Spade experimented with cast steel back in 2001 and produced a limited
number of S80s between then and late 2002. The original idea was to
change over all the models but they found that fabrication cost were
higher than expected and after testing the performance was not improved
enough to make it cost effective. Also, mud clings to those ripples
making them harder to wash off.

Cindy Ballreich wrote:
I saw a Spade anchor (S80) the other day that was different from others
that I've seen. The blade had a series of ridges on it above where the
shank attaches (the yellow part) and the shank had a rounded detail
along the top and bottom and appeared to have been cast. Has anyone else
seen one like this? Are there any functional differences between this
and the more common smooth blade and shank?

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com