On Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:46:54 -0400, "Roger Long"
wrote:

I have no
qualms about my Fortress standing up to the strains that sand, mud, or
gravel can put on it.

They're OK for certain conditions but I regard them as a special
purpose anchor. They will frequently not set in adverse conditions
such as:

- from a moving boat (anchor planes through water or skips along the
bottom).

- strong currents (see above).

- unfavorable bottom (hard, weedy, rocky, etc).

All danforth type anchors have a strong propensity for becoming fouled
in reversing tide or wind conditions. They excel however in high
holding power for their weight *if* properly set, and if the load
direction does not change more than a small amount.

"Gogarty" wrote in message
...
I agree with all of the above. I recall traying to anchor in ten feet of
water, a sand bottom and a strong current with a Fortress. Took 300 feet
of rode before it would bite. Our primary is a Delta 35. Never fails.
Backup is a Fortress 23 and also a lunch hook a Fortress 11. The 11 will
hold the boat very well if it sets.

Yes, of course it will. But to drop anchor and hold your breath to see if
it will set is no way to go even for a lunch hook