After 20+ years and thousands of nights spent at anchor, I'm considering trading my trusty CQR 65 for a modern anchor. Your video has tremendous power to make crusty old salts like me change our minds. Thank you so much for taking the time and energy to make these videos!!!
I had a 60 lb CQR. It failed miserably twice - first on hard sand, in medium wind & no waves ... just lay on its side. Second time on a sandy/ stony bottom, again, moderate wind, no waves. I wd never have a CQR again.
That's a real eye-opener on the CQR... had a 35# CQR on a 15-ton Irwin and shudder to think how many nights the CQR must have just been laying on its side -- even though I was "sure" we were secure... thankfully was always in fairly calm conditions and I always tried to have at least 7:1 scope, but goodness, this video opens one's eyes...
I've spent a good chunk of the day today watching anchor videos. This was by far the best one(actually, most of the others were completely unhelpful). No opinion being pushed, and real testing at different scopes in different conditions. Being able to see the behavior of the anchors setting and resetting and dragging and flying) was absolutely invaluable. Thank you so much!
Man that looked like a heap of work to produce. Much respect and thanks. Beats trying to choose an anchor based on manufacturers blurb or trial and error!
What a great video.... The community owes you for that level of unbiased review. We recently bought a used boat, and were unhappy with the existing anchor. This video really helped make some well informed buying decisions.
Absolutely the best source for deciding what anchor to purchase. From the methodology to the video quality Steve delivers valuable information in a clear manner. Thank you!
Two years ago and still being watched. That is the mark of a great video. I have one of the West Marine Performance Fluke anchors that works great in lakes with a muddy bottom but from this video will probably move to a Mantus as a primary. I do like the unbiased, not trying to sell anything, this is the way it is approach.
Nice job Steve! I am very impressed with your testing. your test IMO is the best single video anchor testing source that I have seen. I thank you for your efforts and look forward to more testing videos from you.
Great work on a topic that relatively few people in the world care about... but one that ranks right up there with religion and politics for those of us that do! This really helped answer some questions for me as I look to purchase an anchor for our latest hole in the water. Very grateful for your thoughtful efforts and especially for sharing the results with the rest of us!
I have a traditional 44lb CQR that came with my boat, I've never used it and your test has made me think twice about getting it out as Ive been very happy with our spade its not fancy and the only thing its doesn't set in is rocky bottom
Nice Job. I have my eye on a new Mantus. I have a 35' sailboat and the Mantus seems plenty strong for my needs and I want something that digs in fast and resets fast if the wind switches 180 degrees. Your testing just confirmed what I already thought about the Mantus
Nicely done!! I appreciate the time and effort that you put into this video. Very interesting, informative, and assisted in the choice of my main anchor. Thank you!!!
I bought a Spade. LOVE IT. Super easy deploy/retrieve. No hang ups. Never have to touch it. Super setting and holding. I agree with you. Not cheap but I like to sleep at night. Of all things not to scrimp on is ground tackle. Like good tires on a car. A great car and crappy tires? No!
Steve, thanks for all the thought and the hard work you put into this. As a Mantus owner, I was hugely gratified with the simply BORING reliability they showed. I forgive you for not picking the Mantus as your personal favorite - yet! (I predict you will eventually come around ;) Again, thanks for this video. Well done.
I echo the sentiments above. I wonder if after the las three years, he's come around yet. I've been using Mantus as my primary anchor since the day it came out. I've been all over the east coast of the U.S., anchored in some of the worst reversing currents South Carolina has and it's never failed me once. Been to Cuba, Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala too. Never failed. I would never use another anchor, ever. The company is awesome. Gregg is an innovator and they constantly develop new products that work. It only takes one time for your anchor to fail before you realize you made a horrible choice. Go with the Mantus from the beginning. The others are fine for day hooks. Just my .02.
Best comparison I've seen by far. Thanks for doing this. The 39kg Mantus will be the next primary anchor I put on my boat to go along with a massive Fortress and a 33kg Rocna. I love the Rocna but have had a couple of issues in water with a lot of weed on the bottom, it can clog up and take a bit too long to reset. I also like that the Mantus can be broken down for longer offshore passages.
I would like to add that another thing that I really like about the Spade is that it has such a clean design, and no hoop. It’s so well designed that it doesn’t need a hoop. A superior design.
Steve, Thanks again for all of the help with this. This entire analysis and torture test series is truly excellent. Your work with this will save many boats and over time.
This has to be one of the best 'products comparison test' that I have seen. Not just for marine. You put a tremendous amount of work into this. Well done sir. Hat tip. I've been saving up for a Spade Stainless 140 .
