Videos of Anchors Setting

[eheffa]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

Thanks for another great test video Steve!

Any chance you could rank the Vulcan against the Spade, Ultra, and Excel?

Hi Maud,

I hesitate to write this when Steve is so much more knowledgable; but, having been frustrated with the rusting issues on our Spade S120, I bought a #5 Sarca Excel to replace it while I tried re-galvanizing the Spade. (We have a Nordic Tug 37 22,000 lb displacement and all chain rode.)

In the first 5-10 sets with the Excel, in familiar and some challenging seabeds, I would have said that the Excel was equivalent to the Spade in speed of setting and reliability; but, then we had a few instances where the Excel wouldn't set at all for the first 3 tries, in some pretty easy seabeds (Mud bottoms: Montague Harbour & Bedwell Harbour).

My good wife asked me to put the Spade back into service for our current trip up into the Broughtons for the month of September.

This is not by any means scientific but we both have the strong impression that the Spade sets faster and more definitively than the Excel. It inspires confidence in a way that the Excel didn't for us. (Both anchors once set though seem quite bomber.) We anchor in many very tight little spots that demand a quick set and skipping along the bottom for 20 meters is not acceptable.)

I don't think we will keep the Steel Excel...maybe trade it for the 2-piece Aluminum Excel as a backup anchor?)

(For the record, I may have a solution for the Spade Rust problem) I ground off the old coatings (POR-15 was useless BTW). I took off the remains of the original galvanizing and sandblasted the Spade down to bare metal. I 'painted' it with a high end cold galvanizing product called Zinga. So far, it seems to be holding up quite well without any blooming rust; but then we have been anchoring out every night for the past 2 weeks. Time will tell but I'm thinking that we may have solved the rusting problem. - touch wood!


-evan

[Panope]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iOpElgBSBWY

[Sos]

Anther great video test thanks.



Would be interested to know how the top 3 would fair with no chain
since this is often how dingy anchors are used?

[Panope]

Thanks Sos,

I conducted this test at very long scope (about 10 to 1), so in this case, the chain (4ft. , 1/4") is probably not affecting the sets much at all.

Next test might be in deep water and shorter scope. I'll play with chain vs. no chain. Thanks for the suggestion.

Steve

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by eheffa

Hi Maud,

I hesitate to write this when Steve is so much more knowledgable; but, having been frustrated with the rusting issues on our Spade S120, I bought a #5 Sarca Excel to replace it while I tried re-galvanizing the Spade. (We have a Nordic Tug 37 22,000 lb displacement and all chain rode.)

In the first 5-10 sets with the Excel, in familiar and some challenging seabeds, I would have said that the Excel was equivalent to the Spade in speed of setting and reliability; but, then we had a few instances where the Excel wouldn't set at all for the first 3 tries, in some pretty easy seabeds (Mud bottoms: Montague Harbour & Bedwell Harbour).

My good wife asked me to put the Spade back into service for our current trip up into the Broughtons for the month of September.

This is not by any means scientific but we both have the strong impression that the Spade sets faster and more definitively than the Excel. It inspires confidence in a way that the Excel didn't for us. (Both anchors once set though seem quite bomber.) We anchor in many very tight little spots that demand a quick set and skipping along the bottom for 20 meters is not acceptable.)

I don't think we will keep the Steel Excel...maybe trade it for the 2-piece Aluminum Excel as a backup anchor?)

(For the record, I may have a solution for the Spade Rust problem) I ground off the old coatings (POR-15 was useless BTW). I took off the remains of the original galvanizing and sandblasted the Spade down to bare metal. I 'painted' it with a high end cold galvanizing product called Zinga. So far, it seems to be holding up quite well without any blooming rust; but then we have been anchoring out every night for the past 2 weeks. Time will tell but I'm thinking that we may have solved the rusting problem. - touch wood!


-evan

I’m not sure you compared equivalent anchors - the S120 is 25kg and the Excel #5 is 22kg. Regardless of what the tables show, that is a significant difference between the two.

Regardless, that is worrying that you were not able to rely on the Excel. As someone who is looking to upgrade a too small Spade S140 to either an Excel 9 or Spade S180 that makes the decision harder. While I’m happy with the Spade’s performance, I’m not happy about the rusting and the hassle with the lead for regalvanising, so have been leaning toward the Excel. Sigh.

[thinwater]

The Mantus dinghy is out of date. They added a roll bar to this model about 2-4 years ago, I forget. It helps with roll over and clogging.



It tested the same set of dinghy anchors and got basically, exactly the same results. I also tested in soft mud, same results, just less hold.

