Anchor that Fits - 353 storage bin
 

Hello Everyone,
Just purchased a 353, what anchors do you have that will fit in the Storage Bin up front? Mine is in Shrink wrap right now so I have no idea what I can get that will fit. Alot of the Fortress styles look pretty wide with that cross-bar on the bottom. Thanks in advance for input!!!

I have a fortress, trimmed cross bar and removed a few inches of total length to get it to fit, still works great.

Great question. My buddy has a PQ that actually accomodates an appropriate size anchor. It even includes clips that keep it from flopping around while under way. Given their size, I'm not even sure why Formula calls their's "anchor lockers".

I've only been in our 292 for 2 summers now. First summer I stowed the anchor in the gunwale (using the cockpit cover bag) and carried it accross the deck everytime we dropped hooks....too much stress and too inconvenient! I agonized over finding an anchor that would fit in the locker and then how to stow it so it would not punch holes in the anchor liner while running in rough conditions. Finally settled on the fortress style anchor (1 piece galvanized) that the dealer provided during purchase. It's really too small for the boat (only rated to 24 feet), but it seems to hold well enough in sandy bottoms...not so great in clay or pebbles.

Anyway, if you wiggle it just right it will slide into the locker. I used 2 sections of 2 inch sch 40 PVC to hold the anchor in place. I cut a groove in each section and mounted them on the sides of the locker to receive the fluke ends. I'm still fine tuning the whole thing, but it works for now.

You may want to check out one of those collapsable box anchors advertised in PB mag. They may be a good solution for Fastech owners..although I have no experience with them. The chrome ones look cool too!

Funny enough... I asked my dealer for a solution...they told me to store my anchor in the gunwale and carry it accross the deck....

My 312 did not have anyway to secure the anchor.....in some 3 footers it tore the inside of that compartment all to he11. I'd consider keeping the anchor in one of the rear side storage compartments (that's where they go on my 382)

If you purchased the right boat ;);)it would have come with one. My hooker is stainless steel, polished, with SS chain and 150 of rope, and fits like a glove in a stainless bracket that locks it in so it can't move at all, no hack saw required. Standard Equiptment, Gotta Love It! :D

We actually keep alum fortress in cockpit on side. Use the anchor locker for fenders.

why keep an anchor forward at all?
risk damage?
or carry the wieght?

or keep it elsewhere and complain about carrying it over the deck???

drop/throw it over the side, or off the stern and come around to it or walk the line forward.

drop/throw it over the side and back down from it/past it if your trying to stern into a spot.

all it takes is a little planning.

if you have an appropriate anchor style for the bottom and 5-6' of chain between the fluke and rope rode, it'll hook up as soon as there is pull on it and will stay that way especially with chain wieght keeping the fluke down.

the only instance I can think of needing to go off the bow is if your already in a raft and more holding power needs to go out.
though in that situation you can't throw it far enough to get out an effective amount of scope anyway.
this is why you see people playing the "pull up and toss the anchor again game" all the time.
It's right there with ramp entertainment IMHO

In my 312 I use a 12" box anchor with the bar removed and 6 feet of chain added, I used thick carpet in the anchor storage. I keep a 16" box anchor under the back seat.. I like to stay put

15 lb. navy with 5' of 5/16" chain and 75' of rope rode.

20 lb. navy with 6' of 3/8" chain and 100' of rope rode.
Don't get that one out more than once or twice a season, unless I'm overnighting on the hook.

I have dragged the 15lb'er in sand (swinging too) once or twice but never "broke anchor".

key as always, regardless of rode...is SCOPE.

Dont know it would be worth the effort but what about storing the line/chain in the locker and then uncpl the anchor to be stored elswhere? No wet line in the boat ....

You people don't understand boating, I enjoy watching Kitty heading over the windshield and bending over to retreive the anchor. That's part of the experience.

Me too.:cool-smiley-011:

My anchor fits great on someone elses boat ..... raft onto somebody and you don't have to worry about any of this.