Thank you so much for your videos, Steve! We have sailed up and down the "ditch" 5 times- 2x with our Pearson 35, and 3 with our 38' Steel Kanter Spray 38, using both a genuine CQR and a Danforth, anchoring almost every night except for a couple of off shore times. Both anchors held, even in 50 knot winds, that shifted us to a lee shore (around midnight... not a lot of sleep that night...). Two times when we had a problem- first was 50 k winds during the aftermath of a hurricane in the muck of the Hudson River- the CQR held, but the Danforth failed to reset. Second, in grass in Lake Ontario- neither would dig in, and, with predicted 30k winds, we went to a dock. In many situations in the ditch, we only had room for 3:1 scope or less, and our main anchor, the CQR, always held. We all have our preferences; after seeing your videos, and being cautious about short scope, I'll stay with these. Thanks again!
Steve, well done! Very impressive work. My real live experiences are confirmed by your excellent videos. I used to have a genuine Bruce and I often was not happy. I have now switched to the Spade and the performance of the Spade is awesome.
Steve, this is an awesome video -- thank you for doing!!! Holy smokes... talk about being thorough. I found your youtube channel after seeing some of your posts on SA. Anyway, thank you for all of your time and effort.Not sure it makes me feel great about our anchor, but good to know what is happening down there. Keep up the good work -- s/v Panope Rocks! Tim | s/v Patience | Cape George 38 | 66lb Bruce
Just a fine project and videos were outstanding. I currently own a CQR on my small 27' sloop and Delta on our 44' catamaran. Both boats will be getting new anchors after watching the video series. The Mantus is clearly my favorite for the catamaran but may choose the spade for my old monohull for the same reasons you did. Many thanks for the excellent value you provided in these videos.
Another guideline - if you toss an anchor off a rapidly drifting small boat, be sure to toss it upstream/upwind! It doesn't say that in the books, ha ha! I have a very small Lido-14 sailboat, with no good place for an anchor directly at the bow. I'm also a new sailor, and confessing to true newbie errors. The centerboard had come unfastened and retracted into the boat, unknown to me, and all I could tell was that I seemed to have no control of the boat any more. Good news, I had an anchor, as I was drifting rapidly towards the rocks. Bad news, I tossed it over the nearest side, which was downwind. In my mind, the anchor would catch and the boat would pivot around it, rotating direction while remaining upright. What actually happened was that the anchor caught and stopped the downwind side of the boat from moving. The upwind side of the boat kept moving, flipping the boat in under 2 seconds to a complete inverted position -- although it was a firmly anchored, but now upside-down boat. Fortunately I was wearing my PFD, as there would have been no time to reach for it. Live and learn!
Steve, I know it's almost 3 years ago that you made this video, but I watched every second of it. Thanx for this thorough test! My wife and I just bought an old catamaran, and it has five anchors. Didn't know what was what, and how good they perform. After seeing your video, we decided to ditch al least 3 of them, including our main anchor (the kinda spade type with the hinge that failed so miserably in your test :-) ) Greetingz, Wim
We have not had the same results on our CQR since 1996 with mush full time cruise and now half time. I was surprised at the way it worked for you! We have had great results with our CQR down the West Coast of the US and Mexico through the Sea of Cortez and now on the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to SW Florida! By the way, VERY GOOD WORK!!
CQR anchors. I had a boat with 20lb CQR I was at the boat shop and saw a much larger CQR and whilst I never had a problem with the small CQR I purchased the new much larger CQR. The new large CQR turned out to be a fake and whilst to me looked similar was absolutely useless. It simply would not set. Went back to the genuine CQR, no trouble, secure anchoring. Later I bought another heavier boat with a genuine CQR and again same excellent results. I write to say that the knock offs have damaged the reputation of an excellent anchor. Look similar but simply don't work. Genuine article sets every time and for me has never ever failed.
You made the right choice as far I am concerned. I have 5 anchors on board 4 of them came with the boat, I bought the Spade, had it posted from Europe to Australia, in some of our grass bottom anchorages it holds and sets immediately where the Supreme Drag anchor never set once (as good as a bad copy CQR) the Bruce drags away slowly in a bit of a blow and the CQR was a little better than the Bruce and had no confidence with them both. The Mantis sets very well but have seen bent shafts but Mantis will replace them at no charge but will they replace the boat? The Fisherman is to big to remove from its locker unless I get into a bad situation.
Steve, Great video. As others have commented, we rarely, if ever, get to see the anchor set. Proper scope, and chain can make all the difference. Looks like a nice boat, also. let me know if you ever want help aboard ... I've crewed lots of offshore, and coastal deliveries. Safe travels, David.
Steve, you have certainly earned yourself praise for the amount of work you've put into testing something that is of great importance for when the shit hits the fan, great job.
