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Congrats West Marine on Rocna recall!

26K views 112 replies 42 participants last post by  lwatson 
#1 ·
We must all congratulate West Marine for their responsible recall notice on Rocna anchors due to Rocna using sub-standard steel.

Here is a link to West Marine's recall site.

WM refers a reader to the Rocna site for their explanation.

Suffice it to say that Rocna does not come across as credible.

West Marine does, which I have said before.

Keep this in mind when making purchasing decisions.
 
#3 ·
This is a very interesting post. We sailboaters pay extremely high prices for the equipment we use ostensibly because marine applications require special materials and manufacturing processes. We suffer these high prices because we understand the high cost of equipment failure, especially critical components essential to vessel integrity and physical safety. Take a look at the list of recalls from West Marine. Bosun chairs that fail, anchors that don't meet load specifications, defective solenoids on LP gas systems, gas cans that are fire hazards, etc. etc.

Over the past several years most manufacturers have closed their US plants and outsourced their products to Chinese manufacturers there-by enjoying cost reductions that have not been reflected in the prices we pay. I really became aware of the problem when I replaced clevis pins and cotter pins two years ago only to see Chinese made cotter pins rust and corrode to nothing while US made cotter pins only inches away remained in perfect condition.

Now Rocna has fallen victim to substandard Chinese metalurgy, yet in their combative PR tradition maintain that everything is just fine, no problem. Yes kudos to West Marine for announcing this product deficiency, but then all retailers do the same as it is the manufacturers that bear the onus to recall and repair, replace or refund for deficient products.

As the old addage goes, "you get what you pay for". Unfortunately, when it comes to Chinese products you also pay for what you don't get. I have reached the position that if it is made in China I will do with out before I give them any business.

Join me in a boycott of Chinese manufactured goods?
John
 
#5 ·
Join me in a boycott of Chinese manufactured goods?
John
That will preclude most of your electronics then.

China CAN produce good products, but it appears only if under strict supervision from global companies such as Apple, Nike etc.

A friend of mine gave up importing mobility scooters from China because of inconsistent quality, even though margins were good. The problem was the sub-contractors his factory was using.
 
#7 ·
Well, it looks like it finally hit the fan. Good for WM.

I love this sentence from their notice:

In West Marine's view, it is certainly a "bummer" that Rocna produced anchors with steel of a lesser grade than that
called for on their website and that had been previously published
You gotta love casual language finally overtaking legalese. Bummer for Rocna.
 
#11 ·
Lol, I'm more glad than ever I decided to go with a real (Belgium) Bruce, way oversized for my boat (44# for an Alberg 30).

Rocna's are the ultimate placebo anchor. It really does make you believe you're getting something special, when in reality your just over paying for a pointy plow with a roll bar.. welded, and made with crappy steel no less..

Haw haw haw..
 
#14 ·
So, I'm presuming you've never actually used a Rocna, correct? I doubt you'd be referring to it as a "plow", if you've ever retrieved one from the bottom…

No question, your Bruce is a very good choice, and you're wise to go oversized with it… But an original Rocna, or a Manson Supreme, would have been even better, in my opinion…

The original Belgian Bruce was my choice for many years, and still remains on my bow as my secondary, and another sits on my stern, as well… But in my experience, these new generation of anchors really do represent a significant step forward in anchor design, and are noticeably superior as an all-around single anchor choice than anything else I've ever used…

Again, that's just based on my own experience, but it's an opinion shared by others with considerable experience… I believe our own resident expert Maine Sail would approximately agree… And, for a couple of decades and through a few circumnavigations, one of the most outspoken devotees of the Bruce was Steve Dashew…

Until he tried a NZ-made Rocna, that is… they made the switch, and have never looked back…
 
#12 ·
Guess it really depends; my 44# Rocna was made in 2009, in New Zealand, and has held our 33-foot boat, PLUS another unattended 38-foot boat that dragged down into us; for several hours in 30+ knots of wind. I'd heard about the switch to crappier steel from China, but based on my experiences the design of the anchor was fine; it was the materials that were the problem.
 
