Osculati “Twist Anchor Swivel” rode-straightener results

Wolfeboro

A quick field note: Yesterday I installed an Osculati “Twist Anchor Swivel” on the small Rocna Fisherman anchor that rides on the anchor roller that the previous owner provided—uninstalled—with my Cruiser 16. (To accommodate the Rocna, I had fashioned a bigger bail out of a nine-dollar strip of 3/4” x 1/8” aluminum from Home Depot—hand-forming it over a shaped piece of 2x4–simple, quick, and easy.)

Here’s the manufacturer’s site with illustrations of how the Osculati works:

https://www.osculati.com/en/11004-m-000245/twist-anchor-swivelling-connector

Bottom line? That funny-looking little banana of polished stainless has straightened the anchor every time so far. It cost $59.99 on eBay from an outfit in South Bend, Indiana, “MarineNow.”

Anyway, just wanted to report an easy, economical solution to a minor problem of anchor-handling.

Cheers,

—Rick

Foggy · Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 12:12 pm Post subject:

My take: Beware the swivel(s).
Not just me.
More here:
https://www.passagemaker.com/technical/swivels-the-weakest-link
and here:
https://www.practical-sailor.com/sails-rigging-deckgear/anchor-swivels-caution-required

Wolfeboro · Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 4:39 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the response. Points well taken. Decades ago I sailed a 24’ sloop on the Chesapeake near my house and ran a 17’ center console on Cobscook Bay and the Bay of Fundy near a cabin we built up there. The demands placed on an anchor and ground tackle there were serious indeed.

These days my little sixteen-footer sees the calmer waters of the New Hampshire Lakes Region—famously rocky in some places, mucky in others. The little Rocna Fisherman with its “reversing” groove for the rode shackle holds well. And the Osculati functions as desired in these sheltered waters.

I defer to the senior members of this forum where serious demands are placed on anchoring systems.

Tonight’s dinner cruise in cool, clear, light air will go no farther than the North Beach on Stamp Act Island. If I ever do venture into the deep ever again, it will be with the words of the forum remembered (like the winds of November).

Thanks. I appreciate the benefit of others’ experience.

—Rick

srbaum · Posted: Thu Aug 24, 2023 8:46 pm Post subject:

Rick,
Lots of underway time and anchoring in all sorts of bottoms and weather. I still love my Mantis swivel.
www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album3518&id=TestingMaxLoadOnWindless&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

jkswor · Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2023 10:57 am Post subject:

I bought my self righting anchor in 07 after the anchor kept twisting. Bought it from the UK. Cost over $100. Was not available in the USA. Never had a problem. I only anchor to fish. No extended Anchorage.

Wolfeboro · Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2023 7:28 pm Post subject:

Thanks, all, for the replies. Clearly, one size does not fit all. But what really impresses me in these posts as in almost all posts I’ve seen here is the good will of the C-Dory community. Generous, patient, and genuinely helpful. Not all forums have such a positive purpose and tone.

There’s a nip in the New Hampshire air today, hinting at fall. Whatever ground tackle you’re using, enjoy these late-summer weeks!

—Rick