Boats are built to sail in the water. this is their arena. They're not built to encounter hard solid structures such as rocks, concrete, or other boats.

Getting close to these hazards requires you to be more careful especially when in anchorage, one of the most important things you need to be certain with is your anchor, your anchor should be 100% reliable to hold you in place with fast setting and firm holding in any weather and conditions, keeping you in a safe distance from any hazard.

There is no one perfect anchor and we do not claim our anchor is perfect - we do claim it to have a reduced number of compromises that need to be accepted. 

Fortress and Danforth excel in thin soupy muds but fail in weed and stony anchorages.  The new generation of anchors: Rocna, Ultra, Spade, etc work well in thin weed but fail in soupy mud.  Some roll bar anchors clog their flukes.  Many anchors fail in very hard seabeds, Mantus is said to be successful - but is very ordinary in more common seabeds with a very low hold (if you doubt us ask Mantus for their independently verified hold data in comparison with say, Delta and Rocna).  We have designed an anchor that will perform in a greater range of seabeds from mud to weed, hard seabeds to good clean sand.

Long live the anchors from the close of the second decade of the 21st Century!

So why our Anchor is better?

1. Weight-our anchors have the most efficient weight/holding power ratio for steel anchors. you will be amazed while looking at our anchor/boat usage tables here to find how light your anchor can be for your size of boat.
2. Initial setting - our anchors have the likelihood to set in the most challenging bottoms – hard-packed clay/mud and grassy/weedy areas. Even packed gravel.
3. Holding - our anchors are with the best holding power you can find relative to their size and weight, meaning that you can use a lighter anchor to achieve the same or more holding for your boat.
4. Resetting - our anchors reset immediately with a new puling direction in case of wind or current change.
5. Retrieval - Viking anchors are easy to retrieve doe to their lightweight and will be maneuvered easily even when if they are stuck with your neighbor's boat chain. 
6. Easy to store when not in use - taking apart the Viking anchor will take you 5 minutes and while stowed away, the anchor will take minimal storage space.
7. Convex and concave shape-our anchors can be used as a concave or convex-shaped anchor, learn more here.
8. The price. 

Our anchors are so easy to handle with or without windlass making them a perfect choice for the Single-handed blue water sailors.

Choosing the right anchor for your boat is not a complicated task, however, you need to appreciate a few characteristics before deciding which anchor is the best for you and your boat.

Here are some of the important questions you have to ask yourself before starting the voyage:

1. What boat will it be mounted on? Motor or sailing boat? Usually, sailing vessels require more holding power than motor vessels.
2. What is the size and weight of the boat that the anchor will be used for?
3. In what conditions are you sailing? Do you only sail at weekends when the weather is good or do you sail and need to take what comes?
4. Are you sailing with a crew that might have difficulties in handling heavyweights or maybe a professional crew made up of tough rugby players and weightlifters.?

In the charts below, you will find answers to the first 3 questions above but the fourth one needs to be figured out by yourself.

Because our anchors are much lighter than other anchors for the same hold we offer you the opportunity to ‘oversize’.   You still have more than sufficient hold and know that our anchors are at least as strong as the other options you might consider..  Our hold data is conservative, we have looked at the worst-case scenario.  We have not quoted average hold but have introduced a safety factor.

Photo by Scott Millar, thanks

Let's start choosing your next anchor.

First, we need to understand how much holding we will need.

The following chart gives you the amount of holding power in Lb, that you will need to hold your boat.

These values were formed by the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) and they are conservative and include worst-case scenario values.  Weight values are in Lb.           

        1 Kilo equals 2.2 lb

The next chart shows the maximum holding power for each Viking anchor model.

All Viking anchor models had been tested to measure their holding power. Since holding is greatly affected by the seabed type, we conducted our testings in the same seabed condition which is sand.

For these tests, we are using the same setup formation every time we measure- 5 meters 8 mm chain connected to a 25 meters rope connected to a 5-ton loadcell attached to a 4X4 heavy vehicle or 4X4 tractor.

Your holding power varies, depending on the seabed in which you might choose to anchor and the scope of your rode.  This is why we cautiously write in our tables "Estimated holding power”

The next two charts show what Viking Anchor model should be used on which size and weight of SAILBOAT.

Normally motorboats will need less holding power comparing to sailing boats, sailing catamaran needs more holding power.

Meaning that motorboats will need a smaller anchor and sailing catamarans will require a bigger one.

