The new-generation soft-mud boat anchor

by Sail-World Cruising on 22 Dec 2009 While third generation anchors (Spade, Manson, Roca etc) boast a quantitative leap in anchor design, there is always room in the market for a 'special purpose' anchor. Here is a specialised soft mud anchor which, when disassembled takes very little space, and can be assembled in a matter of minutes.

The new generation XYZ Soft Mud Boat Anchor has been especially designed for water-slippery or soft mud sea bottoms. This boat anchor is a product of years of research and development. The company has some credits on the board as the first generation of the XYZ Boat Anchor won the Practical Sailor's 2006 Soft Mud Anchor test.

Why have a soft-mud anchor?
Most soft bottoms have mixed density and slippery texture, which makes them difficult to set an anchor in. In order to hold in soft bottoms the anchor must have ultra large fluke surface and wide front tip. Very steep angle of penetration is an imperative. The anchor must be capable of ultra short scope (2:1) and ability to rotate itself in a correct position and hold correct orientation during movement in any direction.

Cruising sailors, often not knowing what is on the seabed of the anchorages they may visit, are well advised to carry more than one type of anchor, and one that stores easily makes it less burdensome to carry when storage is a premium.

All soft mud bottoms offer greatly reduced holding power. When general-purpose anchor is used some bottoms offer as little as just 10% of the holding available in firmer bottoms! Setting and orientation of the boat anchor in those bottoms is often unpredictable. It should be understood that an anchor designed for a specific purpose (soft mud) might not perform well (hard bottoms) under different circumstances.

How the soft-mud anchor works:
The holding power of a boat anchor is directly proportional to the surface area of the fluke. Design of the XYZ enables 360° rotation. Even when pull from 180° backwards, XYZ anchor will rotate horizontally and, under force, continue to set deep. Extra large surface of the blade’s front part enables instant setting even at very soft bottoms.

Both the fluke and the shank are constructed of high quality hot dip galvanized steel, and the anchors are designed for yachts up to 59ft or 19 metres. The fluke is long, thick and heavy, and during penetration all weight is transferred to the back that enables fast setting in a short distance.

Distributing most of the weight backward by extending long thick and heavy blade’s surface and reducing distance between shackle point and front fluke’s tip enables excessive force to be transferred at the front fluke’s sharp point.

Force on the front tip (on the 15kg/33lbs Extreme) is equal to about force on average anchor of 45kg/100bs.

The company offers a six month, unconditional money-back guarantee if not completely satisfied, and there is a lifetime limited warranty.

More information on technical specifications, availability, prices and shipping can be obtained by going to the http://www.xyzanchor.com!XYZ_website.