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Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-07-2012, 7:02 PM Reply   
Let me start out by saying I’m a huge BOX anchor fan I have been using them for the better part of 6 years now. IMO they are a great anchor. I have them on all of our boats. But they IMO do have a few down side’s. They can be cumbersome to handle because they are heavy and that makes them a pain to deal with in every aspect of anchoring. That’s #1 getting them out of where you keep them #2 setting them up #3 Throwing them #4 retrieving them #5 putting them away. I can say after a month of use the Hourglass is a better Anchor.

I contacted Josh at Hourglass and after looking at what he offers (Steel Anchors) I asked him if he would be interested in making me a Custom Aluminum Anchor. Because IMO his Steel Anchors seemed very close in size and weight to what I already own. I wanted a light weight Anchor. He was up for the challenge. He said if I didn’t like the Anchor he would offer a full refund so for me there was no risk.

I got the Anchor as promised. At first it looks like its going to take longer and be more of a hassle to assemble then the Box. Well after putting it together a few times I was wrong about both of my assumptions. I timed myself and it takes 12 seconds to assemble the Hourglass compared to 14-18 seconds to get the Box anchor put together. The Hourglass comes apart even faster. It stores away smaller and most of all its super easy to handle because it’s so light. The Hourglass Anchor weighs 12 Lbs. My small Box Anchor weighs 33lbs. The weight difference helps in almost every aspect. I say almost every aspect because I’m sure a heavy anchor only helps you when you’re trying to set it.

The challenge or Test as I called it was to see if the heavy box anchors set easier or faster then the light weight Hourglass anchor. I used both anchors taking turns using the anchors at both the front of the boat and at the rear. I can honestly say the heavy Box anchor sets or holds no better or worse then the light weight Hourglass so as far as holding power it was even.

I was using our Pontoon boat to conduct the test. It’s 28feet long and over 3800 lb’s and in a light wind with the bimini up its got quite a lot of drag or pull from the wind so it would have no problems holding a wake boat with a large Bimini. I have had a few friends set up both the Box and the Hourglass and they all agreed the Hourglass was easier to set up and toss. The final deciding factor was the Wife’s impression. She is used to helping out anchoring the boat so what she had to say and how it worked out for her was huge.
She thought that it was better on all aspects, When your pulling the anchor UP and your only lifting 1/3 of the weight your used to it makes the job a whole lot easier. Most of all when the anchor comes to the surface “Near your boat & its Interior” you don’t have a 33lb sharp spinning un wielding object in the hands of a person that is tired from just pulling it up. This makes the odds that you don’t end up with a scratch in your Gel coat or hole in your Vinyl a lot less IMO. Just wanted to share the results of my exp.
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Old     (Nordicron)      Join Date: Aug 2011       11-07-2012, 7:29 PM Reply   
So if the box was made of aluminum would it have the advantage? It appears the box breaks down smaller or no
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-07-2012, 7:52 PM Reply   
Ron the Box I tested was Aluminum. The Hourglass breaks down smaller.
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       11-08-2012, 4:02 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by grant_west View Post
Ron the Box I tested was Aluminum. The Hourglass breaks down smaller.
And it weighed 33lbs.I am 53 and my wife is 51,neither if us have trouble with the Box Anchor.I'm 5'6" and 165,she is 5'2" and considerable less.Sounds like the average size boat owner can easily handle the Box Anchor.If it weighs 33 lbs,it's the lightest 33lbs i've handled.As for the pontoon being equal to a wake boat,most of the pontoon owners we dock with use a simple dog screw.Thats all the holding power they need.We dock with 28ft pontoons with v8's. I'm not convinced Aluminum will hold up with rocky bottoms either.I'll keep my Box Anchor thank you!
Old     (Nordicron)      Join Date: Aug 2011       11-08-2012, 4:55 AM Reply   
I thought the box anchor was galvanized steel of some sort? Didn't know it was aluminum.
Old     (cowwboy)      Join Date: Jul 2008       11-08-2012, 6:56 AM Reply   
The box in the picture is galvanized steel. The hourglass is the one off aluminum.
I love my box anchor but like "g" a lighter version would be great. Even a alumnium box would kick butt.
Old     (cjh1669)      Join Date: Apr 2005       11-08-2012, 8:03 AM Reply   
Love my box anchor, only down side is putting it together and taking it apart. Other than that the damn thing holds like no other
Old     (DealsGapCobra)      Join Date: May 2010       11-08-2012, 8:13 AM Reply   
I like the idea of the aluminum anchor. Thank you for the review.
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-08-2012, 9:02 AM Reply   
Rob: your doubt its totally understandable. I had the same skepticism. I thought the only way you could solid anchor was with a heavy anchor. That's what this test was all about. I had used a light weight Aluminum before. It was a Fortress brand Fork style anchor. It worked just fine if you were proficient at anchoring and you had room to drag the anchor. So I knew from using that anchor that the weight of the anchor is not the only contributing factor in setting anchor. I recognize all lakes and bottoms are different and What works good at this lake or more importantly lake bottom surface might not work well as somewhere else. I can tell you from real time Experience that this light weight anchor sets in a rocky bottom surface just as well as the heavier anchor. One of the things that became a pain was that after a while my box anchor arm that locks the anchor into position can become tricky to lock into position. Also you need to set the Box anchor down on something to open it up. It's fine if your setting up on the swim deck but its pretty hard to set up at the front of the boat if you dont have floor space The Hourglass is more user friendly to set up so that's and advantage.

