Since we had our little waterspout adventure, I've spent some time diving the various affected boat's ground tackle, to see how things looked... This is what fuels my opinions relating to ground tackle.
One of the problems with various anchor tests is that (in my opinion) they really don't simulate what happens when a boat is at anchor (a nearly impossible feat) and replace it with a simple "strength" testing of one sort or another which has bugger all to do with real holding power, how an anchor will hold up, or the reality of what keeps your boat in place.
Recently Rocna anchors has come under some fire as another anchor company has "independently tested" (yeah sure) a Rocna and it did not live up to the Rocna claims.
Now, some of you may remember that I am no big fan of Rocna, or its marketing methods, and I personally feel that the whole "next-gen" anchor thing is just so much snake oil. So why would I come to the defense of said Rocna anchors or question a test that shows it to be less than Rocna says it is?
Well first, snake oil aside, I believe that the Rocna anchors are actually an acceptable anchor design and work at doing what they are designed to do. Second, I can take ANY anchor and put it on a test bench and find any number of ways to destroy it. You simply have to exert enough force in the right place. Though, more than likely, doing that sort of test would place the anchor in conditions or subject it to stresses that simply do not exist in an actual boat at anchor situation (not unlike the famous test of a typewriter by Ruscha/Mason throwing it out the window of a moving car at 90MPH. While entertaining, hardly a test that makes sense if you want a typewriter for typing). Such is the stuff of most anchor testing...
Of course, that's just my opinion and, like most things not paid for, more than likely worth what you're paying for it. That said, if you are going to put a lot of credence in anchor tests, and especially anchor tests done or paid for by anchor companies, you really should get one of these...
Listening to The Persuasions
So it goes...
