# Rocna Anchor Fail!



## Sailing_Faith (Mar 11, 2009)

The 'new generation' anchors are great, but have done nothing to quell the long standing debate over which one is best.

The truth is anchoring has more to do with proper seamanship then the bit of metal at the end of the rode.

I bought my Manson Supreme in 2006 (IIRC) and have had outstanding service from it.... it has never dragged.... even through a hurricane.

When I bought my Manson, I also looked at the Rocna. Both were then made in New Zealand and were very similar in appearance. I do not doubt that either would have been a good choice (at the time) but the Rocna was more expensive.... and the Manson had Loyds certification so I went with the Manson Supreme.

Over the years, I have followed the discussion and frankly some of the marketing was ugly... it was more mud slinging then fact, and Rocna seemed to be the most active in the slinging... I grew less and less pleased with the marketing.

A while back Rocna moved their production to China, I was skeptical (I know China has produced many questionable products, and would not recommend using Chinese steel in such an important component as my ground tackle.

Some photos surfaced of rusty Rocnas (with apparent galvanization issues) and others of Rocna's with bent shanks (after Rocna reps slammed Manson for much less significant bending).









A third party (excellent poster known as Main Sail) challenged Rocna to test their anchor;s construction... the declined to participate so an off the shelf Rocna was tested against an off the shelf Manson Supreme and....

Well Manson just paid for some independent testing, to see if Rocna could live up to their claims of being superior.



> The Manson Challenge To Rocna
> 
> "If you would please bring down your anchor, we can test it on our calibrated and certified test jig. We have tested it against ours. We have videoed those tests. However in the interests of posting something that you will not say is made up, I welcome you to come here and we will video your face as we do the tests so the readers can see what eating your words after years of misinformation looks like.
> 
> ...


The correct tests results are here.

I have long not been a fan of Rocna, but would absolutely not feel comfortable recommending one based on the this and the discussions that have taken place here. (warning, 17 pages long!)


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## X-Shark (Oct 3, 2007)

OK.......But this is a fishing forum....Most of us use Danforth anchors. 

We anchor on wrecks to fish .......Sometimes. 


So.....This looks more like Spam to promote a product that I would NOT use.


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## Worn Out (May 10, 2008)

*Hey, this guy...*

...Has been a contributing member or over 2 years... You longer... So what. Give him a break. He fishes from a sailboat... What difference does it make if he has been concerned about anchors and posts about test results that most of us don't care about...John Soule


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## Sailing_Faith (Mar 11, 2009)

Yea, thanks guys.

I like to cruise and daysail. I troll a line all over the bay, and greatly enjoy this place... you can see by my post count that I am not a spammer.

These 'new generation' anchors are great, and if you anchor out, spend the night, or travel with your boat they make life much more simple.

The bottom line is that one of them shifted their production to China and then tried to say their quality did not drop... it was a crock.

The weird looking ;Manson Supreme; anchor is what I have on my bow, and it has held through a hurricane I had to ride out while aboard in the Bahamas.

Some might care, others wont.. just like any other post.

Peace,

Fair Winds,

and above all else... Tight Lines!


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## sealark (Sep 27, 2007)

Thanks for the information, I didn't think this forum restricted any type of boating. In fact the plow and claw anchors that I love and use on my fishing boat came from sail boats using them in the past and they held so much better than the Danforths.:thumbup:


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## hogdogs (Apr 19, 2010)

If you know how to set your depth alarm on your bottom finder and your drift alarm on your GPS and you don't mind runnin' to the bow in your skivvies to weigh anchor and move the boat to safe water during a midnight storm... USE A DANSFORTH... If you want to be anchored fast... Talk to blow boaters about good hooks...

Brent


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## oldflathead (Oct 3, 2007)

*Cqr*

Having had my same 46' motorsailer for 29 years, living on board for 18 years and actively cruising for 9 years, I have anchored a few times.

1-The anchor is only a part of the ground tackle, yes an essential part, but there is more to it than your choice of an anchor. I carry bow and stern, 66 pound CQR with 350 feet of 5/16" high test chain. I have a 75 pound Danforth ready to set if I know the wind direction is not going to change. Danforth hold very good in many bottoms, but are notorious for not resetting with wind shifts. I also carry a 45 pound Herreshof Fisherman anchor for rocky or weed bottoms. For kedging I have a 50 pound folding stainless steel Northill, like the ones used on sea planes.


2-Chain, if you can handle the weight. My boat is 38,000 pounds, so 800 feet of chain is not a problem. However, my 22 foot panga fishing boat is lightweight, so I have a 20 pound Northill, 20 feet of chain and 150' of 5/8" three strand nylon.

3-Like in real estate, location, location, location! Even when I have anchored several times in the same area, like Ft. McRee, I always size up wind direction, current, state of the tide, proximity to other boats, WX forecast and types of boats anchored. Some boaters don't know their alpha hotel from a zinc, so I try to stay away from them and I have moved when I felt someone anchored too close or incorrectly.

4-Type of holding ground requires different techniques. In all of our years of anchoring, we only dragged twice. Once in a gravel bottom in the Sea of Cortez, so we put the 75# Danforth down with a kellet. The anchorage in Becqua has a few inches of sand over a hard marl bottom and I could not get the CQR to hold, so I put 35 feet of chain on the back of it and put the 75# Danforth in tandem. It held by weight alone.

5-Crowded anchorages may require different techniques. I carry a 30# Kellet or Sentinal, which is a chunk of lead with a large stainless steel eye which attaches to a slider that fits over the chain and has a small retrieval line. After the anchor is set, you let the Kellet down the chain until it hits bottom, thus effectively increasing your scope.

6-Scope, the distance from the bow of your boat to the bottom X 7, or say in 20 feet of water and your bow roller is 5', your scope should be 25 X 7 or 175'. Now, this is for overnight anchoring, not fishing.

Did not mean to derail your thread. I have no experience with these newer anchors and don't see any reason to try them since mine work.

Over the last 16 years I have presented several anchoring seminars at West Marine stores. I will be happy to do one this year if anyone is interested.

Tom


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## Mullethead (Oct 4, 2007)

Thanks for the information Faith - good tip and trick, and posted in the approriate spot 

Believe me - I borrow seamanship tips from sail boat guys all the time - makes me a better boater and ultimately, fisherman.


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