Thank you for your work and videos fantastic. My Mantus has proved simply the best anchor I have ever had and I have put it through some abuse. Digs into hard sand first time every time.
thanks For your Time and Effort on Producing this, I fully Appreciate the time time it takes to Produce this from Planning to implementation to close WELL DONE !!
Fabulous Steve. Thank you. Your camera rig answers a lot of questions that surface only pull tests do not. I've been a student of anchor tests for 40 years going back to a little blue covered pamphlet which I don't remember the name but it was data rich and instructive. Look forward to your further test. By the way, I have a spade main and fortress secondary. Cheers, Dennis
So funny, had always thought it went danforth, Plow, CQR in terms of holding power or quality, then suddenly Jim a bit of a hero to me as a kid had a Delta anchor on his boat when he was heading offshore. I was confused by the fixed stock compared to the hinged stock. Now there are so many anchors that are vastly superior to these 3 traditional 20th century anchors. Replacing the danforth on our family's c&c 29 mk2, and not sure what to go for.
A very good video and thanks for all the effort you put into doing the project... I know that I would have loved it if you would have also had the rocna with the hoop and show it against the mantus .
This is a fantastic video. Thanks so much for your hard work. FWIW, I now use an early version of an Excel anchor. It is vastly superior to my old plow.
"CQR doing what these anchors are known to do best, lay on their side and then you drag them around the anchorage in the hope that they set". Exactly why I'm replacing mine, probably with a Mantus, a decision which properly conducted tests such as yours have greatly helped so thank you. If it was a decision based solely on Mantus' own terrible "test" videos frankly I'd have decided against...
very nice! Please repeat the tests to fill the gaps in your test data and confirm results. From a testing bias perspective you may have given up too easily on the copies and there was at least one time where you gave the more expensive ones extra chances to pass. But this is wonderful data! More please.
Was a nice video, but I trust my large Danforth, and occasionally leave the boat unattended for weeks. It can be a pain to handle, but I’ve ridden out a hurricane, tied to it. Had a large Mantus fill up with fine grass from the seabed once. Nearly had a collision.
After 40 years found my super anchor take my 30footer through terrible storms, the mantus has blown me away, even my dinghy mantis hold the boat in a very stiff breeze
Hi Steve, fantastic job on these videos; convinced me to upgrade my anchors to a spade and mantus...as they say, seeing is believing. Most people never truly test there anchors to the extreme you have; but viewing the videos of the carnage in some of the anchorages when the wind kicks up they really should. So many dragging boats typically old traditional types using CQR's that came with the boat putting everyone in danger...guys please spend some money on the most important gear on the boat; the anchor...go with a new tech proven designs and go big and heavy so we can all sleep well at night. 35 years sailing, 20 years racing, 14 years cruising, fleet captain local club and harbormaster...maintaining mooring last 14 years...if you want some of my background. Steve, could I suggest you test the impact of anchoring in waves, and adding a 45 pound kettle...amazing improvement in holding; reductions of loads on bow and anchor with very little scope.
Nice Test, missing the Rocna as many has pointed, Bruce are made for Oil riggs not our smaller boats, Bruce anchors are from 15tons and up, and have very have chain. and work very well for oil rigs offshore.
Note that because the shank of the Spade is triangular, and hollow, it is stronger (more rigid) than flat or rectangular shanks of comparable cross section. That's a function of shape (triangles are more rigid). Also, because the tip of the Spade is more three-dimensional in cross-section (because it's weighted) it presents a thicker point cross-section that doesn't penetrate hard-pack bottoms as easily as flatter sharp points that are thinner (leaning more toward two-dimensional) such as the Manson, Mantus or Fortress. Also, for a given weight, the flatter anchor styles have more fluke area (square ft.) for a given weight than those that have weighted tips. PS - I don't have any affiliation to anyone who sells anchors -- just an interested consumer.
I have seen them all, this is a fine, perhaps the best, test for me to date. I like the Spade also but the hassle of keeping a finish on the metal makes it a "no" for me. I would go with the Mantus and upsize to offset worries about the shank. If the Spade did not need to have the lead melted out before it was re-galvanized and then have to figure out how to get it back inside, that would be my choice. I would like to see how well the Spade re-paint process is working and if it could be spray galvanized more often instead of hot dip galvanized. Thanks for all the work. Bob
Bob, True that re-galvanizing is more difficult with the Spade. However, Spade anchor USA has confirmed that their, lifetime warranty covers failure of the galvanizing.