#13 ·
Agreed, great design, but when the conscious decision was made to go to lower quality steel, the anchor became average at best.

Rocna's built in NZ or Canada do not have the quality problem.
 
#20 ·
Did they intentionally decide to lower the grade of steel, or was this another case of the Chinese manufacturer supplying something different than was in the specs? (melamine in your baby formula, anyone?)

Where are Rocna's being made now?
 
#17 ·
This is a bad lesson for me. I was considering a change from our 75lb CQR this past winter and got all caught up in the Rocna v. Manson Supreme discussions. Even started a thread on the topic to try to better understand it Several times, I was about to buy the Rocna and the confusion kept me from pulling the trigger. Ultimately, I did nothing and have now learned that ignoring things on my to do list pays off!
 
#19 · (Edited)
WM is only going to repeat what Rocna says and offer their return guarantee, if you're not satisfied. They aren't going to offer advice and get in the liability chain. Unless, you consider "bummer" to be advice. :). That was surprisingly unprofessional.

With complete lack of authority, I highly doubt a Chinese Rocna is ever going to fail as a lunch hook or in reasonable winds. I understood they don't meet published specs and, therefore, might be inferior to the competition, not that they are inherently dangerous. However, an anchor is a safety device and you may not know what winds you will be anchored in.
 
#21 ·
I know a guy whose company has scissors made in China. He says you have to watch everything, as they will try to rip you off at every turn. Someone senior at your plant will also quit and open a factory right across e street and start making your product in your package. There is little you can do.

Even after all of that, he says it still makes economic sense. A pair of scissors he says cost over a dollar to produce in the US, cost less than 10 cents to produce there. He can afford a lot of waste and fraud before he loses.

Sad state of affairs.
 
#22 ·
I know a guy whose company has scissors made in China. He says you have to watch everything, as they will try to rip you off at every turn. Someone senior at your plant will also quit and open a factory right across e street and start making your product in your package. There is little you can do.
I have one suggestion... avoid retailers that push their suppliers for ever-reduced costs. The biggest offender (both in size and severity) is Walmart. If you really want to see jobs stay in the US, if you want to see your neighborhood stores stay in business, if you would like to see an economic recovery, just don't shop at Walmart... ever... for any reason...

Unfortunately, those whose jobs are the most vulnerable are the same demographic that shops the most at Walmart.
 
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#24 ·
From the website of ROCNA:
The exact materials used are part of the proprietary intellectual property involved in our production specifications. Rest assured, however, that the grades of steel are carefully chosen to ensure all Rocna anchors exceed the RINA Super High Holding Power (SHHP) requirements by a considerable margin.

Now, if you cut through the crap, what they are saying is that there is something other than steel being used, you can't find out what that is because it is "intellectual property", a not so clever dodge. It does say that the steel choosen is of a good grade, but it doesn't clear up what it is that they add to in their "intellectual property" recipe.
Great double speak. They should go after military contracts.
 
#30 ·
Just learned about "Chinese Drywall" - google it. During the housing boom in Florida 6 or 8 years ago they couldn't get drywall fast enough. Lots of it was imported from China - it puts out fumes which are not only unhealthy, it eats copper - so these multi-hundred thousand dollar homes are on the market for 50 or 60 thousand because no one wants to tear out all of the drywall, all of the wiring, and any copper plumbing. The lawsuits are going after the importer! And I'm sure the Chinese manufacturer is laughing all the way to the bank.
 
#34 · (Edited)
I have to say that welding on anchors is an area of BIG concern, and tough for a company to control too. I used to build a product that used a hanger that we fabricated from hot rolled steel and welded. A customer notified me that some welds had broken. I pulled some parts from a bin of about 1000 pieces and tested them. The welds were really beautiful, and every one broke easily! I bought the over the guy who welded them to see. He said "It can't be my welds, I do excellent welding!" I then had him pick examples of that excellent welding, and we broke every one! Oh crap, we need to do a recall right away, and it is thousands and thousands of pieces. It cost us a bundle, and we figured out where the problem was.

