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Rocna vs Mantus
Which modern anchor is king?
The Rocna and Mantus anchors are two heavyweights of the new generation anchor class. Both claim to have hugely improved holding power over traditional anchor types such as CQR and Danforth. They also both have sizable price tags compared to standard anchors. So are they worth the price and which one is the best choice for you? Let’s find out.
| Product Image | Product Name | Key Features | Star Rating | Buy Now |
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Rocna Galvanized Anchor |
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Check Price & Reviews | |
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M1 Mantus Anchor Galvanized |
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Check Price & Reviews |
Table of Contents
Old gen vs. New gen anchors
These modern anchors are trying to replace and improve upon the performance of well known anchors such as the Danforth, CQR and Bruce. Essentially they rely on improved design rather than sheer weight to help them roll into a correct setting position and establish a good hold on the seabed. As a result they can often be considerably lighter than their traditional counterparts while providing the same holding power.
The Background of the Rocna
The Rocna was developed by New Zealander Peter Smith as a result of his dissatisfaction with the available anchor types throughout his sailing trips (totalling over 100,000 miles!). He developed the Rocna initially just for his own boat and gradually expanded production as other sailors expressed interest in it. The Rocna has now been in production since the early 1960’s. There’s a nice video running through the history and creation of the Rocna here.
Rocna is now owned by the CMP Group, a manufacturer of a variety of marine brands.
The Background of the Mantus
Mantus Anchors was founded much more recently, in 2012 by Gregory Kutsen. He was also motivated to create the Mantus M1 because he was unhappy with the performance of anchors he had used during his sailing journeys. Specifically, he mentions his 45lb CQR anchor being unable to hold consistently in winds over 25 knots. Reliably setting in any bottom, breaking down for storage and being durable are their core aims for the anchor.
How they work
Both the Rocna and the Mantus have essentially the same simple method for establishing a hold on the seabed:
The anchor lands on the seabed and the roll bar turns the anchor as it drags so that the tip points down into the seabed.
The combined force exerted by the boat pulling back and the weight of the chain attached to the anchor causes the tip to dig into the seabed and bury itself partially or entirely. The weight of the chain allows the force to be applied to the anchor in a direction closer to parallel to the seabed thereby pulling the anchor into the ground rather than up out of it. The design of the shank of the anchor is important as it alters the direction of this pulling force from the chain to the tip of the anchor.
Both of the anchors employ a sharp ‘chisel’ tip to help them dig into harder seabeds with greater ease.
Comparison of Holding Power
Unfortunately, we’re not Yachting Monthly, so we can’t afford to test both of these anchors in a controlled setting and report the results. We did however find some previously completed tests, so we’re going to analyse and report on their results for you.
This is the results of a test completed by Finnish sailing magazine Kippari. It’s important to note that the results aren’t standardized for weight so the Mantus being 13% heavier than the Rocna in the test is skewing the results a bit. Another thing to note is that the Fortress anchor in this test was aluminum so while it was well lighter than the others, it was actually quite large and would weigh about 18kg if it was steel, like the others.
Aside from this, you can see that both the Rocna and Mantus outperform most of the traditional anchors like the CQR, Danforth and Bruce by a very decent margin. However, there really isn’t much between the two of them, if you mark down the Mantus slightly for it’s weight advantage then the two are essentially neck and neck.
There’s a number of other studies available here that show the Rocna’s performance against other anchor types but they don’t show the Rocna against the Mantus other than in the above study. Note: The site linked is the personal blog of the creator of the Rocna, however all the studies are by third parties such as sailing magazines. The general consensus of all of the tests there is that the Rocna performs exceptionally well and is the top performing anchor across the tests.
Mantus have run a number of tests comparing their anchor to others, including the Rocna. In all the tests the Mantus appears to win. However, the test is done by pulling the anchors from a rotating bar behind a pickup truck on a beach, so the methodology is highly questionable in my opinion. Also, I don’t think it’s a good idea to use studies done by a manufacturer to compare competing products as they are inherently biased.
If you’d like some heated debate between sailors on the topic there’s a forum thread here that has several pages of discussion which may be helpful.
Size and Convenience of Use
This is actually an area where there’s a decent bit of difference between the two anchors. The biggest difference is that the Rocna is one piece whereas the Mantus is a number of pieces bolted together and can be disassembled for storage. So if you want to take your anchor down below deck and stow it when it’s not needed then the ability to take the Mantus apart and store it neatly could be very useful. On the flipside, the Rocna being one single piece means that it ‘should’ have slightly greater strength / durability and means that you don’t have to assemble it upon purchase.
The Mantus is significantly larger than a Rocna of the same weight so if you have limited space on your bow roller or other constraints with size then this is worth considering.
The Rocna is self launching and recovering so if you use an electric winch this could eliminate the need to go to the bow of your boat when launching and recovering the anchor.
The consensus I have built from reading various accounts from sailors using the anchors is that the Rocna tends to fit and rest in bow rollers more comfortably than the Mantus.
PS: Want to learn how an anchor works? Check out our guide here.
The Rocna Vulcan and the Mantus M2
This is just a quick note that both anchor manufacturers produce versions without the roll bar. They were created as a result of feedback that the original versions didn’t fit certain bow rollers well because of the bar.
Instead of using a roll bar to rotate the anchor into a correct setting position, these models rely on weight distribution and fluke design to do so. They seem to come very close to the originals in their ability to roll into position, so if you think your boat would have issues accommodating the roll bar then these models could be a great option.
The Rocna Vulcan is on the left below and the Mantus M2 is on the right.
Price
At the time of writing, the Mantus M1 (35 lbs) is $390 ( £300/€332) and the Rocna (33 lbs) is $357 (£272/€302).
So they’re pretty close when it comes to pricing, with the Rocna taking the edge slightly. They’re still considerably more expensive than anchors such as the Danforth or CQR where you can now buy non brand name models for pretty low prices. However I feel that the holding power as demonstrated in tests mentioned above and accounts from sailors using them does justify their price tags. When it comes down to it, an anchor is a critically important piece of safety equipment onboard and its ability to hold your boat in place effectively in an emergency could save your boat.
On top of that, both of the anchors have a lifetime warranty so it can be viewed as a long term investment.
Conclusion
Well, they’re both great anchors that outperform traditional ones significantly. I really don’t think you can go wrong with either of them.
My personal preference when it comes down to it would be the Rocna. I feel that it’s 60 year history of successful usage and the fact that it’s one solid piece coupled with it’s slight price advantage give it the edge for me.
However I encourage you to make your decision based on your boat and requirements. For example if you race your yacht and stowing the anchor easily below deck is critical to you then the Mantus may be the best option.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions on these anchors or feedback on the article, please leave me a comment below.