As you can see, there are a few options for every boat. For example, Viking 25 will hold a boat up to 25 meters (80 ft.) but it will not be wise to use it on an eight-meter boat. Therefore, please spend some time answering the questions above before deciding on an anchor.

We advise using the recommended size anchor for your boat size, upsizing "just to be safe" can be done but there is absolutely no need for that.

Also, look here:

Note that "violent storm" therm relates to at least 60 knots of wind.

And in this last chart, you will find the actual measurements of our anchors.

We are trying to show everything needed to the smallest detail, make use of it.

It is important to check all the parameters in your boat that are related to dimensions and weight.

Please make sure that your boat can accommodate the anchor you wish to choose.

If all the above is too much information here is the "thumb rule":

Viking   5- boat weight up to 5 Mt

Viking   7- boat weight up to 7 Mt

Viking 10- boat weight up to 10 Mt

Viking 15- boat weight up to 15 Mt

Viking 20- boat weight up to 20 Mt

Viking 25- boat weight up to 25 Mt

And so on......

All set? please CLICK HERE and order your new anchor.

If you are still not sure or maybe need more information please do not hesitate to contact us. 

You can have the ultimate anchor but if you don't give it enough chain length- It will be USELESS.

Except in special circumstances, we have seen no evidence that a swivel solves any significant issues related to the retrieval or deploying of anchors.

It is known that cheaper swivels fail for several reasons related to poor engineering or poor manufacturing. 

Therefore if you must use a swivel for any unknown reason and we have great difficulty in endorsing the practice, then a galvanized, cup/open swivel that is the same size as the chain will be too weak. Be sure to go up two sizes, and we’d also suggest choosing an eye-and-eye cup swivel so that you can attach a secure, quality shackle to each end. Steer clear of any low-priced, no-name stainless steel swivels, even if they’re oversized. In our opinion, no swivel should be attached directly to the shank of an anchor, because sideloading greatly reduces the safety factor. Unless your swivel or shackle can match 100 percent of the chain’s ultimate tensile strength at any angle of pull, it is not worth the risk.

Zinc-coated steel using hot galvanizing process is the most effective method of protecting carbon-based steel from rusting.

Different metals are different in strength and their metallurgical quality, these factors are defined in the factory where they are made as raw material from the initial form of iron.

The mechanical process (casting, forging, milling, and such) while processing the metal can also have a large impact on metal characteristics, behavior, and quality.

Our anchors are made with F700 HT steel with a yield strength of 750 Mpa which gives them along with The use of the right geometry the incredible lightness compared to their size and holding power.

Choosing the right steel to build anchors is a compromise, the grade of the steel, the weight, and the price, higher tensile metals are a lot more expensive and are harder to cut, bend and weld.

The shank on any anchor is a common failure point,. The most venerable and weak issue is bending it when a high lateral load is applied to the anchor. This can happen, for example, when the wind direction suddenly changes, pushing the boat sideways.

Looking to minimize the occurrence of such events, we are using only high-grade high-tensile steel to build our anchors.   Due to their design the higher the tension on the anchor increases the burial of the anchor leaving less or no shank exposed.  If there is a lateral tension applied our shanks, being buried, act as a vertical fluke supported by the seabed, see how it works here.

Anti-rust treatment.

The zinc coating preventing the steel from rusting is created using the "hot-dip galvanizing” process. Other processes exist but are inferior and will result in less durable finishings.  All of our steel anchors are treated with a “hot-dipped galvanizing" process.

Viking Steel Anchors are galvanized to a specification exceeding industry standards (80-micron) we strive to get a minimum coating layer of 100-micron.  our anchors are checked for galvanizing thickness using a coating thickness meter.

When a modern new-generation anchor is dropped to the seabed, it commonly sits with the fluke on its side and the shackle end of the shank touching the seabed.

As the load is applied, the fluke toe engages with the seabed and its burial is followed soon after by the shackle end of the shank, slowly burying as well.

With Viking, in most of the time, boaters will deploy their anchors moving the boat backward, due to its unique design the Viking anchor while havering in the water will arrive at the seabed in its perfect penetrating position to start digging immediately.

As the toe buries deeper, it “pulls” the shackle end of the shank down with it.

When an anchor is well-set, only the top of the shank is visible. As the anchor sets deeper, it gets completely buried, and the fluke tends to burrow forward and sit in parallel with the seabed surface. Normally this happens when it reaches its ultimate diving depth and ultimate holding capacity.

