Manson Supreme Question

We just took advantage of the Active Captain special of the week at Defender and purchased a Mansion Supreme. This anchor had been on my wish list for awhile and couldn't pass up the great deal (thanks Jeffery).

My question is about the use of the rock slot versus the standard attachment point. Is there any reason not to attach to the slot full time? We are currently on the Ohio river which is mostly soft silt bottom but plan to head to points south when the house sells. Seems to me it could be a bit of a PITA to switch back and forth depending on bottom conditions. I can't think of any reason not to use the slot full time but will defer to the wisdom of the masses here.

Thanks to all you anchor gurus in advance.

I would not be afraid to use the slot if I didn't expect a 180 degree wind/current shift.

My Super Sarca has a similar slot and came with a large bolt fitted to the slot. Fitting a bolt means you can connect permanently to the slot but restrict movement of the shackle attachment pin along the slot, if/when you want to. I chose to let mine slide unrestricted, no problems so far. What do Manson recommend?

Thanks for the quick replies. All I see on the Mansion site is that the sand slot is recommended in "extreme wind conditions". To be honest I haven't unwrapped the anchor yet, there may be more info enclosed. I do like the idea of bolting the slot to prevent movement if needed.

We have used our Manson Supreme 60# up and down the east coast from CT to FL and never used the slot.

Spike said:

Thanks for the quick replies. All I see on the Mansion site is that the sand slot is recommended in "extreme wind conditions". To be honest I haven't unwrapped the anchor yet, there may be more info enclosed. I do like the idea of bolting the slot to prevent movement if needed.

Click to expand...

Seems like those who worry about the slot have no experience with it, and those with experience have no concerns. Makes sense to me, if you think about what scenario could occur where the chain moves up the slot and doesn't recover as soon as tension is placed on the chain. I can't think of one, but perhaps there is one.

The Manson appears to be a great anchor, and the shank is made of really hard and springy steel, which can't be bad.

I employ a bolt in the end (nearly) of the shank to keep the rode attached thereon. Everyday anchoring should probably be done thus. But the traditional way is to use the hole at the end of the shank instead of the slot. Using the end of the slot gets you a small amount of increased throat angle that may help slightly at short scope.

But unless you are anchoring in an unusual circumstance like heavy logging debris on the bottom or special fishing considerations using the hole as the attach point would be best.

In anchor tests the Supreme has scored very high on short scope.

I usually run my trip line under the roll bar thinking it will lift the anchor better attached that way.

I agree with those who use the slot all the time, (on a Super Sarca, anyway). Most of the places we anchor have reversing currents twice in 24 hrs - never dragged by not re-setting once in about 10 years. That reassuring enough..?

The trouble is, apart from maybe when you know you are over very foul ground, you never know when the darned thing is going to foul. So if you bolt off the tripping mechanism, Murphy's law will get you for sure.

Also, you will find these anchor types dig in so deep, unless you want to be running back and forth snubbing and un-snubbing the rode to break it free, it is easier and kinder on the winching system to use the slot to break her out - I do that nearly every time unless I have literally just dropped it for a lunch stop with no effort to set it at all, and not there long enough for the tide/wind/current to set it fully.

Hi there Peter down under,
Now that greeting is done lets do anchor talk.
The slots on the SARCA and Supreme are different. I'd use the slot probably all the time on the SARCA but rarely on the Supreme.

But the potential for trouble from using the slot is probably not worth discussing anyway as these anchors set so dependability breaking out from current or wind changes will only result in an almost immediate resetting. Most anchors break out and reset. And setting gently by the current and/or wind is better and probably will result in a more secure hookup that the first set. But after all the anchor set in the first place and it should reset 999% of the time so only very paranoid skippers are even going to worry. Some skippers don't set the anchor at all. Why bother playing games out on the bow? If the anchor's any good it will set when the boat tries to move. An anchor is largely about security but it's never totally secure. If one wants totally secure one should stay on land.

And speaking of secure it would be hard to imagine an anchor more secure than the Manson Supreme. It does everything extremely well. Like the perfect wife that does everything well ..... and dosn't exist. Neither is there a perfect anchor. Movie stars and well known models look like great wife's in a way but almost certainly have numerous issues and oddities in their closets. Would'nt want a wife like that nor an anchor that excelled at one thing and fell short on another.

I wouldn't use the slot unless I felt there was some likelihood of the anchor getting caught on trash and needing to be pulled out backwards, and then I would want a trip line. If the wind or tide or current change, the anchor will unset and will not be in a good position to reset.

Yes JJ and for others anchoring temporarily like bottom fishing the slot is very useful. No need to use the slot just because it's there.

According to Practical Sailor, using the slot may delay resetting with 180 degree shifts which seems valid although some contributors say it's not a problem. I find my bow roller doesn't allow easy retrieval of my 80# Manson when using the slot.

Ronbo

Don't understand the retrieval part of your question.

I use the slot but I put a bolt through it allowing just enough room for the rode shackle. I think there is a slight benefit from using the slightly higher slot attach point. Or I'd just use the hole. The Supreme has excellent short scope performance and using the slot attach point may enhance that even more. I don't know if the high performance at short scope was achieved by using the hole or the slot in the tests so I use the slot. It's probably fly stuff which attach point is used but I prefer the slot w the bolt limiter. I don't know if I've ever used the hole.

Retrieval problem happens when using the slot (which travels above the hole) due to the bottom end of the shank hanging up on the first roller. I would have to walk out to the end of the bowsprit to manhandle it. I shoulda said its a Gozzard 44 with 6' sprit.

Ronbo

One really good reason for using the slot on a river is the likelihood of getting hung up on old cables, engine blocks, Jimmy Hoffas' cement overshoes, etc. A backwards pull could make the difference between retrieval and adding to the clutter on the riverbed.