Last edited by grant_west; 11-08-2012 at 9:07 AM.
Old     (Truekaotik)      Join Date: Jun 2012       11-08-2012, 9:27 AM Reply   
The Hourglass looks big and knarley looking.. Do you have a pic with something else to judge the size? It looks like you need to be very careful to not rip any interior as well?
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-08-2012, 11:15 AM Reply   
Truekaotik) yea the Hourglass looks sharp and nasty but because its light I think it takes away most of its interior destruction power. What I have found is if you can handle it with ease your less likely to cause damage. And example for me is. When your pulling the Box anchor out of the water it has a pretty good pendulum effect and it wants to swing into the area where its being pulled into (your boat) to counter this you hold your arm out and away from the boat and now your lifting 33 lbs with your arms stretched out and your pulling the anchor straight up. Not imposable by any means but when your doing it over and over again it can get old and every time you do it you are at risk. So for me if i could get somthing that made this task easyer I was all over it.

Hourglass makes Steel anchors if your not convinced that a Aluminum anchor will work for you, So if your in the market for a Anchor I would to get a Box Style anchor and I would give the advantage to the Hourglass for its easy of opening and closing and small storage.
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Old     (Truekaotik)      Join Date: Jun 2012       11-08-2012, 12:13 PM Reply   
Do you only use it in the Benny or do you use it in the wakeboat as well? How well does it store in the wake boat if you do use it?
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-08-2012, 12:52 PM Reply   
I have not use the Hourglass in the Wakeboat but I can assure you if it holds the Benny it will hold your wakeboat no problem. The hourglass will stoe away smaller then the Box
Old     (trentj6930)      Join Date: Oct 2007       11-08-2012, 2:37 PM Reply   
Grant, do you have a picture of the hourglass folded down? I use the box anchor now and was wondering if this would be better.

Thanks
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-08-2012, 2:50 PM Reply   
Trent: The 9th Picture down is the Hourglass broken down. It comes apart in 3 pieces so if your rely tight from room you can store it apart from each other.
Old     (882001)      Join Date: Nov 2003       11-08-2012, 2:53 PM Reply   
i have always had good luck with these grapnel anchors, folds up the size of a bowling pin when your done
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?...33857&id=33842
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-08-2012, 3:04 PM Reply   
Eric: I agree that's also a great light weight anchor. I used it on a friends boat a few weeks back and I liked how when your pulling that anchor up it spins like a prop and that helps shake the weed's off. That would be a good test the Grapple Vs The Hourglass, both light weight and fold's away small.
Old     (cowwboy)      Join Date: Jul 2008       11-09-2012, 6:40 AM Reply   
I'm jealous of how clear your water is. Here in Oklahoma our red clay makes it so 2' visibility is a great day.
Old     (tyler97217)      Join Date: Aug 2004       11-09-2012, 6:59 AM Reply   
I have always been a big fan of the box anchor. Used it for years and never had a problem setting or retrieving. I could see the Hourglass being just as effective. I would consider it if I ever lost my box anchor. I have not seen that grapnel anchor and am a bit intrigued by it. It is half the price of the Hourglass and Box anchor. I would like to see that compared to the Box or the Hourglass.......
Old     (you_da_man)      Join Date: Sep 2009       11-09-2012, 2:05 PM Reply   
There's no way the small box anchor is 33lbs and doesn't even feel like 33lbs. The specs are 13lb (baby box), 19lbs (small box), and 25lbs (large box).
Old     (882001)      Join Date: Nov 2003       11-09-2012, 2:11 PM Reply   
biggest problem i see with anchoring is people will drop 50' of anchor line in 40' of water. that doesnt work ever.. i see people at the cove having all kinds of trouble with all sorts of anchors.
Old     (wakemitch)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-09-2012, 3:32 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by 882001 View Post
biggest problem i see with anchoring is people will drop 50' of anchor line in 40' of water. that doesnt work ever.. i see people at the cove having all kinds of trouble with all sorts of anchors.
^This!