Thanks for the post - I did not see it a first. No one has ever mentioned that Spade will warrant the finish, lots of talk about their "paint re-finish". Bob
well i use a star wars ship! FORTRESS lol for my 29 ft boat went with recommended size but it broke loose twice! found rocks between the flukes. i went to a bigger size i believe a 10 lb! has not broke loose from the bottom but still find rocks between the flukes! fortress works great in mud sand looks nice light easy to assemble. im looking for a better anchor for rocky bottoms! great video!
great report. must have been some time getting your camera setup calibrated! You should repeat test for top 5 anchors, in an anchorage, 4' chop, 35-40 knots?? please!
I would like to see a test comparison of the Knox Anchor and the Max Anchor. The Max was rated highly by Practical Sailor several years ago. The Knox Anchor is a relatively recent but significant development from Scotland, with no distributor yet in the USA.
Steve, thanks a lot for this great and extensive test. I believe many of the boating magazines can learn a lot from you. I also like your diplomatic way of making the choices. Even anchors which clearly failed are treated with respect. I’m wondering how on earth you’ve found a way to attach the cameras? I’ve never seen anything alike. Really a great job! Greetings from the Netherlands🇳🇱.
Ah... now i know why the shank on my danforth anchor bent. Right at that thin metal spot, and it has a long arm which would give a lot of leverage with a side pull. I mostly use cqr-type anchors now, and these videos are a great tool for figuring out how to best use them. I could see where your anchor costs would add up quick - especially if you grabbed a high-priced Rocna. I get why you need to put a limit on testing, and since you're honest in your assessments it'd be hard to get anchor companies to hand over product. But you've built up a very informative batch of tests. Thanks.
This was a well done and useful test, especially since it was done at short scope. Your comment about the Mantus matches mine, and as such I dearly wish that there had been a Rocna in the mix, as they are much more beefy, and the Mantus is a kind of knockoff of the Rocna. The Rocna also I believe has a little more scoop area than the Mantus. I believe that it also would have been the same as your comment about "the best setting" that you gave the Mantus and would have eliminated your concern about the spindly-ness.
I am glad you found this useful. Since publishing this video, I have posted over 35 new anchor tests. I did test a Rocna Rollbar, a Rocna Vulcan, and many others. Cheers, Steve
Great videos. I had a CQR and it repeatedly fail to set in the Med. Now we have a Rocna, and it sets first fime. Main problem is that it brings up half the sea bed when retrieved - which puts quite a load on the Windlass I would be interested to see how you set up the Gopro to get such reliable shots of the anchor Boyd
Great videos. However when anchoring I never will use anything less than 5:1 in deep water (for 30+ ft depths) and at the very least 6:1 or 7:1 for overnights and pretty much in all other situations. Any chance you could do some greater scope tests? Thanks!
After 20+ years and thousands of nights spent at anchor, I'm considering trading my trusty CQR 65 for a modern anchor. Your video has tremendous power to make crusty old salts like me change our minds. Thank you so much for taking the time and energy to make these videos!!!
I had a 60 lb CQR. It failed miserably twice - first on hard sand, in medium wind & no waves ... just lay on its side. Second time on a sandy/ stony bottom, again, moderate wind, no waves. I wd never have a CQR again.
That's a real eye-opener on the CQR... had a 35# CQR on a 15-ton Irwin and shudder to think how many nights the CQR must have just been laying on its side -- even though I was "sure" we were secure... thankfully was always in fairly calm conditions and I always tried to have at least 7:1 scope, but goodness, this video opens one's eyes...
I've spent a good chunk of the day today watching anchor videos. This was by far the best one(actually, most of the others were completely unhelpful). No opinion being pushed, and real testing at different scopes in different conditions. Being able to see the behavior of the anchors setting and resetting and dragging and flying) was absolutely invaluable. Thank you so much!
No kidding, I am appalled by the lack of good anchor reviews out there. This one was helpful though.
Great in depth video. I have sailed all over the world and spent many 100s of nights at anchor with a Spade. It never once let me down.
Man that looked like a heap of work to produce. Much respect and thanks. Beats trying to choose an anchor based on manufacturers blurb or trial and error!
What a great video.... The community owes you for that level of unbiased review. We recently bought a used boat, and were unhappy with the existing anchor. This video really helped make some well informed buying decisions.
Absolutely the best source for deciding what anchor to purchase. From the methodology to the video quality Steve delivers valuable information in a clear manner. Thank you!
Two years ago and still being watched. That is the mark of a great video. I have one of the West Marine Performance Fluke anchors that works great in lakes with a muddy bottom but from this video will probably move to a Mantus as a primary. I do like the unbiased, not trying to sell anything, this is the way it is approach.
Nice job Steve! I am very impressed with your testing.
your test IMO is the best single video anchor testing source that I have seen.
I thank you for your efforts and look forward to more testing videos from you.
Great work on a topic that relatively few people in the world care about... but one that ranks right up there with religion and politics for those of us that do! This really helped answer some questions for me as I look to purchase an anchor for our latest hole in the water. Very grateful for your thoughtful efforts and especially for sharing the results with the rest of us!
