Rocna Anchors

I hate to start an anchor thread but wanting feedback on Ronca anchors for any body that has one.

Use them, love them, never had one fail to set or drag.

Capt.Bill11 said:

Use them, love them, never had one fail to set or drag.

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+2 We have cruised extensively with a Danforth, CQR, claw and Rocna. Of the 4, the Rocna performed the best.

Have had Bruce, Fortress and CQR over the years. Sleep better with my Rocna. Have dove on it often enough to know that it sets.

Only downside is my wife's frequently stories that I treat our Rocna anchor the same as Ralphie's father treated the fish net stocking lamp in A Christmas Story.

Have drug a Bruce and a CQR but so far our Rocna has never moved.

Cathy and David said:

I hate to start an anchor thread but wanting feedback on Ronca anchors for any body that has one.

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Don't like looking through the rollbar when it's up on the bow. Works great as an anchor, though (25kg version on 15 ton 40 foot boat).

We're on our second boat that we've updated with a Rocna. The first, a 32 footer, went from poor sets and fouling with the Danforth to instant - abrupt - settings and no fouling with the Rocna.

Our next boat, a 42 footer, we updated from an old rusty claw to the Rocna. Never really put the claw to any significant test but the Rocna sets first time every time.

It's a great anchor.

A Krogen Manatee buddy of mine was the most prolific anchor and windlass user I ever saw. For over a decade, he spent about 5 months in the Islands every year and couldn't sit still, pulling up and re-setting 3 or 4 times per day. When he bent the shank on his 44 lb. Rocna I told him it was probably a Chinese model, but when he got back to the States he got another one from Canada Steel, saying that in his experience, the anchor never let go, and bent shank or not, he was convinced it was the best anchor for his type of usage. In all fairness, the bottoms would likely be sand, grass or coral, and he had a bow snubber loop right at his waterline to cut down on the scope, anchoring in 4-12 ft. typically.

healhustler said:

A Krogen Manatee buddy of mine was the most prolific anchor and windlass user I ever saw. For over a decade, he spent about 5 months in the Islands every year and couldn't sit still, pulling up and re-setting 3 or 4 times per day. When he bent the shank on his 44 lb. Rocna I told him it was probably a Chinese model, but when he got back to the States he got another one from Canada Steel, saying that in his experience, the anchor never let go, and bent shank or not, he was convinced it was the best anchor for his type of usage. In all fairness, the bottoms would likely be sand, grass or coral, and he had a bow snubber loop right at his waterline to cut down on the scope, anchoring in 4-12 ft. typically.

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The million dollar question is...how many different manufacturer's of the new gen anchors has he used under the same circumstances and did he vary one size up or down with all of them on the same boat under the same conditions? (varying size is necessary as it's only fair when the 2 anchors aren't really exactly the same weight or another design is just as good if a tad heavier).

Of has he at least been on other boats where he would gain the same set of data?

There are people out there saying the same about several of the new gen anchors so it's really hard to tell which infallible anchor is really better...

QB said:

Don't like looking through the rollbar when it's up on the bow. Works great as an anchor, though (25kg version on 15 ton 40 foot boat).

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I agree too as I'm fussy about anything that interferes w the visibility fwd over the bow. The Claws are great in this regard as on the bow you can hardly see them.

The setting and long scope performance (according to anchor tests) is great for the Rocna. The only anchor that exceeds the Rocna's holding power in most tests is the Fortress. In one of the most comprehensive tests I've read the Manson Supreme, Rocna and quite a few others exceeded 5000lbs resistance at 5-1 scope. The Rocna dropped down to 1200lbs resistance at 3-1 whereas the Supreme, Fortress and perhaps others recorded pulls of over 4500lbs at 3-1 scope. That's like comparing a Kedge to a Danforth or perhaps a small Bruce to a Delta or a Spade.

Some people have said in the past that they never anchor at 3-1 scope obviously considering that an act of fools. But I think most people that say they anchor at 5-1 probably when draft, bow height and tides are fully considered actually anchor closer to 3-1. On the east coast this may not be true or is true much less of the time.
At any rate I consider 3-1 anchor performance to be essential as long as there are anchors that do well at 3-1. And there are. The Manson Supreme dosn't set as dramatically as the Rocna and it's long scope performance is at least 5% less but the Manson's far superior short scope performance makes it a far better anchor IMO.


I agree w Scott to in that anchors are rarely put to the test by TF members. I've only anchored twice in 50 knot winds and if I hadn't been up north that probably would'nt have happened. And if I'd been closer to a harbor I'd have been tied to a stout float.

psneeld said:

The million dollar question is...how many different manufacturer's of the new gen anchors has he used under the same circumstances and did he vary one size up or down with all of them on the same boat under the same conditions?

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Doesn't matter. The OP was asking for feed back on how people like their Rocna's. Not how they compare directly to other styles of anchors in the same situations.