Most people aren't throwing enough rope out there.
Old     (boardman74)      Join Date: Jul 2012       11-09-2012, 4:18 PM Reply   
That is true. Minimum length to depth is usually 3:1 depending on anchor type to get a good set.
Old     (jrw160)      Join Date: Oct 2006       11-09-2012, 7:22 PM Reply   
I think recommended scope is 7:1 for a danforth anchor. It's 2:1 for a box anchor.

That hourglass anchor looks sharp. I don't see any compelling reason to go with it over a box anchor.
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-10-2012, 8:38 PM Reply   
Quote:
I don't see any compelling reason to go with it over a box anchor.
If you don't think a lighter easier to throw and retrieve anchor or the fact the it folds away faster and smaller then I don't know what to say.

If you own a box, yes I don't see a RUSH to go out and get a new light weight anchor. Like I said in My first post I have box anchors (4) of them. And as often as I anchor I saw a definite benefit for a light weight anchor "IF IT WORKED" this post was to just inform people of my results.
I have become some what of a anchor Nazi and found most people to be retarded when it comes to setting anchor. In fact these days I'm even surprised when some one shows up with a anchor and bonus points if they have enough line and can set it and if they happen to have a 2nd anchor so they can throw one off the rear I'm completely blown away lol
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       11-11-2012, 3:55 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by grant_west View Post
If you don't think a lighter easier to throw and retrieve anchor or the fact the it folds away faster and smaller then I don't know what to say.

If you own a box, yes I don't see a RUSH to go out and get a new light weight anchor. Like I said in My first post I have box anchors (4) of them. And as often as I anchor I saw a definite benefit for a light weight anchor "IF IT WORKED" this post was to just inform people of my results.
I have become some what of a anchor Nazi and found most people to be retarded when it comes to setting anchor. In fact these days I'm even surprised when some one shows up with a anchor and bonus points if they have enough line and can set it and if they happen to have a 2nd anchor so they can throw one off the rear I'm completely blown away lol
I couldn't agree more about the anchoring adventures.We dock around a island on a man made lake.The number of people who don't have a clue is amazing.We carry a extra anchor,some extra lines and a dog screw. That way we can secure their boat for them,even if they have no clue.We use the Shore Spike and Danik hook off the rear,with the box anchor off the Bow.
Old     (you_da_man)      Join Date: Sep 2009       11-11-2012, 6:34 AM Reply   
The hour glass anchor looks like a good design but its wider than the box anchor when assembled. I leave my small box anchor assembled, ready to go under a seat on my A22 and I know the hour glass wouldn't fit assembled under the seats of an Axis. That might be one feature of the hour glass anchor that goes against it...it's larger when assembled for the few that keep their anchors ready to go. I often hold 3 boats with my one box anchor in light winds (my A22, an A20, and a 26' Ultra powerboat).

Last edited by you_da_man; 11-11-2012 at 6:37 AM.
Old     (you_da_man)      Join Date: Sep 2009       11-11-2012, 6:40 AM Reply   
Hey Grant, in a few pics why are some of the teeth of the hour glass anchor bent way more than others? Surely that's not the design.
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-11-2012, 8:48 AM Reply   
AJ; I had to go back and look at the photos to see what you were talking about. The teeth are bent at a few different angles and its some what of a optical illusion. In person the anchor teeth are all at the same angle. The anchor that's in the first pics was the prototype to see if it worked. The pictures with the grey back ground is the production anchor. BTW
If any of you Box Anchor fans are interested in 2 Small Box anchors my'n are for sale
Old     (MikeyG)      Join Date: Apr 2010       11-11-2012, 11:34 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by tyler97217 View Post
I have always been a big fan of the box anchor. Used it for years and never had a problem setting or retrieving. I could see the Hourglass being just as effective. I would consider it if I ever lost my box anchor. I have not seen that grapnel anchor and am a bit intrigued by it. It is half the price of the Hourglass and Box anchor. I would like to see that compared to the Box or the Hourglass.......
You could buy 4 grapnel anchors for the price of one Hourglass! If you choose a colored hourglass then figure you could have bought 6 grapnels and had money left over for gas!

