bert4332

Mine fits, although it's a "tight" squeeze! I have to make sure the line is all the way to one side, I slide it in, then it expands just enough to clear the opening by 1/2inch".

Dean Ferry

We bought the boarding ladder, it works great on the Nordic.
Dean

freshwaterfiend

I have a small box anchor on my 23.5' Scarab. Works great. I have used it in various different bottom conditions, mostly sand and mud - haven't tried it on rock yet - and am very happy with it.

The only time it moved was when somehow it got tipped up on its end and the claws had no contact with the bottom.

It does hold a lot of crap when you pull it up, so be prepared to swish it around before you bring it on board. Usually you have to do 6-10 dunks to get it good and clean.

Good design, but as with everything there is room for improvement:
1) Getting the thing latched in the open position could be easier. I am sure there is a better or more user friendly way of getting it to latch in the open position.
2) It's not that light. I can only imagine that the larger sizes would be heavier. I have wondered if they could make it all or partially out of aluminum or would that affect its holding ability?
3) Could they drill holes in the structure to help with self cleaning when it is pulled up? I don't see why not - I imagine most of the strength comes from the jaws themselves.
4) Could they coat the tips of the jaws with a rubbery or plastic substance just in case it comes in contact with something on the boat?

Other than that, I'm quite happy with mine. Does the job very well and I would recommend getting one. This is my third season with it.

FuelinAround

PLEASE post some pics of the ladder in use and how it sits. The pics on there site arent very good. Did you go with teak or diamond plate

Uncle Dave

Please do tell us more about the ladder.

I have a big V as well (relatively big) and the swing down boarding ladder in the back is a pain, especially for a few friends that are a bit "short for their weight".

Id very much like to see how you use it.

As for the box being heavy- well.... its an anchor that doesn't need a lot of or any chain.

You kind of have to pick one or the other.

Drilling holes in the sides is an interesting idea....

UD

freshwaterfiend

I don't know Dave, a Fortress is nice and light for its holding power . . .

Knot 4 Me

I use an FX-7 Fortress and 6' of chain. Once that baby hooks up it can hold a lot of boats in a raft-off. The only time I have trouble getting it hooked is in hard clay, which we have a bit of in our local pond. I have been looking for a backup anchor that I can also use as a stern anchor if swinging is a problem. This anchor looks like it will fit the bill nicely. I like the idea of no chain for where I will be storing this second anchor.

Uncle Dave

Yeah its a bit lighter, but getting them to set can take forever- if they set at all.

I spend like half an hour dragging them around and then you need like 5-1 scope to keep em stuck. so your swing circle in a changing wind is 250 feet in 50 feet of water vs 100- a huge difference in a cove on a lake. In the ocean not so big a deal except you have to carry 5X the line.

They also call for a minimum amount of chain so the weight thing gets offset by chain weight, and set factor.




UD

Reckless32

As I mentioned earlier, I exclusively use a 20' dock line and 90% of the time it's tied off at the rear cleat. Occasionally clip it to the bow ring when conditions dictate. In a raftup it's a good one to use off the stern to keep the group from swinging without having to set it.

I spray my latch/spring with WD40 on occasion and it locks/unlocks with no problems. My use is mostly in sandy bottoms, so very little muck coes up with it. Perhaps you could drill your own holes in it and let us know if that works out.

I too would like to see some pics of how the ladder attaches to the gunnels. No possibility of scratches right? Is the length adjustable?

Bullhead

I've had both and agree with you