By far the best testing video I have seen. SO much work went into this. thanks.
I have a traditional 44lb CQR that came with my boat, I've never used it and your test has made me think twice about getting it out as Ive been very happy with our spade its not fancy and the only thing its doesn't set in is rocky bottom
Wow what a lot of work putting that all together. Thank you
Nice Job. I have my eye on a new Mantus. I have a 35' sailboat and the Mantus seems plenty strong for my needs and I want something that digs in fast and resets fast if the wind switches 180 degrees. Your testing just confirmed what I already thought about the Mantus
Nicely done!! I appreciate the time and effort that you put into this video. Very interesting, informative, and assisted in the choice of my main anchor. Thank you!!!
Congratulations to Steve and S/V Panope! This was an extreme effort that paid off with some excellent real world unbiased testing. #Winning
I bought a Spade. LOVE IT. Super easy deploy/retrieve. No hang ups. Never have to touch it. Super setting and holding. I agree with you. Not cheap but I like to sleep at night. Of all things not to scrimp on is ground tackle. Like good tires on a car. A great car and crappy tires? No!
Steve, thanks for all the thought and the hard work you put into this. As a Mantus owner, I was hugely gratified with the simply BORING reliability they showed. I forgive you for not picking the Mantus as your personal favorite - yet! (I predict you will eventually come around ;) Again, thanks for this video. Well done.
I echo the sentiments above. I wonder if after the las three years, he's come around yet. I've been using Mantus as my primary anchor since the day it came out. I've been all over the east coast of the U.S., anchored in some of the worst reversing currents South Carolina has and it's never failed me once. Been to Cuba, Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala too. Never failed. I would never use another anchor, ever. The company is awesome. Gregg is an innovator and they constantly develop new products that work. It only takes one time for your anchor to fail before you realize you made a horrible choice. Go with the Mantus from the beginning. The others are fine for day hooks. Just my .02.
Best comparison I've seen by far. Thanks for doing this. The 39kg Mantus will be the next primary anchor I put on my boat to go along with a massive Fortress and a 33kg Rocna. I love the Rocna but have had a couple of issues in water with a lot of weed on the bottom, it can clog up and take a bit too long to reset. I also like that the Mantus can be broken down for longer offshore passages.
I would like to add that another thing that I really like about the Spade is that it has such a clean design, and no hoop. It’s so well designed that it doesn’t need a hoop. A superior design.
Steve,
Thanks again for all of the help with this. This entire analysis and torture test series is truly excellent. Your work with this will save many boats and over time.
thank you for taking the time to do this video. great work!
Very well done. Loved the camera perspective too. Best anchor test video I've ever seen.
This has to be one of the best 'products comparison test' that I have seen. Not just for marine. You put a tremendous amount of work into this. Well done sir. Hat tip. I've been saving up for a Spade Stainless 140 .
Thank you so much for your videos, Steve! We have sailed up and down the "ditch" 5 times- 2x with our Pearson 35, and 3 with our 38' Steel Kanter Spray 38, using both a genuine CQR and a Danforth, anchoring almost every night except for a couple of off shore times. Both anchors held, even in 50 knot winds, that shifted us to a lee shore (around midnight... not a lot of sleep that night...). Two times when we had a problem- first was 50 k winds during the aftermath of a hurricane in the muck of the Hudson River- the CQR held, but the Danforth failed to reset. Second, in grass in Lake Ontario- neither would dig in, and, with predicted 30k winds, we went to a dock. In many situations in the ditch, we only had room for 3:1 scope or less, and our main anchor, the CQR, always held. We all have our preferences; after seeing your videos, and being cautious about short scope, I'll stay with these. Thanks again!
Steve, well done! Very impressive work. My real live experiences are confirmed by your excellent videos. I used to have a genuine Bruce and I often was not happy. I have now switched to the Spade and the performance of the Spade is awesome.
Very informative. Always been a fan of the bruce with a Danforth secondary but you've given me food for thought. Keep up the good work. Fair winds.
Excellent video presentation...definitely helpful in making the important decision on what anchor is best suited for one's boat.
I think you should be proud of that camera set up, I have no doubt it required a lot of testing on its own.
Steve, this is an awesome video -- thank you for doing!!! Holy smokes... talk about being thorough. I found your youtube channel after seeing some of your posts on SA. Anyway, thank you for all of your time and effort.Not sure it makes me feel great about our anchor, but good to know what is happening down there. Keep up the good work -- s/v Panope Rocks!
Tim | s/v Patience | Cape George 38 | 66lb Bruce
Ok , after more thought I ordered the 45 lb Spade.
