Practical Sailor's gear and boat reviews take the guesswork out of your buying decisions.

Volume 29
Number 23
December 2003

Anchor Tests 2003: Soft Sand Over Hard Sand

In tough testing conditions, and considered by weight, the aluminum Fortress and galvanized West Marine Performance² — both Danforth types — do well, along with the Spade Model 80 and the Bulwagga.

New or redesigned anchors: Upper row, left to right: The heavy stainless steel Wasi anchor with universal swivel, two HydroBubble anchors (we tested only the larger one), and the galvanized Davis Talon XT plow. The two anchors below are the Spade Oceane (left) and intriguing XYZ anchor (right).

The more we test anchors, the more we remind ourselves of the obvious: This is a topic fraught with variables. It's like the blind men trying to describe the elephant, each having hold of a different pachydermal part. Yet the more circumstances in which we test, the better we get to know these metallic comrades upon which we place so much responsibility.

Here's a recap of the tests over the last few years.

In the February 1, 1998 issue we reported the results of a test of nine anchors for initial setting ability (in wet, packed sand). The clear winner was the Bruce, followed, in the order of how they did,…

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Practical Sailor's gear and boat reviews take the guesswork out of your buying decisions.

Anchor Tests 2003: Soft Sand Over Hard Sand

In tough testing conditions, and considered by weight, the aluminum Fortress and galvanized West Marine Performance2 — both Danforth types — do well, along with the Spade Model 80 and the Bulwagga.

In tough testing conditions, and considered by weight, the aluminum Fortress and galvanized West Marine Performance² — both Danforth types — do well, along with the Spade Model 80 and the Bulwagga.