Are there other good anchors out there? Sure. But that wasn't the question.

manyboats said:

The Rocna dropped down to 1200lbs resistance at 3-1 whereas the Supreme, Fortress and perhaps others recorded pulls of over 4500lbs at 3-1 scope.

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Eric, I'm at less than 3:1 right now (bowsprit 30 ft off the bottom and 85 ft of chain out) and locked down tight in 20 knot gusts. I've come to trust the Rocna in these conditions, at least in this (well known to me) anchorage.

But I wonder if high pull out force at low scopes in tests implies high breakout force when you want to weigh. The Rocna is good in that respect IME.

QB wrote
"But I wonder if high pull out force at low scopes in tests implies high breakout force when you want to weigh"

I don't think so as anchors that hold well at short scope that I'm familiar w break out easily w the rode vertical. Claws in certain bottoms bury very deep and can be a bit of work getting up but generally speaking .. no.

Twenty knot gusts is not much of a test for any anchor. Even those that do poorly at short scope. I've anchored overnight in 35 knot winds w my 8 ton 30' boat using a 13lb Danforth that came w the boat. Most any anchor in most any decent bottom that's sized for the boat should hold well in 20 knot gusts. Even a small Claw should handle that. The tests I've referred to put 5000lbs of tension on the rode if the anchor will hold it. The anchors that achieved that (at 5-1 scope I assume) are:
Delta
Spade
Rocna
Fortress
Manson Supreme
Hydro Bubble

I have a correction to make re the short scope performance of the Rocna. They did not use the number 1200lbs as I said in post #10 . They said re the Rocna's short scope performance;
"It was less impressive at 3:1 scope and under veering tests" So it seems not as condemning as only managing 1200lbs but there is a big advertisement at the bottom of the test by Peter Smith/Rocna. The temptation to use words re the shortcoming that could mean most anything was probably great. However I don't know if Rocna was a big advertiser in the mag at that time. The 1200lb number actually was attached to the report on the Delta. The Spade, Delta and Rocna did poorly at short scope. It's interesting that they all look very much alike however I think their shortcomings are probably more related to their throat angle.
Re the Manson Supreme they said; "first test location it set immediately and held to the maximum 5000lb pull. Even on 3:1 scope it held to an astonishing 4612lb. It was unfazed by the veering tests, refusing to budge at 5000lb from all angles"
One could assume the veering tests were done at 5-1 scope but I don't know.

Cathy and David said:

I hate to start an anchor thread but wanting feedback on Ronca anchors for any body that has one.

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I doubt you'll find anyone with a Rocna that says anything negative about them. That isn't a reflection of confirmation bias, but the fact that if the disadvantages of a roll bar aren't important (and they aren't that important), then the design of the Rocna is proven. My two cents is that if this is the style you want, go with a Manson Supreme, which tests at least as well and is made with a Bisalloy shank that I doubt can be bent this side of ramming a dock with it. The Rocna shank went from Bisalloy to whatever rubbish they had on hand in the Chinese factory, to something a bit better to steel that is now quite good, just not as strong as the Bis-80 in the Manson.

What size Ronca would be acceptable for a 43' 30000lb displacement?

My vessel is 48ft and 20 tonnes (40,000lbs). It came with a CQR. My first week at sea we were hit with continuous 50knt winds. I freely admit that I was a complete newbie with a vessel of this size and windage. I dragged continuously in sand even in more protected bays with around 35knt wind gusts.
I told the broker that sold me the boat this, and he apologised for telling me to spend more money but told me to go and buy a Rocna 40kg and I will sleep more soundly.
Without research of any description I dropped $1300 on one. Luckily for me it just fit as I didn't think of that when buying!
Still consider myself a newbie with this vessel but I can honestly say that I have racked up 47 nights on the hook now and the Rocna has set first time, every time, and has not dragged once. Biggest wind gust since installation was 38 knts to date.

I am glad I did not do any research on this prior to buying as I would still be reading forums 12 months later - not sure what brand to buy cos I wanted the best - and still have the CQR on the front with the constant dragging.
Anchor threads become 200 posts long - with no winner regardless of how many times a new thread is started!

It is my belief that you could buy the Rocna or any other modern design unit and you will be happy with the result. Every one believes theirs is the best one for whatever reason. Once you have a modern design anchor on the front, and you have experienced the setting/holding power, you will move on to look at other aspects of your boat and lose interest in the argument about which is better.

cheers,

M.

We have one. Love it. Never dragged.

Oliver,
I've never dragged w any anchor.

And I've never had a Rocna.

Cathy and David said:

I hate to start an anchor thread but wanting feedback on Ronca anchors for any body that has one.

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Hello. Aboard Seaweed (7k pounds) I have a Rocna 33 pound anchor. I sleep very well at night. I use all chain (G4, .25") and have been using this one for almost two years.

I do not drag.
And I anchor exclusively (except during the engine swap) ...

Though I like the 33, I'm considering a 45 pound Rocna. I have a windlass.