Just a fine project and videos were outstanding. I currently own a CQR on my small 27' sloop and Delta on our 44' catamaran. Both boats will be getting new anchors after watching the video series. The Mantus is clearly my favorite for the catamaran but may choose the spade for my old monohull for the same reasons you did. Many thanks for the excellent value you provided in these videos.
Thank you so much for all this work. This video has cemented my anchor choices. I've recommended this to all my sailing friends.
Fantastic effort and info. Best anchor vid I've seen.
Another guideline - if you toss an anchor off a rapidly drifting small boat, be sure to toss it upstream/upwind! It doesn't say that in the books, ha ha!
I have a very small Lido-14 sailboat, with no good place for an anchor directly at the bow. I'm also a new sailor, and confessing to true newbie errors.
The centerboard had come unfastened and retracted into the boat, unknown to me, and all I could tell was that I seemed to have no control of the boat any more. Good news, I had an anchor, as I was drifting rapidly towards the rocks.
Bad news, I tossed it over the nearest side, which was downwind. In my mind, the anchor would catch and the boat would pivot around it, rotating direction while remaining upright.
What actually happened was that the anchor caught and stopped the downwind side of the boat from moving. The upwind side of the boat kept moving, flipping the boat in under 2 seconds to a complete inverted position -- although it was a firmly anchored, but now upside-down boat.
Fortunately I was wearing my PFD, as there would have been no time to reach for it.
Live and learn!
Steve, I know it's almost 3 years ago that you made this video, but I watched every second of it. Thanx for this thorough test! My wife and I just bought an old catamaran, and it has five anchors. Didn't know what was what, and how good they perform. After seeing your video, we decided to ditch al least 3 of them, including our main anchor (the kinda spade type with the hinge that failed so miserably in your test :-) )
Greetingz, Wim
We have not had the same results on our CQR since 1996 with mush full time cruise and now half time. I was surprised at the way it worked for you! We have had great results with our CQR down the West Coast of the US and Mexico through the Sea of Cortez and now on the Gulf Coast from New Orleans to SW Florida!
By the way, VERY GOOD WORK!!
CQR anchors. I had a boat with 20lb CQR I was at the boat shop and saw a much larger CQR and whilst I never had a problem with the small CQR I purchased the new much larger CQR. The new large CQR turned out to be a fake and whilst to me looked similar was absolutely useless. It simply would not set. Went back to the genuine CQR, no trouble, secure anchoring. Later I bought another heavier boat with a genuine CQR and again same excellent results. I write to say that the knock offs have damaged the reputation of an excellent anchor. Look similar but simply don't work. Genuine article sets every time and for me has never ever failed.
You made the right choice as far I am concerned. I have 5 anchors on board 4 of them came with the boat, I bought the Spade, had it posted from Europe to Australia, in some of our grass bottom anchorages it holds and sets immediately where the Supreme Drag anchor never set once (as good as a bad copy CQR) the Bruce drags away slowly in a bit of a blow and the CQR was a little better than the Bruce and had no confidence with them both. The Mantis sets very well but have seen bent shafts but Mantis will replace them at no charge but will they replace the boat? The Fisherman is to big to remove from its locker unless I get into a bad situation.
Steve, Great video. As others have commented, we rarely, if ever, get to see the anchor set. Proper scope, and chain can make all the difference. Looks like a nice boat, also. let me know if you ever want help aboard ... I've crewed lots of offshore, and coastal deliveries. Safe travels, David.
Steve, you have certainly earned yourself praise for the amount of work you've put into testing something that is of great importance for when the shit hits the fan, great job.
Great job Steve, thorough analysis and a very worthwhile exercise. Thanks
Yes you did a great job and it was a real eye opener ! Thanks a bunch ! cheers
Thank you for your work and videos fantastic. My Mantus has proved simply the best anchor I have ever had and I have put it through some abuse. Digs into hard sand first time every time.
Thank you so much for your time in these test. Some of the best I have ever seen.
thank you for your hard work SIR ! we will be replacing our Fake Bruce anchor on our Catalina 380..!!!
Excellent camera work! Thanks for the testing and video - learned a lot.
Fantastic work, I have been waiting for a video like this on youtube
Just great. Thank you Sir, you've done a hell of a job setting this up with cameras and all. Subscribed.
etikkboksen coucou
Thank you for the time you spent doing this. It's really helpful.
Ha ha, I have a 40 LB CQR currently, made for some interesting nights when I was anchored up in Port Townsend last September!
thanks For your Time and Effort on Producing this, I fully Appreciate the time time it takes to Produce this from Planning to implementation to close WELL DONE !!
