Fortress Anchor

Winni Boater 17 Years · 05-16-2011, 02:57 PM

I have two Fortress Anchors on my 32 Carver Aft Cabin, one main, one aft. They work fine and are a must without a windless.

I bought them in 1992 and they have a lifetime warranty, no questions asked. I have replaced various parts including the shank, after a boat went by my boat and caught it, bending it a bit.

Yep, they are expensive but worth it, in my opinion.

NoRegrets · 05-16-2011, 03:22 PM

The can set the angle for the Fortress for mud / clay, sand, or rock (different angles). You can not do that with the danforth anchor.

We found the Fortress also has a longer "spike" and digs firmly in the lake bottom. It also catches rocks with no problem.

We anchor all season long and 95% of the time the Fortress stern anchor grabs the first time. With the Danforth we were probably getting 60% success on the first attempt. Well worth the extra money for the Fortress.

NoBozo · 05-16-2011, 03:57 PM

Anchors and Anchoring have always been a controversial topic among those who boat "seriously".

The Danforth anchor was developed before and during WWII. They were used on LSTs (Landing Ship Tank) during beach landings during invasions. They were dropped off the stern of the ship as they approached the beach, and were used to haul the ship Back OFF the beach after they had discharged their cargo of trucks, tanks, and other heavy equipment.

They were made of Forged Steel. The Danforth "Hi-Tensile" is still made of forged steel. Before Danforth gave up the patent, they were the only show in town that actually worked.

IMHO... Most of the anchors sold to "boaters" today are merely pretenders. An alternative for use in coastal or offshore cruising, would be the CQR Plow anchor. I carried both on my salt water boats (Sail) and I have a Danforth on my 20' sportboat.

NB

BTW: There is no single anchor that is good for ALL anchoring and bottom conditions. You pick the anchor that suits the conditions you will most likely anchor in. Danforth types don't like rocky bottoms.

http://www.defender.com/category.jsp...10391&id=33872

05-16-2011, 02:57 PM	#1
Winni Boater 17 Years Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Fortress Anchor I have two Fortress Anchors on my 32 Carver Aft Cabin, one main, one aft. They work fine and are a must without a windless. I bought them in 1992 and they have a lifetime warranty, no questions asked. I have replaced various parts including the shank, after a boat went by my boat and caught it, bending it a bit. Yep, they are expensive but worth it, in my opinion.

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05-16-2011, 03:22 PM	#2
NoRegrets Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Hudson - NH Posts: 408 Thanks: 233 Thanked 212 Times in 88 Posts	The can set the angle for the Fortress for mud / clay, sand, or rock (different angles). You can not do that with the danforth anchor. We found the Fortress also has a longer "spike" and digs firmly in the lake bottom. It also catches rocks with no problem. We anchor all season long and 95% of the time the Fortress stern anchor grabs the first time. With the Danforth we were probably getting 60% success on the first attempt. Well worth the extra money for the Fortress.

05-16-2011, 03:57 PM	#3
NoBozo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Portsmouth. RI Posts: 2,231 Thanks: 400 Thanked 460 Times in 308 Posts	Anchors and Anchoring have always been a controversial topic among those who boat "seriously". The Danforth anchor was developed before and during WWII. They were used on LSTs (Landing Ship Tank) during beach landings during invasions. They were dropped off the stern of the ship as they approached the beach, and were used to haul the ship Back OFF the beach after they had discharged their cargo of trucks, tanks, and other heavy equipment. They were made of Forged Steel. The Danforth "Hi-Tensile" is still made of forged steel. Before Danforth gave up the patent, they were the only show in town that actually worked. IMHO... Most of the anchors sold to "boaters" today are merely pretenders. An alternative for use in coastal or offshore cruising, would be the CQR Plow anchor. I carried both on my salt water boats (Sail) and I have a Danforth on my 20' sportboat. NB BTW: There is no single anchor that is good for ALL anchoring and bottom conditions. You pick the anchor that suits the conditions you will most likely anchor in. Danforth types don't like rocky bottoms. http://www.defender.com/category.jsp...10391&id=33872