I really like the Claw as a kayak fishing anchor. Absolute idiot-proof setting and no sharp points. In my local soft mud, not quite enough hold for the tender if a storm comes up. But one size up would still be a good deal!

[Muaddib1116]

Steve, thanks for another great anchor test video. It really reaffirms my choice to invest in the Mantus dinghy anchor. The current design has the roll-bar and breaks down into pieces for more compact storage.

Originally Posted by eheffa

Hi Maud,

I hesitate to write this when Steve is so much more knowledgable; but, having been frustrated with the rusting issues on our Spade S120, I bought a #5 Sarca Excel to replace it while I tried re-galvanizing the Spade. (We have a Nordic Tug 37 22,000 lb displacement and all chain rode.)

In the first 5-10 sets with the Excel, in familiar and some challenging seabeds, I would have said that the Excel was equivalent to the Spade in speed of setting and reliability; but, then we had a few instances where the Excel wouldn't set at all for the first 3 tries, in some pretty easy seabeds (Mud bottoms: Montague Harbour & Bedwell Harbour).

My good wife asked me to put the Spade back into service for our current trip up into the Broughtons for the month of September.

This is not by any means scientific but we both have the strong impression that the Spade sets faster and more definitively than the Excel. It inspires confidence in a way that the Excel didn't for us. (Both anchors once set though seem quite bomber.) We anchor in many very tight little spots that demand a quick set and skipping along the bottom for 20 meters is not acceptable.)

I don't think we will keep the Steel Excel...maybe trade it for the 2-piece Aluminum Excel as a backup anchor?)

(For the record, I may have a solution for the Spade Rust problem) I ground off the old coatings (POR-15 was useless BTW). I took off the remains of the original galvanizing and sandblasted the Spade down to bare metal. I 'painted' it with a high end cold galvanizing product called Zinga. So far, it seems to be holding up quite well without any blooming rust; but then we have been anchoring out every night for the past 2 weeks. Time will tell but I'm thinking that we may have solved the rusting problem. - touch wood!


-evan

Originally Posted by fxykty

I’m not sure you compared equivalent anchors - the S120 is 25kg and the Excel #5 is 22kg. Regardless of what the tables show, that is a significant difference between the two.

Regardless, that is worrying that you were not able to rely on the Excel. As someone who is looking to upgrade a too small Spade S140 to either an Excel 9 or Spade S180 that makes the decision harder. While I’m happy with the Spade’s performance, I’m not happy about the rusting and the hassle with the lead for regalvanising, so have been leaning toward the Excel. Sigh.

Thanks Evan, that's some really useful information for me. I'm in a similar position as fxykty. My boat came with a very rusty S160, which depending on who you ask is already a little oversized for my boat, but if I replace it, I would like to go up to an anchor around 100lbs (Spade S180, Ultra 45, Excel #9). I have a few different problems though. Primarily, the anchor roller is already a little too short for the S160 I have. Because of the anchor locker doors, the chain stopper can't be moved back. I think I will be forced to extend the bow roller, I am thinking the best solution might be replacing the worn plastic roller with a custom fabricated rocker extension that has two rollers, which hopefully can be made to push the anchor about 10 to 12 inches forward of its current position.

Then it comes down to deciding on a new anchor, if I indeed choose to replace the current one. Unfortunately, none of the 3 anchors that I am leaning towards is perfect. The Spade is the best performing, but has poor galvanizing and I'm not a fan of the 2 piece construction. The stainless version might be a possibility, but I have read that the shank is not very strong.

The Ultra is very similar, with one piece construction, it looks great, and I don't have to worry about the galvanization wearing off. Their shank is also stronger than the SS Spade, because of the internal crossbar. But it doesn't have a slotted shackle hole so I would not be able to use a Mantus swivel as I would prefer.

The Excel has robust construction, the SS version has a Duplex shank, and the galvanized version has a high alloy shank. I really like the solid high strength shank of this anchor. My biggest concern is it seems to not perform as well as the Spade or Ultra. I know that in Steve's excellent videos it performed very well, but stories like Evan's are concerning, and there's not the huge population of users out there that the Spade, or even the Ultra, has, which could give me a more "statistically" fair understanding. That being said, the #9 is 110lbs, so maybe that 10lbs evens it out.

It's also hard to make a decision because I'm heavily using the results of Steve's tests, but all of those anchors are in the 45lb range, so how do those results translate when I'm looking at version up in the 100lb range?

[rslifkin]

I'd add the Vulcan to that comparison as well, being similar to the spade and ultra. Only issue is that I think it goes from 88 lbs all the way up to 120 or so.