Fabulous Steve. Thank you. Your camera rig answers a lot of questions that surface only pull tests do not. I've been a student of anchor tests for 40 years going back to a little blue covered pamphlet which I don't remember the name but it was data rich and instructive. Look forward to your further test. By the way, I have a spade main and fortress secondary.
Cheers,
Dennis
Great test series ! Thanks for your hard work. I switched from a 30 lb Claw (Bruce like) to a Mantus 35. Found your channel from @CoastLife
Great job, my cqr is going to go. Mantis looks good I hope it fits the bow. I loved the camera work.
You boat is a welded up boat. It has lots of angles! Your videos are brilliant!
So funny, had always thought it went danforth, Plow, CQR in terms of holding power or quality, then suddenly Jim a bit of a hero to me as a kid had a Delta anchor on his boat when he was heading offshore. I was confused by the fixed stock compared to the hinged stock. Now there are so many anchors that are vastly superior to these 3 traditional 20th century anchors. Replacing the danforth on our family's c&c 29 mk2, and not sure what to go for.
A very good video and thanks for all the effort you put into doing the project... I know that I would have loved it if you would have also had the rocna with the hoop and show it against the mantus .
This is a fantastic video. Thanks so much for your hard work. FWIW, I now use an early version of an Excel anchor. It is vastly superior to my old plow.
Great video Steve! This is exactly what I was looking for.
"CQR doing what these anchors are known to do best, lay on their side and then you drag them around the anchorage in the hope that they set". Exactly why I'm replacing mine, probably with a Mantus, a decision which properly conducted tests such as yours have greatly helped so thank you. If it was a decision based solely on Mantus' own terrible "test" videos frankly I'd have decided against...
Awesome research and experimentation, coupled with professional standard videography. Kudos, liked, subscribed.
Very nice! Thanks for the thorough testing. Looking forward to more.
Great video! Exactly what I was looking for to show real underwater setting scenarios. 👍🏼
Wow! awesome video! You clearly help me choose my anchor. Thank you!
very nice! Please repeat the tests to fill the gaps in your test data and confirm results. From a testing bias perspective you may have given up too easily on the copies and there was at least one time where you gave the more expensive ones extra chances to pass. But this is wonderful data! More please.
Nice work and thanks for your time and efforts . favorite winds and good anchoring all the bets danny ,
Was a nice video, but I trust my large Danforth, and occasionally leave the boat unattended for weeks. It can be a pain to handle, but I’ve ridden out a hurricane, tied to it.
Had a large Mantus fill up with fine grass from the seabed once. Nearly had a collision.
Great presentation mate. Really useful and surprising info. Many thanks
After 40 years found my super anchor take my 30footer through terrible storms, the mantus has blown me away, even my dinghy mantis hold the boat in a very stiff breeze
Awesome video! A pity that the Rocna is not there but this is still the best anchor test I have ever seen... Thanks!
Amazing video work, review, and overall info that we usually don't get to see.
Hi Steve, fantastic job on these videos; convinced me to upgrade my anchors to a spade and mantus...as they say, seeing is believing. Most people never truly test there anchors to the extreme you have; but viewing the videos of the carnage in some of the anchorages when the wind kicks up they really should. So many dragging boats typically old traditional types using CQR's that came with the boat putting everyone in danger...guys please spend some money on the most important gear on the boat; the anchor...go with a new tech proven designs and go big and heavy so we can all sleep well at night. 35 years sailing, 20 years racing, 14 years cruising, fleet captain local club and harbormaster...maintaining mooring last 14 years...if you want some of my background. Steve, could I suggest you test the impact of anchoring in waves, and adding a 45 pound kettle...amazing improvement in holding; reductions of loads on bow and anchor with very little scope.
Loved your test Steve. Please make more!!!
Wow, great vid! I was sent over here from one of my subs, and I’m glad I watched. Thanks!
Nice job on the testing and the video.
Nice Test, missing the Rocna as many has pointed, Bruce are made for Oil riggs not our smaller boats, Bruce anchors are from 15tons and up, and have very have chain. and work very well for oil rigs offshore.
Outstanding tests. Really well done. Thanks for all the effort!
Impressive work! I imagine a lot of time went into construction the set-up for the camera angle! :)
Thanks . Big appreciation for you work in putting this together
Amazing work! Thank you.
Steve, Great work that was a very detailed video.
Never, in a million years ,would I have even imagined choosing an anchor based on aesthetics.
Says alot about how similarly they perform
I have used several Mantus over the years. They are extremely strong 💪. Don't let that appearance fool you. You won't be able to break them.
Thanks for all this testing Steve! Best on youtube! I'm going with the Excel myself. It just looks stronger. Cheers
Thanks for all your work very informative, I have a 20kg Bruce.