Just kidd'in .....

I used velcro to secure the anchor in rear storage area and I keep my anchor line and chain in a duffel bag. When it comes time to use it I do the same as Rippem ... throw it off the side and walk it to the bow. Best part is the rest of the line is contained in the bag ..... no mess, no scratches ... nothing to trip on.

Jeff

Thanks for all of the input, I was Looking at the Box Anchor's will they fit in the front? I believe they come with a bag and might work well up there. We usually dock in about 3-4' of water for the day so I just wanted to keep it simple and up front if I can. Hopefully someone knows about the Box Anchor. By the way 200' of 5/8" Double braided nylon should be enough, Correct?

In 4' of water? I think you'll squeeze by ......:cool-smiley-011:

That's exactly what we do!:D Keep all the line in the locker on the bow and a Fortress FX-11 in the port side storage. Use a large stainless steel spring clip that stays connected to the end of the anchor line. Wifey handles the light weight Fortress just fine (like 5PM says, it's part of the experience!). When pulling anchor she hands it to me and if it needs any cleaning I just walk on back to the swim platform and clean it off. Keep the wet sloppy line in the locker! Use a FX-7 for a stern anchor. Have to deal with a pretty good current on the mighty Miss!

Jeff, I keep the BIG one contained in a canvas bag also...

the smaller set-up that's used often is stored loose under the backseat. I have a blanket of 3" memory foam left from the mattress project down across the entire compartment.

anchor(s) has never moved and have never had a problem with the line drying out as the compartment is not air-tight and engine heat also contibutes. Never moldy, never stinky in there.

If part of the "experience" is watching someone (regardless of the view) drop an anchor just once on the deck...
I'll skip it.

:D:D

Reminds me of the first day we met,,,,,,,,,,,, got a little tipsy and played air guitar on Rippem's deck.

Everybody is like "dude, I can't believe you walked on Randy's deck, he doesn't like that at all!!!!!"

It was fun and funny, if I'd known you were that anal, I certainly wouldn't hopped on your deck.

On second thought, I was cruisin' on alcohol so,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I wouldn't have cared even if I did know!!!:p:p

That was a good day Randy, had a blast and I won't forget it.:cool-smiley-011:

Edit: I think we were diggin' a little of your Montrose, right?

Just the way I drop anchor as well.


Saw this happen too, and the boat's owner wnated to kill the guy that did it. No Thanks.

it wasn't so much the guitar performance...you were barefoot and that's cool...
knowing how much wax was out there, it was the thought of the blood clean-up or finding something to splint your fracture if you went down. :D

Dropping it off the side really isn't an option for us when dealing with a stiff river current. Anchor line is marked for proper scope and she has it tied off to the bow cleat before dropping anchor. Fortunately those Fortress anchors are light and no problem for her to handle. Usually we throw a Fat Towel up on the deck and she sets the anchor on it while getting the line ready. No drops yet, thank God!:cool-smiley-011:

Like I said the small box anchor fits with the bar removed , then just add 6' of chain, I have all that and 100' of rope up front.

Hey Mike: we picked up a Lab puppy today. His name is "Gator"

I knew you wouldn't be able to resist posting a pic of my drunken antics.

Maybe if ya had better insurance coverage ya wouldn't worry about that type of thing. :D Three boats, 9 years, never hit the deck with an anchor. There was that one instance where both the anchor and I went flying off the bow while moving a 14 boat raft in lake of the isles. But that's the kind of memory that makes boating fun.

Check out a product call the Digger Anchor. Fits either in front storage or side. I keep it in a canvas bag with 100' of rope since we usually set in pretty shallow areas. Holds well and is designed to not use a chain, just rope.

1-Sided - I am boating out in Lake St. Clair as I assume you do, have you ever had issues with the Digger Anchor not setting? My buddy had one in the Detroit river and we couldn't get it to set for the Hydro Races but he only had 75' of line, it was one I was looking at.