We were welding 1/8" thick steel using 0.035" Mig welding wire. This is the most common wire size used by virtually everyone for general welding. What we saw was poor penetration of the base metal, and hot dip galvanizing in 800 degree zinc made the problem much worse. We switched to 0.045" welding wire with a much higher current setting. This made the welding more difficult, because you had to be careful or you'd burn right through. The welds didn't look as nice either. However, after the switch we were unable to break any welds. Another plus was that you were forced to weld faster, and our welding times went way down, saving a lot of money.

Now here is the kicker. When I tell this story welders always pop up and tell me I'm full of crap, THEIR welds never break! We sent some batches of parts out to welding shops when we were busy. Our drawings and our PO clearly stated that we would not accept any parts welded with 0.035" wire. They did it anyway! We then tested them and broke some easily, so we didn't pay for the parts, and back charged them for all of our parts that we had to scrap.

So weld quality really is a big concern that you shouldn't take lightly. The only way I've seen that it can be relied on is careful management of the welding process, and testing of parts to destruction on a regular basis. I'll be they get that in China!

Gary H. Lucas
 
#36 ·
and testing of parts to destruction on a regular basis.
Gary H. Lucas
And more Gospel!
This is absolutely the missing ingredient in most manufactured goods today. Once products go into production, you the unwary buyer become the "Quality Control Inspector". Yet we pay for quality materials, quality production, and quality assurance by buying "marine" specific products and don't get what we pay for.
John
 
#35 ·
A proper weld is as strong, if not stronger, then the original casted parts themselves. You are essentially recasting them together. An improper weld is just melting material onto the two parts. They are not visually discernible. That's a problem, if a company is suspected of having poor quality control in the first place.
 
#37 ·
Not taking sides here one way or the other but have not seen any posts about Rocna anchors made in China failing or about poor customer service? After reading the West Marine "Recall" notice I don't think they said the anchors are defective but that they were made of a different grade of steel than originally described. They also did not urge anyone to return the anchor but stated that if you were not satisfied they would give you a refund. Maybe not quite a true "Recall" but more of an advisory notice? Just curious
about any actual failures.

Dabnis
 
#38 · (Edited)
Back to what the issues with the Chinese made Rocna are;
  • Cast vs Forged anchor fluke (cheaper to manufacture)
  • Lower quality steel used in the anchor shank (cheaper to manufacture) There are several pictures elsewhere of Rocna anchors that have had the shank bent when subject to side loading. There is a post in another thread where Craig (sarcastically) pokes fun at at another manufacture's shank specifications HERE.
  • Perception of Rocna's value - Rocna was a highly regarded company, with a great design and a great product, until this issue arose (despite what many think of Craig Smith personally). (IIRC, When the public first learned that Rocna manufacturing moved to China, Craig posted that he PREFERRED the Rocnas made in China!) Prior to March, 2011, Rocna published details and specs for the metallurgy, and performance of their anchors on their website. After this issue was raised, the company seemed to discredit the critics rather than acknowledge, or address the criticism (look to other forums for that discussion). Rocna and Craig Smith have both clammed up since the issues were raised, and their website has been revised to remove the specifics.

Personally, I appreciated Craig's participation of the various forums, and while I took his claims with a grain of salt, I did not think that he, or Rocna, were being hypocritical. (Note that I believe that Craig still visits the forums - 10 hours ago as I type this - but his last post was 4-16-2010) Rocna's reaction to the controversy has made me reconsider this. I own a Chinese made Rocna 15. I plan to contact Rocna about the change in the performance specifications, and value of the anchor overall. If they don't make me happy with their answer, I plan to return it to WM.

KUDOS to WM for backing their "No Hassle Guarantee," and for being proactive about the concerns raised about the Rocna Anchors. Rocna could learn a valuable lesson from WM.
 
