Stainless steel anchors

[AdamLein]

Okay hold on a second. I keep reading about how stainless steel is unsuitable for use below the waterline. So how come I see so many stainless anchors?

[camaraderie]

Because people are foolish...and the boats with stainless anchors have dock spaces and don't sit for weeks with the anchors on the bottom in the mud.

[tager]

Because corrosion doesn't vaporize steel as soon as marketing people would like you to think! And because people have disposable income to spend on shiny things.

[sailingdog]

Because they're really pretty...and shiny... and the people who own them are more like raccoons than sailors... and they want pretty, but not very functional anchors.

Stainless steel, when submersed in mud, sand, etc, is going to suffer from oxygen deprivation, crevice corrosion, and other issues. It is going to get scratched up, and suffer from corrosion where ever the finish is marred... and one day, with little or no warning, the anchor's stock or some other important bit is going to snap under load and put your boat up on the rocks...

As Cam points out, the majority of boats that have stainless steel anchors are marina queens, and rarely anchor out, if at all.

[brak]

hmm, so if stainles is so poor under these conditions what about aluminum?

[AdamLein]

Okay! I thought as much, and yet they seem so ubiquitously marketed, even by respectable manufacturers like Manson and Rocna. Good to know.

[AdamLein]

Originally Posted by brak

hmm, so if stainles is so poor under these conditions what about aluminum?

My guess is that aluminum is considered too light... my current anchor is a fairly large but aluminum fluke, and it's surprisingly tricky to set. Also I wouldn't trust it under heavy load, especially after a wind shift; if it holds, the torque would probably bend the shank.

[tager]

I would get a forfjord anchor if I was in the market. Currently have a danforth from the PO. I also think anchors should be on cables, not chain, but I am crazy.

[sailingdog]

It is too light to set well in many conditions... it is also not as strong as a steel anchor in many cases, and can fail if the load is applied to the anchor from the wrong direction.

Originally Posted by brak

hmm, so if stainles is so poor under these conditions what about aluminum?

[brak]

I use aliminum Fortress and have no issues with it setting. I do wonder about corrosion though.