The buried rode takes on the form of a reverse catenary.

In a very hard bottom, the anchor, any anchor, may not drag the chain under the surface and it could be forced to its ultimate holding capacity, for that hard seabed, with no chain buried at all. 

 Viking 20 anchor setting after being pulled by 4 tons 4X4 Toyota land cruiser to the vehicle's maximum towing capability.

This anchor was much too big for the Land cruiser towing abilities if the right or smaller sized anchor was attached to it when properly buried

It would look like this:

 Viking anchors are the first and best choice for single-handed sailors.

                                              Here is why.

1. Weight-our anchors have the highest weight/holding power ratio for any steel anchors. Our use of 21st Century steels offers us weight savings without sacrificing strength and if you look critically at our anchor to vessel weight recommendations you will see how light your anchor can be.  Check our usage tables here to find how light your anchor can be for your size of boat.
2. Initial setting - our anchors will set quickly, within a shank length, in the most challenging bottoms – hard-packed clay/mud and grassy/weedy areas. Even packed gravel.
3. Holding - our anchors offer the best holding power you can find relative to their size and weight, meaning that you can use a lighter anchor to achieve the hold of the ‘so-called’ new-gen anchors.
4. Resetting - our anchors stay set or reset immediately with a new puling direction in case of wind or current change.
5. Retrieval - Viking anchors are easy to retrieve due to their lightweight and can be maneuvered easily even when if they are stuck under your neighbor's anchor chain. 
6. Easy to store when not in use- taking apart the Viking anchor will take you 5 minutes and when stowed away, the anchor will take minimal storage space. 
7. price.
8. Our non-conditioned lifetime warranty

We know that our anchors are the best you can find in the market today, our mission is to let you know it also.

Some anchor tests show, especially in mud that the fluke develops a ‘clod’ (a pile of dirt) on the fluke when buried' this clod develops early, or almost immediately while setting and remains jammed in the fluke as the anchor sets.  The clod ‘sort of’ converts the concave fluke act as it is convexed. The clod is less likely to develop with holes made in the surface, which is why the Viking has the holes down the center of the fluke, as well as the round-headed bolts, it makes the surface of the fluke smooth and helps the clod wash away.  

In sand when the anchor is retrieved, the clod is not very cohesive and washes away, in mud, on the other hand, it can be difficult to be washed clean. the fact is that clod is or can be, permanent and it is also why Morgans Cloud removed their recommendation for Rocna (and by extrapolation - Supreme).

The advantages of the convex-shaped anchors in the mud are reducing mud stuck on the fluke. Mud adhered to the fluke reduces the ability of the anchor to re-set and also convexed fluke picks up less seabed when retrieving.

Due to our unique design, we have no issue whatsoever of 'clod' developing on the fluke while in a concave-shaped anchor but if you are in very muddy rivers for example, and prefer to use convexed shaped anchor, with our anchor it is possible and very easy to do, however, be aware that the rolling effect is lessened using the convexed shape so you need to pay more attention to the setting and try to deploy the anchor moving backward.

It is up to you, Viking anchors can be assembled both ways, concaved or convexed.

Both ways will hold your boat perfectly.

With the new generation anchors, a bigger anchor is not always better.

New generation anchors are designed and built to dive deep.  If you choose to use a new generation anchor that is too big for your boat you are diminishing the ability of your anchor to dive deep enough to hold your boat the way it was designed.

A bigger anchor will develop no more hold than a smaller one if not buried properly.  The burial of your anchor is determined by your engine power or windage.  If you can set a 15kg anchor to 300kg hold then a 20kg anchor will develop the same hold under the same conditions - except the 20kg anchor will be set more shallow.  therefor we urge you to follow our sizing recommendation, these recommendations are a result of numerous tests made on our anchors over the years  - there is no need to oversize.

An anchor that is not buried deeply and dragging its chain with it might encounter three main issues:

1. An unburied shank will not act as a vertical fluke which may reduce the resistance of the anchor to yawing.

2. In light winds, a shallow set anchor could be prone to the chain getting under the shank and tripping the anchor.
3. A large anchor that cannot be deeply set may trip easily and you have no guarantee that it will re-set cleanly by itself.

So when choosing an anchor that is too big, it is not just the inconvenience of using it, affecting your windlass, your pulpit, and your back (or your spouse back - then you will definitely suffer), it is above all not safe.

in this photo, a well-buried Viking 10 convex-shaped anchor