#39 ·
No, because as I've already stated, if you consider the new generation of anchors to classified as "plows", it does make one wonder how familiar you might be with them in practice…
Plow, spade... maybe you're right and I wasn't very precise in choice of words, so I will clarify what I meant by saying anchors that "plow" down and bury themselves like the Rocnas do. Is spade a better describer?

I'm still curious, on what sort of experience with these anchors do you base that opinion? Have you used them in a wide variety of situations beyond the Chesapeake? You do realize that in general, the Chesapeake probably offers some of the most benign anchoring conditions to be found anywhere, and by itself hardly affords much in the way of a definitive all-around test of any particular anchor, right?
I have set a Rocna a couple of times in the Bay, in typical conditions (or put another way, with little variation in conditions). Not on my boat fwiw.

You're right to be happy that you didn't spend your money on a Chinese-made Rocna, no doubt about that… But I'm still mystified how you can claim that those of us who have used these New Generation anchors - such as the Rocna, Manson Supreme, and perhaps the Spade and Bugel - over time, and in a wide variety of scenarios beyond the Chesapeake, have simply fallen victim to marketing hype, or whatever, in our belief that these anchors do represent a noticeable improvement over previously existing designs…
Honestly I was really only talking about the Rocna, as that was the op topic of this thread, and the only new gen anchor I know of with a history of issues (again, the manufacturer arguing with people on forums, the recall, etc). Also, as far as I have typically observed, the Rocna is (was?) the top of the new gen pack. Maybe the "lesser" new gen anchors are better, I really don't know about those so much. I will say I was considering a Manson at one point due to the lower price, but decided against in in favor of my Bruce.

Let me ask you: Are you saying in a blind test you could tell the difference in hooks you set/retrieved?

(a blind test being you can't see which hook someone dropped, you can only set it and retrieve it)
 
#58 · (Edited)
Let me ask you: Are you saying in a blind test you could tell the difference in hooks you set/retrieved?

(a blind test being you can't see which hook someone dropped, you can only set it and retrieve it)
Nope…

All I'm saying is, that in my opinion based on my personal experience, the Manson Supreme on my own boat, and the Rocnas I have used on a couple of other boats, are thesingle finest all-purpose anchor design I have ever used…

Maybe Jon could chime in with where the Rocna shines best in his opinion..
That's a bit hard to say, it's performed superbly pretty much everywhere I've used it so far… This pic is from the only place I haven't been able to get it to set so far:



Then again, as best I can tell, NO ONE gets their anchor to set reliably at Tobacco Range, Belize - the bottom is just a few inches of coral sand and grass over marl, or something else very, very hard…

The Bahamas and Western Caribbean can offer some fairly challenging anchoring situations… Lots of open roadsteads, lots of frontal passages during winter, lots of cuts with powerful reversing currents, hard scoured bottoms, no high ground to hide behind, and so on… In an open roadstead like Rum Cay, you're often lying to a bridle to keep the boat cocked into the swell, of course that will magnify the loads greatly… Lots of places I've ridden out fronts in the Bahamas - such as Fresh Creek, Andros, Fernandez Bay on Cat Island, or Alabaster Bay on Eleuthera, are extremely close quarters, with little margin for error after the wind shift… As best I can tell, my Manson has never budged…

I've always rated the anchorage well out beyond the mooring field in Nantucket to be a good test of an anchor… Lots of eel grass around, a strong reversing current, a strong breeze that can come up in the afternoon - there's good reason why most people happily pay the outrageous mooring fees in Nantucket… But I've always anchored there with confidence, for years with a Spade, and later with the Manson…

West Bay on Roatan is another tough spot, very grassy with relatively thin sand over coral… I hung out there for about a week, dove on the anchor every day, it never budged…

A narrow, deep channel called Mickle's Tickle near Isle aux Morts, Newfoundland, was another tricky spot… It felt a lot tighter in there than it looks, and it's where I became really convinced the Manson doesn't mind a short scope… I rode out a night of classic Newfie blow-me-downs whistling through that cut, with a great deal more confidence than I would have had with any other anchor…



