Spare Ultra 27Kg Anchor: Keep or Sell

I just upgraded the Ultra 27 Kg anchor that came with my new to me Maritimo 52 to a more appropriately sized Ultra 35. Now what to do with the old one. There is room to store it in the lazarette for use as a spare or as a stern anchor. But it takes up a lot of space and is a beast to wrestle on deck at sixty pounds. Would I be better off selling it and getting a smaller, lighter Fortress anchor for those rare occasions?

I would have gone with the Ultra 45, not a fan of SS anchor or chain due to crevice corrosion issues, although 316L better than 316. We use a Mantus 105# with 250' 3/8" galvanized G4 chain on our 54' with a Fortress 37 as a spare/stern with 80% rope. Haven't had to use it yet.

Yes!

Unless you have a windlass, locker & roller on the stern I'd go with a Fortress all the way.

I often dinghy our stern anchor out if I'm in a tight spot. Can't imagine doing that with a 60-pounder unless I really really had to.

The Fortress will break down for storage so as a backup anchor it may be the best choice.

Graeme Walker said:

I would have gone with the Ultra 45, not a fan of SS anchor or chain due to crevice corrosion issues, although 316L better than 316. We use a Mantus 105# with 250' 3/8" galvanized G4 chain on our 54' with a Fortress 37 as a spare/stern with 80% rope. Haven't had to use it yet.

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Why the 45? The 35 is what Ultra specs for a boat of my size, weight, and windage. Can never be too rich, too thin, or have too big an anchor?

I'm a Mantus guy, we also use their medium snubber, but this chart outlines why you need something larger. We've been caught by surprise by 50mph winds at anchor and haven't had a problem. It's all about being prepared for the worst. Boat originally came with CRQ 44, absolutely useless, designed in ~1935, couldn't hold us in sand in 10mph wind. I'm always amazed the tiny little lunch anchors that come with boats. It really depends on what you plan to do with your boat but if like us have a variety of plans, i.e. Bahamas, ICW, Great Lakes, I'd go on the safe side. FYI we also don't like to buddy boat at anchor, typically ours is the largest anchor but not designed to hold 100k lbs.

Sababa said:

Why the 45? The 35 is what Ultra specs for a boat of my size, weight, and windage. Can never be too rich, too thin, or have too big an anchor?

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Agreed, but most Anchor advertising is not for storm conditions, that's what I like to buy for. I went from CRW 44 to a Mantus M1 85 then to a Mantus M2105, I like to not be woken up in the middle of the night with a slipping anchor, haven't been yet.

I went through the same thing when upgrading my anchor.

First, don't re-think your anchor, you're fine.

Second, keep your old anchor, and find a place to store it. I chose up on the flying bridge, strapped to a railing vertical using heavy duty velcro.

I have the 39KG mantus M2 on my Bayliner 4788.
My boat has been in some nasty winds from Alaska to Mexico and never drug an inch.

BTW on my 4788 I removed my bow pulpit and installed a Mantus roller, a mod I highly recommend.

The only thing better than a big anchor in a blow is a MUCH BIGGER ONE!

I have three friends with the same boat as you, all three have rocnas. Two 55 kg and one with a 70. The boats tend to horse around quite a bit (90 degrees and more) when the wind pipes up.

If you have the space to store it somewhere I would keep the old anchor, either as a spare or in case of very bad weather as a second anchor.
When I changed my 50 kg Pool anchor I had to decide what to do with it and since we anchor a lot in places where there can be rocks on the bottom I decided to keep the pool onboard, just in case we lose our new SarcaExcel
I also have a 30 kg pool anchor, which is actually currently in use as an extra bow line to keep the bow from swinging too much, while we are lying on our winter spot. Next week I will retrieve that one, winter storms are over

I would probably get rid of the second anchor. If it's important enough to have a second anchor, get one of the correct size.

Regarding stern anchors, I used one maybe 25 time to keep the boat centered. Being able to easily carry the anchor out in a dinghy is a big benefit. While I'm not a big fan of a Fortress as a main anchor, for a stern positioning anchor, weight is a big factor.

Keep the anchor. Have it ready-to-deploy in an emergency situation. Here's why:

When I was going down a river with a ripping current my engine cut out on me due to dirty fuel. There was literally not time to drop the main anchor because I was so close to a turn in the river. Fortunately I was able to quickly deploy my old inadequate too-small knock-off Danforth (came with the boat) anchor with 16' feet of rusty plastic-coated chain attached to some equally ratty 3-strand. Even "bad gear" stopped my Seaweed.

I do have a better set-up now with another light weight anchor. OP has a good-enough Stop anchor. I would have it ready at a moment's notice.

Old picture:


Be sure to Loosely attach the bitter end to something inside your boat/locker.

For the fellows: I use a 16 pound Hydro-bubble as my Stop anchor. This was a new design 20 years ago. She combines aluminum with stainless.... there were problems. To get around that IF I had to rely on this for more than simply to stop my Seaweed in an emergency I would attach a zinc. I've heard good results doing that up in the Carolinas.

For me, this is the perfect lunch hook... anchoring off the transom means that the breezes come right though the boat keeping me cooler than when anchored off the bow. And should I have an emergency I know my Seaweed will stop asap.

cafesport said:

I have three friends with the same boat as you, all three have rocnas. Two 55 kg and one with a 70. The boats tend to horse around quite a bit (90 degrees and more) when the wind pipes up.

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That's some big iron! It's also well beyond Rocna's own recommendations, especially in the case of the 70 kg. Add in the extra pound per foot of using 1/2" instead of 3/8" chain and you are talking around an additional 400–500 pounds of weight at the bow for a typical setup. Maybe NBD for a displacement boat, but perhaps a concern for an SD or planing hull like the Maritimo. I get why bigger is better in a blow, but is there such a thing as too big—and does a 70 kg anchor in a 52 foot boat go there? Would it not be better to match the main anchor to the size and weight of your boat for normal to heavy conditions (the Rocna chart is calibrated to 50 knots of wind), and set the spare as a second anchor if you are caught out with extreme weather in the offing?