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Respectfully, the Fortress people funded the test and found the anchor dug in 13 feet down - in mud. My experience was too in mud. I would not be surprised if grass was different. I also talked to one of the people that participated in the test.

As far as chain, the Fortress site states 6 feet per 25 foot anchor depth. 10-15 feet is stated as normal for most users.

Any type of a Danforth or Fortress type anchor will not set in grassy areas if you allow the anchor to plow thru the grass and clog the flanks.
That's why you have a 15 ft length chain and back down slow and tug on the line to set.
Farmers love the plow ,claw or others types, slow and easy drag.
I used them all and it all depends on the holding ground in your area.
Use the Danforth type and a Delta Plow or Claw for a second.
Use that 15-25ft chain for good night sleep, woman are first to bat you over the head if they feel boat is drifting.
If she is the one hauling up the anchor, you better be sure you have a nice bow anchor roller so she lifts it up easy and secure it to roller.
Nothing worse than having your loved one hauling the anchor up over the side and you scream from the helm...don't let it hit the hull!
Been there, done that...have new anchor roller...she loves it and no worries.

Dave

RobertB wrote:Respectfully, the Fortress people funded the test and found the anchor dug in 13 feet down - in mud. My experience was too in mud. I would not be surprised if grass was different. I also talked to one of the people that participated in the test.

As far as chain, the Fortress site states 6 feet per 25 foot anchor depth. 10-15 feet is stated as normal for most users.

Just as a followup for the forum's archive and for posterity's sake (in case any future Mac owners find themselves in the same situation as I have already described), it seems the crowns of Fortress' FX-11 and G-16 anchor models are more or less interchangeable. I contacted the good folks at Fortress about it, also asking about why I see so many Fortress anchors without the screw-on "mudfeet" attached, and here's what they responded:

"Dear Billiam, Thank you for your message and for your interest in our product. The crown and anchor parts are interchangeable between the Fortress FX-11 and Guardian G-16, but the angle opening will be wider than 32° when the G-16 parts are fit into the FX-11 crown, which is not optimal for holding power capability. While the Mud Palms have been included inside the box with every Fortress anchor and Guardian anchor for the past 20 years or so, boaters sometimes do not install them, particularly if they are anchoring in a sand bottom and in that case, they don't think they need them. In our instructions, we have made a much stronger point of emphasizing that the Mud Palms should be permanently installed as they will help the anchor set faster in ANY type of sea bottom, and not just in mud. Regarding the Chesapeake Bay, you may have heard or read about the extensive anchor holding power test that was conducted in Solomons, MD aboard the Rachel Carson last August. Please find below a link to a web page with articles and videos: http://fortressanchors.com/news/chesape ... nchor-test. Please let me know if this information is helpful and if I can be of further assistance. Thanks again!"

Since I'll likely be shoving a bunch of fairly-banged-up-but-still-reasonably-sound FX-11 parts into a G-16 crown (and not vice versa) just as a stowaway spare for my spare, I imagine the above disclaimer about fitting G-16 parts into an FX-11 crown (with its dual sand/mud setting holes) should not apply to my situation.

So anyhow, there you have it: Yes, they're interchangeable.
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