Your blind taste test sounds like fun, but I doubt it would demonstrate anything very conclusive… IMHO, if anyone really wants to study or educate themselves about anchors and how they behave, head to a place like the Bahamas… I've always enjoyed snorkeling around an anchorage and observing how different anchors are lying… A couple of hours touring Elizabeth Harbor in a dinghy with a look bucket the day after a frontal passage, when a few hundred boats have swung on their hooks, it can be a revelation…. Pretty scary, the percentage of hooks that are still lying on their side, or have dragged considerable distances before starting to re-set…

Exactly why I don't trust my boat on a welded anchor, for better or worse.

Also, I do know that a weld doesn't take shearing stress better than the steel it's welded to does, and the way Rocna welds the shank to the scoop, you could see the anchor getting fouled and breaking at the weld point in a shearing stress situation. It's not a hard visual to bring to mind, no?
As others have mentioned, I'm not aware of any modern anchors documented to have failed at a weld…. Of all the popular anchors out there that might appear to be most susceptible to such a failure, I'd put the Delta at the top of the list… There have been thousands of them in use for many years now, many on larger powerboats where anchoring techniques can often be suspect, with no use of snubbers, etc…. And yet, while I've seen photos of mangled Delta shanks, I've never heard of one failing at the weld…

Finally, if your concern about welds on what you put in the water is that great, you might want to re-evaluate your use of chain, no?

Chain contains plenty of welds, after all - one for every link, or so I'm told… (grin)
 
#41 ·
Thanks for all the parties on this thread for continuing to be civil to one another in the face of disagreement.
Oh, I'll lash out soon enough, no worries. I do have a rep to maintain after all.. :D

I grew up going two sizes up on CQR and Bruce anchors. Delta anchors I went up one size. Rocna I bought right off the factory sizing table. Somewhere buried--at least at one time--on Rocna's site was a definition of the conditions that drove their sizing table. Spade is one size up. I have no calculations to back these choices up, simply experience and judgment (which may just be another word for opinion *grin*).
It has always seemed to me that the manufactures seem to recommend the smallest size you can get away with. I suspect it's for the ease/convenience factor for the end user (you know, like roller furlers and chart plotters), but this is just a guess on my part.

I haven't seen any indication in the press of bad welds on Rocna anchors. Citation please?
My only citation is simply what I wrote before - personal observation of the welds at various retailers over the last couple of years.

I do not trust welds to begin with in an application like this (my own personal hang up maybe, but I'm just being honest), and after seeing some Rocnas with huge blobs of weld material, and some with what appears to be somewhat carefully applied weld material, I can only draw the conclusion that the weld quality control stinks at Rocna. This doesn't even take into account the off center shanks I mentioned either.

As Gary notes welding is a big concern and a tough practice to fully control. Similarly it isn't something a customer can evaluate with x-ray, magnaflux, or destructive testing. Pretty welds are not always good welds, and some darn good welds are not pretty. I spent a lot of times working on structural crack abatement on the USNS Observation Island and looked at a lot of visual and x-ray imagery of welds side by side.
Exactly why I don't trust my boat on a welded anchor, for better or worse.

Also, I do know that a weld doesn't take shearing stress better than the steel it's welded to does, and the way Rocna welds the shank to the scoop, you could see the anchor getting fouled and breaking at the weld point in a shearing stress situation. It's not a hard visual to bring to mind, no?

I think we should differentiate between Rocnas built in NZ and Canada under the Smiths and those built in China under the Bamburys/Holdfast.

My NZ and Canada Rocna 25s may turn out to be a pretty good investment.
Maybe, I dunno. How about posting some pics of your welds compared to the Chinese made Rocnas? Let's see a pic "dead on" on the shank as well, to verify it's straight as an arrow..

