick grass (near Barrenjoey in the Pittwater), a place in the Clarence River where the bottom has been scoured by countless passes from the river prawners, and a similar spot in the Burnett river where it had been recently dredged. It has dragged twice, in nearly the same spot on the Clarence, and I believe it to be due to a thin silty mud bottom. In one case the river was in flood (about 6 knots flow) and we had a huge wad of hyacinth and other debris built up on the bow and on the chain which put enormous loads on the anchor. In the other case (just a few days ago) we had been twirling around the anchor in a big eddy, and then, just after the change in the tide we got a 30+knot gust and come loose. I suspect that we had fouled the stock whilst circling about but will never know.

I exclude from this discussion the several times it failed to set, but when retrieved had some sort of junk impaled on the toe... that can happen to any anchor at any time!

Have not used this anchor in the Furneaux, but it has worked well in Pt Davey and all up and down the SE and E coasts of Tassie.

FWIW, we live at anchor, so typically are anchored some 330+ nights a year, and not always in the pest of places.

Cheers,

Jim

Watch that Hyacinth, It builds up on the anchor chain,
The floods in the Burnett river sank about 100 boats with the hyacinth build up on anchors, It just kept building up untill the bows just went under, some of the boats are still there under the water,

[Snowpetrel]

Thanks for the very useful replies, Definitely very keen on the Excel, it would fit on my bow better than a roll bar anchors and be easier to swing away clear of my mooring. With no wash down pump the self cleaning action is appealing, and I am also thinking of adding a bowsprit,

The fact that it sets at Babel Island is good to know, Royden is also useful being near my anchoring nemesis at prime seal Island,

Jim, have we met? yes it is Ben, you have a good memory, Interesting info about the Manson, It is an anchor I like very much and my NZ brothers swear by them (not sure if they would forgive me if I bought a rocna), they are a reliable company and my manson plow has given great service, the complication being that my very helpful local chandlery in kettering doesn't stock them so I would have to go to whitworths to get one. The new manson BOSS also looks like it would tick the boxes, but it looks a bit funny? My brother Sam has a BOSS on his trimaran and likes it.

Thanks again for the feedback

Cheers

Ben