I too would like to hear about a test comparison. If the grapnel didn't work very well then who cares if you saved a few bucks...
Old     (you_da_man)      Join Date: Sep 2009       11-11-2012, 11:55 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeyG View Post
You could buy 4 grapnel anchors for the price of one Hourglass! If you choose a colored hourglass then figure you could have bought 6 grapnels and had money left over for gas!

I too would like to hear about a test comparison. If the grapnel didn't work very well then who cares if you saved a few bucks...
My friend has one of the grapnel anchors that came with his Wakesetter when he bought the boat from the original owner. It doesn't seem to work well in the sandy/clay bottom of our local lake no matter how little or much rope he tried to use.

I think the hour glass anchor works as well as the box anchor
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       11-11-2012, 12:28 PM Reply   
I agree grapple VS Hourglass would be a Good test. I have access to a grapple I will try it out.IMO one of the down sides to the grapple is if you are in a flat smooth bottom the grapple tends to roll and un anchor it self when pulled from a side load. Anchoring can really depend on what the surface your anchoring against is most of the time I'm on a fairly soft bottom with a few rocks. This makes anchoring pretty easy and IMO its the Ideal or easiest surface to anchor against. The anchor has something to dig into and it has something to stop against.
Example, in the delta you don't need a Box you can get away with a small mushroom anchor just fine, because the bottom is so soft the small anchor sinks into the silt . But your not gonna ever anchor with a mushroom at a place like Shasta where there is not much silt or rock to grab and near shore where it's steep it's almost impossible to get a fork anchor to set. What I'm trying to say is if you go to a specific place all the time I'm sure you can find a anchor that might be smaller or lighter that works well in your specific location and local knowledge is king. I can pretty confidently say that the Square style anchor is the BEST all around anchor because its so easy to set that pretty much anyone can just throw it and drag it a-bit and your SETIf I could only ever choose 1 anchor and had to anchor at all different types of lake bottoms the Square style is IMO the only choice. Sure if you have 500 feet of line you can anchor with pretty much anything . I think 100 feet of line is a reasonable length of line to always have. Sure the more the better but for 99% of anchoring 100 feet works fine.
Old     (biggator)      Join Date: Jul 2010       11-11-2012, 1:34 PM Reply   
Not sure if applicable.. but if anyone is on a lake with lots of roots/trees/stuff on the bottom - the Digger is worth the extra money. I've had mine stick to stuff a few times - and a good yank frees it up. As far as holding the boat - it's a typical danforth-style, so it works fine.
Old     (882001)      Join Date: Nov 2003       11-11-2012, 7:44 PM Reply   
i could see the grapnel not working on hard clay. never tried that. but in soft bottom, rocks, weeds,it is solid. i find it a better grabber than the mushrooms. but hard clay would be difficult with most. like dragging it across a asphault road,, nothing to bite.i use 100' line too. i have a loop on the end of my rope that i use a dring to attach it. so i always use all 100' never anchor deeper than 30'
Old     (srock)      Join Date: Mar 2002       11-12-2012, 9:01 AM Reply   
From what I see we are splitting hairs here unless you are talking weight. The 2 things I want is a small box in stainless and figure out a way to run a larger one on my windless. I cannot imagine the big square anchor hanging off the bow.
Old     (okwakebdr)      Join Date: Jul 2005       11-12-2012, 11:58 AM Reply   
PM sent re: Box Anchor For Sale
Old     (Hourglassanchors)      Join Date: Jan 2013       01-28-2013, 2:15 PM Reply   
We have got the series 30 aluminum in production fixed a few issues, rounded some corners for less interior rips. If you have any questions or comments about
The anchors feel free to ask
Old     (DatTexasBoy)      Join Date: Aug 2012       01-28-2013, 5:55 PM Reply   
I want to know where and what lake that is? That place looks amazing!!!!
Old     (WakeDirt)      Join Date: Jun 2011       01-28-2013, 7:08 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by DatTexasBoy View Post
I want to know where and what lake that is? That place looks amazing!!!!
Tahoe
Old     (ktm525)      Join Date: Mar 2009       02-11-2013, 6:10 PM Reply   
Ok so Grant, We got our new boat and are looking for an anchor. Do you still recommend the hourglass?