Interesting. I'll play. I have two Rocna 25 anchors on my 28k# 41' monohull. I'll even agree to be the test boat if we can source appropriately sized anchors of the other types. It would be great to borrow a load cell as well. We could use a biggish dinghy to swap anchors around out of view of the driver -- I have a remote windlass control in the cockpit.
I don't like the caveat about going with manufacturer rated sizes (if that's what you're saying). My boat (30') calls for something ridiculous like a 22# Bruce (I think it was 22#, I'm too lazy to look it up at the moment but I remember laughing out loud when I read the manufacturers recommended size for my boat.

That aside though, if you're willing to make the claim that you can blindly tell which hook you have set and retrieved out of a selection of danforths/fortresses, cqr's, bruce's, spades and rocnas, I'd be willing to participate for sure. I honestly don't believe anyone could tell, but you may prove me wrong.

OR ...I might prove that my contention that rocnas are the over prescribed sugar pills of the anchoring world true... it'd be fun either way honestly, and I'm sure we could find a way to involve beer and food in the experiment as well..

I do believe that technique is as important as the hunk of metal at the end of the chain so we'd have to agree on a protocol for apples and apples comparisons.
Agreed. I'd say each run ought to be done in this way:

1- Drop mystery hook with at least 60' of chain on the rode (if not all chain rode), pay out about 10 to 1, kill motor
2- Drop aft hook (same one on each run here, a danforth prolly), and lightly set it using a sheet winch, then crank in manually the front rode till at about 5 to 1
3- Crank aft rode on a sheet winch till the front hook is set and the aft hook rode is bar taut. Doing it this way might insure you "feel" what's going on when you set the hook. Wait 15 minutes watching the aft rode to make sure your set and not dragging (if the taut rode aft goes slack, you know you're not set)
4- Make your guess which hook you just set.
5- Drop back to 10 to 1, retrieve aft hook
6- Motor (or preferably, sail) off the hook, reaffirm OR change guess at this point.

Rinse, repeat.

In the literature "plow" is used to describe anchors like the CQR and Delta. "Scoop" is used to describe anchors like the Bruce. I haven't seen any real consistency in descriptors for Rocna, Manson Supreme, Spade, and Raya beyond "new generation." The literature for recreational anchors is pretty limited to that of Hinz (old), Poiraud, and to some extent Frasse.
Well, whichever keeps the proper word usage harpies of my back, that's the one I meant to use.. :)

Jon Eisberg is correct (again) in calling the Chesapeake Bay benign anchoring grounds but one does have to start somewhere.
I never contended otherwise. Maybe Jon could chime in with where the Rocna shines best in his opinion..

?
 
#44 ·
I don't like the caveat about going with manufacturer rated sizes (if that's what you're saying). My boat (30') calls for something ridiculous like a 22# Bruce (I think it was 22#, I'm too lazy to look it up at the moment but I remember laughing out loud when I read the manufacturers recommended size for my boat.
What I intended was to provide suggested sizing (two up for CQR and Bruce, one up for Delta and Spade, factory reco for Rocna; open to suggestions for Fortress). Based on my perception of common cruising usage that seems most likely to be apples to apples. Fair?

That aside though, if you're willing to make the claim that you can blindly tell which hook you have set and retrieved out of a selection of danforths/fortresses, cqr's, bruce's, spades and rocnas, I'd be willing to participate for sure. I honestly don't believe anyone could tell, but you may prove me wrong.
I don't think I could identify that clearly. I believe I could identify in groups: CQR/Bruce, Bruce/Delta, Spade/Rocna/Fortress. Yes I know I put Bruce in two categories. *grin*

Agreed. I'd say each run ought to be done in this way: *snip*
Give me a few days to give your procedure some thought.
 
#48 · (Edited)
Yep and they also seem to fail well before the rode will. It is really a shame what a mockery Hold Fast, with the aid of the designers son, has made of a GREAT anchor design...

I love my BC built Rocna but will never again recommend one to customers or friends when the Manson Supreme is made with better materials and actually has Lloyds SHHP certifications, which they never lied or mislead customers about...

 
#46 · (Edited)
I don't understand how anyone who has actually used properly sized anchors of various pedigrees could come to that conclusion. I accept it is your opinion but I just don't get it.