[Muaddib1116]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I'd add the Vulcan to that comparison as well, being similar to the spade and ultra. Only issue is that I think it goes from 88 lbs all the way up to 120 or so.

Yeah, I'm conflicted on this one. Aside from the size jump issue, I'm also just conflicted about it's performance. I know it did well in Steve's tests, but I've read multiple accounts online of Vulcan users switching to a Spade and experiencing a big performance jump. This switch often involves moving up a size, so it's hard to know how much credit to give them, but the experience does seem to be shared by multiple parties.

[malbert73]

I actually think super helpful to test as you did because usually anchoring dinghies off of a beach scope is not the issue. As far as the grapnel anchor, it has a great use in my dinghy as the shore anchor. I use a Mantus to keep the dinghy off the beach and the grapnel dug in by hand above the waterline to keep the stern to the beach. You can even collapse the flukes that stick up to keep them from being a tripping hazard. But I also have found it to be useless setting on its own

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

Yeah, I'm conflicted on this one. Aside from the size jump issue, I'm also just conflicted about it's performance. I know it did well in Steve's tests, but I've read multiple accounts online of Vulcan users switching to a Spade and experiencing a big performance jump. This switch often involves moving up a size, so it's hard to know how much credit to give them, but the experience does seem to be shared by multiple parties.

Yeah, I've seen a few concerning reports about the Vulcan, even from users of the same size I have (73 lb, so one size bigger than Steve tested). I haven't personally experienced any of the setting issues, however. Hasn't failed to set once, and I haven't had to baby it for setting like some mention. Although my default technique may be gentler than some. And I haven't used it in any overly hard or rocky bottoms.

Realistically, it's seems like in general, anchors set better as they get larger, although I'd expect the differences between different anchors of the same size to remain for the most part. Certain issues like rollbar clogging are likely to become less significant in larger sizes though.

[Muaddib1116]

If I could use a rollbar anchor, I think I'd just go with the Mantus. I know that Steve didn't think too highly of it's shank strength, but it was the clear winner in setting/resetting. However, I have a bowsprit that I anticipate leaving in place much of the time, so roll-bar free seems to be the way I'll go. If the SS Spade shank strength wasn't a known issue, I'd be tempted to go that way and then I could just weld the shank and fluke together to get past the 2 piece design.

[rslifkin]

If the cost of SS is not an issue, the Ultra seems like the most likely candidate in my mind.

[Muaddib1116]

I wouldn't say cost isn't an issue, but if it makes sense, I'm not opposed to paying for something better or for something that works better for me. But obviously, I could get two Spade S180's for the cost of the Ultra 45, so it's definitely a consideration. Plus, as I mentioned, I'm not a fan of the round shackle hole, so it's not without it's own drawbacks. If the stainless Spade had a Duplex shank, then I think that would be the obvious choice. But I suppose I could also wish that it had better galvanizing.

I know that there are almost no reports of the Spade's two piece design failing, but the interface between the shank and fluke on mine is so sloppy and has so much movement, even with the bolt tightened down, that I have trouble believing that the bolt does not take load. Maybe this is normal, or maybe this is a byproduct of how corroded it is, I don't know. The guy at Spade that I talked to was not very helpful.

[fxykty]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

I wouldn't say cost isn't an issue, but if it makes sense, I'm not opposed to paying for something better or for something that works better for me. But obviously, I could get two Spade S180's for the cost of the Ultra 45, so it's definitely a consideration. Plus, as I mentioned, I'm not a fan of the round shackle hole, so it's not without it's own drawbacks. If the stainless Spade had a Duplex shank, then I think that would be the obvious choice. But I suppose I could also wish that it had better galvanizing.

I know that there are almost no reports of the Spade's two piece design failing, but the interface between the shank and fluke on mine is so sloppy and has so much movement, even with the bolt tightened down, that I have trouble believing that the bolt does not take load. Maybe this is normal, or maybe this is a byproduct of how corroded it is, I don't know. The guy at Spade that I talked to was not very helpful.

Are there any reports of the two-piece Spade failing due to the bolt or some other reason? I hadn’t even realised that our S140 is two-piece until recently and I don’t think that bolt would come apart with hand tools. I’ve never noticed any sort of looseness or movement in our anchor and we’ve tortured that anchor on all sorts of nasty bottoms. What you’ve got is weird. Sorry, no help.

I’m still leaning towards the Excel 9 - it’s a third less expensive than the S180 here in NZ and when we eventually have to regalvanise we won’t have to deal with lead. Being able to sharpen the point is a great feature.