5PMSMWHR - What size Fortress did you get, it looks like the 10lb. FX-16 is the size recommended for 33-38' boats, but i know Formula's are heavy so I didn't know if I should up-size. Also did you just trim some off the cross bar or also the main shank?

you're sure the anchor didn't hit you in the head in the process?

Sneaky, yes Lk St Clair. The issue with the digger is using enough rope. The ratio is something like 5 or 6 to one (feet of rope to depth) The only time I have had issue is when I try using less rope or it is deeper than the anchor rope I have...cant say much for the river, but I have held a 30' boat in the center of the lake in 3 footers. I am local, we can try it out in the river this year. Just let me know, but we have a little bit of ice to melt first lol.

Anchor Box
 

I think its a bad idea to keep any weight in the forward anchor box. It would be handy for rope only. Why risk beating a hole in the boat? 382's don't have a box. I just store a fortress in the side compartment..no problem

I would agree Fossil, but the fortress only weighs about 10lbs so i wouldn't think it would be bad especially if i rig up a way to latch it in with straps.

If you are thinking a Fortress FX16, that's a BIG anchor and I doubt there would be any way to make it fit, even with trimming. I know the FX11 won't fit in my 292 anchor locker. Sounds like the only ones that fit are the small box anchor that zx14 uses or the one piece galvanized Fortress (don't know the size) that 292 talked about early in the thread.

Anchors
 

I don't remember the size of Fortress I have, but it is rated for 38' 10,000 lbs. With 20' of chain it holds !!. It no way would fit in a 353 locker. I had a 42' vega trawler for 20 years. I commercial fished broadbill swordfish with a harpoon on the west coast. The MOST important by far, thing on your boat is your anchor period. If it is marginal, some day, you will be screwed. I would think especially in rivers. On my commerical boat I've had steering failure, clogged fuel filters, water pump failures close to breakwaters and inshore. The first thing is to hook to the bottom. No Hookie No Happy. When doing a overnight, No Hookie No Sleepie. Thats my 2cents

Fossil I completely understand, that is why I keep asking on here, just want to make the right decision. When it comes to the size of anchor, if you go by length guides, isn't the anchor going to be somewhat overkill for an offshore since they technically have the same sizes in Cruisers that weigh alot more?

I have a new to me 02 292 w/ anchor locker. I have yet to take a look to see which type of anchor to use or where I am going to store it, I was leaning toward a danforth or fortress fluke anchor. More then likely the ends need to be modified in order to fit, but to keep it from banging around the anchor locker and ruining it, I was thinking on lining the bottom with a piece or rubber or foam. In order to keep the anchor in place, I was thinking of installing a pair of clipper holding clips to keep it from bouncing around. Something like in the link I provided.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Clipper-Holding-...742.m153.l1262

Splitdecision271, if those work please let us know. I was thinking about using some PVC or like someone else said in another thread, a cheap soft side cooler to keep it in. I am still trying to figure this one out, it will help when the Shrink comes off. Will an FX-11(The 7lb one) fortress hold a 353?? I am just thinking a 35' offshore is different than a 35' Sea Ray or Formula Cruiser can you down size with an offshore???

I have been in a couple bad storms with 40+mph winds and a 2-3 mph river current and my FX-11 held a sand bottom no problem. We always try and have at least 6 to 1 scope. It is a really nice anchor and ideal for a sand bottom. You can adjust the fluke angle from 32° to 45° for a soft or mud bottom. I keep mine at 32°. My gut says it can hold a 353 99.9% of the time, but I would have a larger anchor tucked away just in case. 292 is spec'd 7000 lbs and the 353 is 9500 lbs.

I purchased the FX-11, what wouldn't fit in the locker? If I cut down the crossbar a little will it fit or is it the length of the main bar is too long?

Sorry, but I'm not really sure. I just remember holding the FX-11 over the open locker on my 292 and saying to myself "Well that ain't gonna work...":D Never did any measuring and not sure if your 353 locker is larger than mine.