New Generation Anchor

[craigsmith]

Is this not to say that the Buegel was also lifted from the Rocna design? Or did both your designs appear similtaneously - as has been said about pivotal human inventions?

No, the Buegel was around for quite a while before we came to the party. The roll-bar concept for the Rocna was indeed lifted from it (and the SARCA mentioned above was using it too, so no-one can claim it as original).

But the similarities end there. The extra functional components (of the Rocna) are identical on the Supreme:

- Concave blade
- Heavier plated toe than heel
- Skids in order to assist setting
- Roll-bar attached to fluke and skids in identical fashions
- An identical inside line of the shank
etc

Now, blatant copying, using cheaper materials and fabrication is definitely criminal, imco. So what has to be assumed is that there has been no patent infringement on the Rocna with the Supreme's "dual shank". You'd be taking them to court, Right? So, I am corrected on the time line, but is it important?

We would not necessarily be taking them to court. Consider the cost. And the outcome? They simply modify the anchor further, to the point it really doesn't infringe. We're not sure we'd really benefit from the investment.

However, options for the US and Europe are on the table.

NOW, what I'm interested in is what the anchor is made from - and why. Is the method of manufacture the best? Is the welding perfect and the welding rod correct for the plate? Do the various metal pieces match in alloy as well as the added metal from the rod in the weldings. Galvanising has to be perfect as well, how long will it last.

This, and the rest of your comments, are quite fair enough. This is where we could get technical and try to back up my comment "you get what you pay for". But, as you yourself have demonstrated, it doesn't seem to matter. The dollar price quoted on the phone is all that really matters to the majority of consumers...

As an aside, Manson use the same galvanizers as us in New Zealand, so you can assume the quality is identical! (Doesn't apply to Rocnas produced in Canada).

'You get what you pay for' wasn't proved to me from the literature or the visuals on the net. Some real world testing has to be done with the rollbar spoon delta (inverted plow) anchors pitted against each other with some of the old ones tossed in for control. Probably could leave out flat plate anchors like the Bulwagga and concentrate on comparing all of the plow or spoon, or claw anchors, in the marketplace. If the makers, together, put up the funds for independant SIDE BY SIDE testing and published the results, I know I, for one, would be more likely to accept that data. Since nothing substantive or non-ambiguous exists yet from any maker, I depend on intuition, looks and price, if I want one. Real results from real tests would get the "winner", if there was one, into the catalog stores and chandleries. If a maker declined to be part of the test, I'd know, we'd know, and who would trust their anchor?

Well, every test we've ever seen done we have had reason to question the methodology. I think tests of anchors can at best only ever serve as a guide.

As far as our comment, it wasn't intended wrt pure performance. The Supreme should, and does in our experience, perform identically to the Rocna (they're practically the same after all). I was talking about quality of construction.

When somebody can prove that they want to sell me the best all round anchor for my boat, bar none, that's what I want on the bow.
That may have to include a whole new anchoring philosophy to go with the new design.

Like coming up short on the tether while setting because the anchor buries itself so quickly. Tandom anchoring when preparing for a blow - thats new to me. Including the little things like using dacron instead of nylon for the rode. Hmmmmm.

But now I'm confused... that sounds like our material and concepts, yet you went with a Supreme?

It is easy to see that the Beugel is, metaphorically, a Porche version of the more practical pickup truck Rocna. Agree?

No. The Buegel is a flat plate with a hoop and straight bar welded to it. It is exceedingly primitive. The differences listed above make the Rocna, and therefore the Supreme, a much more sophisticated design, in all respects.

epiphany

Thanks for all your comments Kurt. You have some good ideas. I'm not sure how practical the idea of "trial" anchors are, but it's certainly something I can put on the table with the other guys here.

Anchors are currently shipped to the States from Vancouver. Not ideal and we are looking to change that soon.

Re Bulwagga, we simply haven't implemented such an "official" policy, but it may indeed be time to do so.