Concaved or convexed?

A question was raised by one of our supporters.

I am very interested in the evolution of anchor designs. I have recently been drawn to the Viking anchor design.  There are not many reviews in the public domain, and none discussing the CONVEX assembly option as compared to the CONCAVE option. 

 

It occurs to me that the CONVEX configuration may have a different setting angle, due to the tip being further down from the shank. Also, there may be less packing of hard substrate in the center of the fluke, perhaps allowing the fluke to penetrate easier/deeper.  Furthermore, after pulling out of the seabed it might reset easier (again because of less mud packed on the fluke). 

  • This has been an issue with most of the other CONCAVE anchor designs on the market.

 

I would really appreciate it if you could share with me your thoughts on this interesting CONVEX option and also post your commentary on the Viking Anchors website.

Answer:

 

Dear Ashley,

Thank you for your email. We appreciate your interest in our anchor design.

When we began developing our anchors, we looked into the convex and concave shape options. During our research, we found that concave anchors tended to accumulate mud on their crown, which is where the fluke and shank are connected. This caused the anchor to become unbalanced and made resetting difficult if needed.

To address this issue, we decided to allow customers to choose how to assemble their anchor - either concave or convex. While a convex shape is better for muddy seabeds as it prevents mud from piling up on the fluke, we also learned that the concave shape provides slightly better holding power.

We also discovered that by adding holes in the fluke, we could reduce the vacuum effect that caused mud to stick to the fluke.

The angle of the fluke to the shackle hole is crucial, and we spent a lot of time and effort getting it right. If the angle is too narrow, the anchor sets quickly but has low holding power. On the other hand, if it's too wide (up to 30-40 degrees), the anchor has excellent maximum holding power but is difficult to set in hard or weedy seabeds. The angle of the fluke to the shackle hole remains the same, regardless of whether the anchor is concave or convex.

After discovering that the holes in the fluke prevented mud from accumulating, we no longer recommend using the anchor in a convex shape. This is because, in most seabeds, a concave anchor will provide better holding power. Additionally, due to changes we made to the tip connection, it's now impossible to assemble the fluke upside down.

You can view our 3D anchor design here: https://vikinganchors.com/products/anchors/viking-anchor.

We appreciate that you recognize the importance of this essential piece of equipment for boats. Unfortunately, not everyone shares this understanding. We hope we've answered your questions satisfactorily.

Take care and stay safe.

Best regards, [Viking Anchors Team]

 
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