One thing I have noticed though: if I stay any place more than a day or two, I have to power out the anchor. The windlass (a Lewmar V700) is not strong enough to lift the anchor. The engine has always been able to break it out but by day three, that's the given plan.

I like my Rocna.

manyboats said:

Oliver,
I've never dragged w any anchor.

And I've never had a Rocna.

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From previous threads on Rocna I think the brand changed hands after criticism of the shanks (see Delfin`s post 14 above).
Can someone tell Cathy and David how to be sure the anchor they buy is the later revised version of the anchor?

BruceK said:

From previous threads on Rocna I think the brand changed hands after criticism of the shanks (see Delfin`s post 14 above).
Can someone tell Cathy and David how to be sure the anchor they buy is the later revised version of the anchor?

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The current manufacturer can presumably be trusted, where the prior owners earned the contempt they received for lying to people. So, if it is a common size purchased from West Marine whose turnover is significant, there probably isn't much of a chance the shank will be mild steel. The only empirical way this side of destructive testing I know of is to use a punch made of Q620 steel, which is the grade Rocna now says they are using, and this punch should dent the galvanizing but not the stell underneath the galvanizing.

BruceK said:

From previous threads on Rocna I think the brand changed hands after criticism of the shanks (see Delfin`s post 14 above).
Can someone tell Cathy and David how to be sure the anchor they buy is the later revised version of the anchor?

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The latest versions, from Canada Metal (Pacific) Ltd., have a little "signed" stamp, and a cute note about intellectual property protection (see pic below). All this, including the anchor itself, would of course be easy to copy. As Delfin says, buy from a reputable dealer, and do your own quality control if you really want to be sure.

Only pirates use pirated anchors!

QB said:

The latest versions, from Canada Metal (Pacific) Ltd., have a little "signed" stamp, and a cute note about intellectual property protection (see pic below). All this, including the anchor itself, would of course be easy to copy. As Delfin says, buy from a reputable dealer, and do your own quality control if you really want to be sure.

Only pirates use pirated anchors!

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Note that since the person making this anchor is only 4 years old, he/she hasn't learned how to sign their name yet, so uses a stamp.

Children love using stamps....

Odd a Canadian company signs in neither English or French, rubber stamp or not.
Provided quality control is good, I accept it matters not where it is made. But I like knowing, from the man who made it, that my anchor was made in Australia and he resisted proposals to make it somewhere else.

BruceK said:

Odd a Canadian company signs in neither English or French, rubber stamp or not.
Provided quality control is good, I accept it matters not where it is made. But I like knowing, from the man who made it, that my anchor was made in Australia and he resisted proposals to make it somewhere else.

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At the risk of being accused of being a foam at the mouth racist, that is one of the reasons why I don't understand why anyone who says they want a Rocna type anchor wouldn't just buy the New Zealand made Manson Supreme. Same design, better steel, better trading partner, IMO, and the same performance.

Delfin said:

At the risk of being accused of being a foam at the mouth racist, that is one of the reasons why I don't understand why anyone who says they want a Rocna type anchor wouldn't just buy the New Zealand made Manson Supreme. Same design, better steel, better trading partner, IMO, and the same performance.

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and in my case it was 30% cheaper and approved by Lloyds of London...but WTF do they know about making sure things work....

BeagleBoy said:

I am glad I did not do any research on this prior to buying as I would still be reading forums 12 months later - not sure what brand to buy cos I wanted the best - and still have the CQR on the front with the constant dragging. Anchor threads become 200 posts long - with no winner regardless of how many times a new thread is started!

It is my belief that you could buy the Rocna or any other modern design unit and you will be happy with the result. Every one believes theirs is the best one for whatever reason. Once you have a modern design anchor on the front, and you have experienced the setting/holding power, you will move on to look at other aspects of your boat and lose interest in the argument about which is better.
cheers, M.

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Folks, that, right there is your answer - couldn't put it better myself. I am a convert to my Super Sarca for the same reason. I would recommend it to anyone, but they appear hard to come by in the Northern Hemisphere, so if one of the others like Manson, (Boss or Supreme), or Rocna, comes your way...my advice...just grab it..!

Cathy and David said:

What size Ronca would be acceptable for a 43' 30000lb displacement?

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I'd get at least a 33. But better still a 40 or 55.

janice142 said:

Hello. Aboard Seaweed (7k pounds) I have a Rocna 33 pound anchor. I sleep very well at night. I use all chain (G4, .25") and have been using this one for almost two years.

I do not drag.
And I anchor exclusively (except during the engine swap) ...

Though I like the 33, I'm considering a 45 pound Rocna. I have a windlass.
I like my Rocna.

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Dang, Janice. That's a lot of tackle for that boat! What do you think it's like when you're pulling up next to a guy with a 30,000 lb. boat and a 35 lb. plow and you whip out your 45 lb. Rocna. He probably sneaks out of the anchorage before daylight.