Old     (nemire12)      Join Date: Jun 2009       02-19-2013, 2:47 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by you_da_man View Post
There's no way the small box anchor is 33lbs and doesn't even feel like 33lbs. The specs are 13lb (baby box), 19lbs (small box), and 25lbs (large box).
Lets see this again... actually the baby box will hold our wakeboats just fine in most situations, I've seen the small box alone hold 4 boats by itself in semi-rough conditions...
Old     (Dmac420sj)      Join Date: Mar 2012       02-19-2013, 7:12 PM Reply   
Mmmmmm Tahoe is amazing I wish it wasn't a freaking ocean!
Old     (you_da_man)      Join Date: Sep 2009       02-19-2013, 8:04 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by nemire12 View Post
Lets see this again... actually the baby box will hold our wakeboats just fine in most situations, I've seen the small box alone hold 4 boats by itself in semi-rough conditions...
I agree, I have the small and have held 2 Axis boats, a direct drive Malibu, and a 26' DCB in light winds. I'd love a baby box or a smaller hour glass as a second to two-point anchor in crowded conditions at the sandbar.
Old     (nitrousbird)      Join Date: Sep 2008       02-20-2013, 12:07 PM Reply   
One factor that isn't mentioned often enough is the material you are anchoring to. I have the small box anchor, but the water we normally boat in has a very, very muddy bottom. Our boat alone will still drag with this anchor + plenty of lead line in windy weather (I'm talking wind that ruins good water, not storm type winds). The boat moves a lot less than the cheap anchor we replaced so it wasn't a total waste of money. An anchor is only as good as the surface it can attach to.
Old     (bass10after)      Join Date: Feb 2010       06-04-2013, 9:13 AM Reply   
I have a danforth style anchor and its a giant PITA. I've always used a mushroom style, but this boat came with the danforth so i decided to try it out. I've gotten it to work properly 1 out of 3 times. I'm sure its probably a bit of user error, but ease of use is also factoring into my quest for something better. I mostly boat on Don Pedro, which is a muddy bottom, sometimes grassy, and a few spots rocky.. Does anyone have recommendations for what they use? I've been debating the grapnel anchor as i like how they fold up and dont cost all that much, but don't know how well it would work in my conditions.
Old     (grant_west)      Join Date: Jun 2005       06-04-2013, 9:46 AM Reply   
Nitrousbird; I agree 100% The toughest surface to anchor two in my opinion is smooth hard ground.
That's when a heavy box anchor is the only anchor that will do the trick.
If you have weeds and rocks a small mushroom works Ok. A muddy bottom like the delta a mushroom also works well. Local knowledge of the lakes bottom will help you pick the smallest lightest anchor. But if you want a anchor that's a no brainer then a box style anchor is your best bet.
The Grapple style anchor works well in most conditions. But just like the aluminum anchor if its smooth hard ground it's not going to dig in as well as a heavy anchor.
The danforth or Fluke style anchors are so hit and miss you have to drag them many times before it digs in or gets hooked on a log or something and then when it does you may or may be hooked all to well.
Old     (bill_airjunky)      Join Date: Apr 2002       06-11-2013, 10:33 PM Reply   
Great writeup on the Hourglass, G. I can see that it would/could work as well as the Box.

But the small Box is only 19 lbs. Not sure how you got 33. Even the large is only 25.

http://www.slideanchor.com/slide-anc...ations_137.htm
Old     (RonBurgundy)      Join Date: Jun 2012       06-11-2013, 10:42 PM Reply   
Why is nobody addressing the fact that he is saying it takes a while to "put together" a box anchor? I'm all for new products and it looks like a nice item, but what is there to "assemble"???

I open a bag(2 seconds), click a spring loaded rod into place (1 second), and drop the damn thing in the water....am I missing something?
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       06-12-2013, 3:37 AM Reply   
If you can lock the pin in in one second your a real man.It takes me at least 3 to 5 seconds. LOL
Old     (Hourglassgirl)      Join Date: Jun 2013       06-17-2013, 9:49 AM Reply   
Here is the Hourglass website for you to check out! www.hourglassanchors.com
Old     (RonBurgundy)      Join Date: Jun 2012       06-20-2013, 2:47 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by cwb4me View Post
If you can lock the pin in in one second your a real man.It takes me at least 3 to 5 seconds. LOL
bastard......you know what i mean. hahahaha

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