Note that because the shank of the Spade is triangular, and hollow, it is stronger (more rigid) than flat or rectangular shanks of comparable cross section. That's a function of shape (triangles are more rigid). Also, because the tip of the Spade is more three-dimensional in cross-section (because it's weighted) it presents a thicker point cross-section that doesn't penetrate hard-pack bottoms as easily as flatter sharp points that are thinner (leaning more toward two-dimensional) such as the Manson, Mantus or Fortress. Also, for a given weight, the flatter anchor styles have more fluke area (square ft.) for a given weight than those that have weighted tips. PS - I don't have any affiliation to anyone who sells anchors -- just an interested consumer.
I have seen them all, this is a fine, perhaps the best, test for me to date. I like the Spade also but the hassle of keeping a finish on the metal makes it a "no" for me. I would go with the Mantus and upsize to offset worries about the shank. If the Spade did not need to have the lead melted out before it was re-galvanized and then have to figure out how to get it back inside, that would be my choice. I would like to see how well the Spade re-paint process is working and if it could be spray galvanized more often instead of hot dip galvanized. Thanks for all the work. Bob
Bob, True that re-galvanizing is more difficult with the Spade. However, Spade anchor USA has confirmed that their, lifetime warranty covers failure of the galvanizing.
Thanks for the post - I did not see it a first. No one has ever mentioned that Spade will warrant the finish, lots of talk about their "paint re-finish".
Bob
Great job.
well i use a star wars ship! FORTRESS lol for my 29 ft boat went with recommended size but it broke loose twice! found rocks between the flukes. i went to a bigger size i believe a 10 lb! has not broke loose from the bottom but still find rocks between the flukes! fortress works great in mud sand looks nice light easy to assemble. im looking for a better anchor for rocky bottoms! great video!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Mario. I have too have found rocks lodged between the flukes of the fortress (and danforth) anchor.
Thanks for all the effort, Steve, but I'm going with Emma's advice! :-)
XD XD XD
great report. must have been some time getting your camera setup calibrated! You should
repeat test for top 5 anchors, in an anchorage, 4' chop, 35-40 knots?? please!
I would like to see a test comparison of the Knox Anchor and the Max Anchor. The Max was rated highly by Practical Sailor several years ago. The Knox Anchor is a relatively recent but significant development from Scotland, with no distributor yet in the USA.
Steve, thanks a lot for this great and extensive test. I believe many of the boating magazines can learn a lot from you. I also like your diplomatic way of making the choices. Even anchors which clearly failed are treated with respect. I’m wondering how on earth you’ve found a way to attach the cameras? I’ve never seen anything alike. Really a great job! Greetings from the Netherlands🇳🇱.
Wow Steve, that was an incredible video, I like the Mantis....do you cruise to the Broughtens? Come to Lagoon Cove. You can anchor if you want...
Great work, thanks for your videos! May I suggest the Rocna and the Rocna Vucan as next tests?
I would welcome the opportunity to test those anchors. However, I cannot continue to purchase test anchors.
Ah... now i know why the shank on my danforth anchor bent. Right at that thin metal spot, and it has a long arm which would give a lot of leverage with a side pull.
I mostly use cqr-type anchors now, and these videos are a great tool for figuring out how to best use them. I could see where your anchor costs would add up quick - especially if you grabbed a high-priced Rocna. I get why you need to put a limit on testing, and since you're honest in your assessments it'd be hard to get anchor companies to hand over product. But you've built up a very informative batch of tests. Thanks.
Well done, thanks.
I should have watched this vid before asking you in another video what is on your bow. Well done.
This was a well done and useful test, especially since it was done at short scope. Your comment about the Mantus matches mine, and as such I dearly wish that there had been a Rocna in the mix, as they are much more beefy, and the Mantus is a kind of knockoff of the Rocna. The Rocna also I believe has a little more scoop area than the Mantus. I believe that it also would have been the same as your comment about "the best setting" that you gave the Mantus and would have eliminated your concern about the spindly-ness.
I am glad you found this useful. Since publishing this video, I have posted over 35 new anchor tests. I did test a Rocna Rollbar, a Rocna Vulcan, and many others. Cheers, Steve
@@flygoodwin Thanks, I will find your other videos.
Wow - this was fascinating! Thanks so much. I have a much better idea of what's going on "down there".
Great videos. I had a CQR and it repeatedly fail to set in the Med. Now we have a Rocna, and it sets first fime. Main problem is that it brings up half the sea bed when retrieved - which puts quite a load on the Windlass
I would be interested to see how you set up the Gopro to get such reliable shots of the anchor
Boyd
Great videos. However when anchoring I never will use anything less than 5:1 in deep water (for 30+ ft depths) and at the very least 6:1 or 7:1 for overnights and pretty much in all other situations. Any chance you could do some greater scope tests? Thanks!