FAQs

XYZ Air departs from millennium old anchor concept, eliminating dead weight elements – heavy long bendable shank/ballast/hinge/roll-bar. Those elements are critical anchor obstacle for deep travel into a sea bottom and to produce substantial holding power.

Only the FLUKE/PLOW anchor element produces holding power. Existing and typical anchors comprise fluke part weight, that is just ≈ 15%. XYZ Air’s fluke makes 85% of a total anchor weight.

XYZ Air anchor, stainless steel model S, conservatively rated for boats up to 45’, has the same fluke surface (950cm2) with a price of  $792. E.I., Spade anchor, stainless steel model X100, rated for boats up to 52”, has a fluke surface of ≈ 950cm2 with a price $2,000. XYZ Air anchor, from the amount of fluke surface and related holding power, is the least expensive anchor on the market. High-end products, from any industries, are never intended for masses and large quantities and are not cheap!

Anchor weight plays a small role in anchor performance. Only the FLUKE/PLOW anchor element produces holding power that is the lightest anchor element. Existing and typical anchors comprise fluke part weight, that is just ≈ 15%. XYZ Air’s fluke makes 85% of a total anchor weight. That is a huge construction difference!

For the XYZ Air anchor, there is an insignificant performance difference in sand/mud/clay/gravel/small rocks (up to egg size).

We, at XYZ, believe that the Cutting-Edge Saw Blade is a major breakthrough that will revolutionize design of the anchors. This technology enables even a small anchor to penetrate in hard bottoms.That was, until now, possible only with very large and heavy anchors. The Cutting Edge Saw Blade is sharp and made of 17-4PH precipitation-hardened stainless steel.

The XYZ self corrects quickly to re-establish its maximum holding power angle. All boat anchors have an optimum maximum holding power angle of pull when the rode pulls from straight ahead, over the center of the tip. Just 6° off, will reduce the holding power by up to 70%! If a boat anchor cannot correct itself quickly, it will break out in a short distance. An anchor that cannot correct itself, are not safe. XYZ Air boat anchor has been carefully designed to correct itself immediately.

The shape of the XYZ Air’s fluke is designed to maximize resistance to breakout, while minimizing resistance to digging. You will notice that the XYZ’s fluke is shaped similar to an arrowhead. Seen from the front tip, it has a very small surface area (digging resistance). Seen from the top, it has a large surface area (breakout resistance). Look at your present boat anchor, or any other boat anchor, from those two directions and compare the surface areas. Then compare what you see to a blade.You will then see why the blade is shaped the way it is. It is designed so it will dig deep easily and not breakout. XYZ Air will hold.

A long shank is easier to bend or even break. A short shank is much stronger. The best shank is short, strong, as thin as possible consistent with strength, and sharp on both the bottom and top edges. Sharp edges allow the shank to cut through the bottom surface, not restricting the anchor’s ability to bury deeply. All existing anchors have long shanks simply because their design does not allow them to be shorter. And, anchor elements such as: FRONT BALLAST, ROTATING ROLL BARS, and other elements found on most anchors make up a significant part of the weight but add NOTHING to holding power. Even worse, they can significantly restrict the anchor from penetrating deep into the seabed. The Saw Blade was designed from the beginning to have a short, relatively thin shank with sharpened edges. It is strong, and does not restrict digging depth.

Yes and No. It is conventional wisdom that a 40lbs/18kg anchor will have greater holding power than a 20lbs/9kg anchor. But that is mainly because a 40lbs/18kg anchor has a larger blade area. Weight, by itself, contributes little to holding power. XYZ’s surface area and design are the main factors that determine how well an anchor holds. The weight of an anchor does affect how well the anchor can penetrate weeds or hard surface bottoms, however. For any given weight anchor, maximum holding power will be obtained by designing the highest percentage of the anchor’s weight into the blade itself, to give the largest blade area possible for the weight of the anchor. The Extreme’s has almost 80% of its weight in the blade, producing more holding power for its weight than any other anchor.

The fluke area of the 18lbs/8kg Extreme’s is about equal to the fluke area of an 45lbs/20kg CQR or Bruce.

An anchor should NOT BREAKOUT when overpowered, if set correctly in good holding ground. It has long been an accepted theory that any anchor will eventually breakout if pulled on hard enough, even if set well in good holding ground. In other words: An anchor system’s weakest link is its holding power. At XYZ, we claim that this theory is not valid any more! With the Extreme’s huge strong fluke, ultra short strong shank, ability to dig extremely deep, and the ability to correct itself for different anglesof pull; The XYZ WILL NOT BREAKOUT if overpowered. The XYZ has been repeatedly tested under extreme conditions (up to 1100 HP commercial vessel). When the XYZ was set in deep consistent sand, we were ALWAYS able to break a recommended size rode (often 5/16″ chain) WITHOUT the XYZ breaking out or deforming in ANY way! Your XYZ holds! It will not breakout.*

Free international shipping and a 60 day return policy! If for any reason you’re not satisfied with your purchase, please email info@xyzairanchor.com and we’ll provide you with further instructions on where returns should be shipped, and the amount you will be refunded. Returns must be made within 60 days of delivery.