Can you get a good set with a CQR? Of course. Can you get a better one with a Bruce or a Delta? Definitely. Are the new generation anchors (Spade, Rocna, Raya, et al) substantially better yet? Darn tooting.

So if your opinion is based on real experience allowing apples-to-apples comparison I don't understand at all how it can be so very different from mine. - SV Auspicious
I totally agree with this

While I am dismayed by the recall due to the steel quality of the Rocna, I am thankfull that m ine was a NZ made one.

Chrisncate...you have an obvious bias against the anchor..period. Your comments are no better than the one sided comments of the company owner.Not all of us are gulliable to the Rocna manufacturing Madison hype. Most of us do not like owner of the company who appears in the anchor threads from time to time....give us credit...we are not alll boating morons here. I didnt buy the company...or the owner...just the anchor

Here are my facts....and only mine. I have a 33lb ( 15 kg) Rocna and it is the best holding anchor I have ever had. It is also the quickest resetting anchor I have ever had. Consider this:
I have used and have Deltas, Bruces, Danforths, and a CQR. Not one of them was a "bad" anchor. Bottom conditions made anchor types better than another sometimes, but the Rocna has proved to me to more versitile. No need in discussing setting techniques....I use and have used the same technique on all I have owned. I prefer this anchor..did not mind paying what I did for it. I use it frequently, on the Chesapeake, Long Island Sound, New England in a variety of conditions. It is not a panacea and cure all anchor, just the best one I have ever used.

Funny that most people who own Rocnas..or their knockoff buddy Manson Supreme ( both "New Generation " anchors as you have refered to them) prefer them to all others they have previously used. Thats enough of a test for me. Use your Bruce...I will continue to use my Rocna.
 
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#47 ·
Rocna Anchor notice

I contacted the local WM as soon as I read this thread. They had not heard about the anchors being on their recall list, but soon found out about it. Their statement was that regardless of where the anchor is made the design (and its current materials) still have to pass a destructive test. And that the Rocna anchors (as their web site says) pass these tests with large margins.

I purchased my Rocna 15 last year, just before hurricane Earl, and added it to my collection of Bruce and Danforth anchors in case I needed to anchor out the storm up one of our creeks. I was concerned, after reading this tread, and contacted Rocna support. They wrote back;
"Please note according to our records, no Rocna 15 Kg anchors were shipped into the USA/Canadian market with the reduced specification in the first quarter of 2010, so your anchor should be made from original materials."

I just checked the anchor for indications of origin and the label clearly states "built in NZ"


Just to be sure I wrote back to Rocna support asking them to confirm the build origin of this anchor and whether the newer (reduced specification) anchors indicated their build location. I have not heard back on this from them.

for what it is worth (not much) here are shots of the shank and welds:




I have not used the anchor in anything but muddy bottom and does bring up lots of mud. Even it will fail to set in bottoms that have lots of churn (favorite local anchor spots) without a couple of tries.
 
#52 ·
I contacted the local WM as soon as I read this thread. They had not heard about the anchors being on their recall list, but soon found out about it. Their statement was that regardless of where the anchor is made the design (and its current materials) still have to pass a destructive test. And that the Rocna anchors (as their web site says) pass these tests with large margins.
Those tests are frankly meaningless. I suspect any CQR type anchor could pass that mechanical pull test. It has nothing to do with side ward force... another example of Rocna's obfuscation. Arrrrggghhh.... they just don't quit.

"Please note according to our records, no Rocna 15 Kg anchors were shipped into the USA/Canadian market with the reduced specification in the first quarter of 2010, so your anchor should be made from original materials."
Wow... I am amazed that Rocna actually would admit in writing that there is a reduced specification.

Just to be sure I wrote back to Rocna support asking them to confirm the build origin of this anchor and whether the newer (reduced specification) anchors indicated their build location. I have not heard back on this from them.
Contact the North American distributor as shown on the label. He is pretty good at getting back to people.
 
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