Anchoring a powerboat with limited bow access?
 

I just bought a 1986 Formula and unlike my previous Formula, this one has no anchor locker and tough access to the bow cleat, mainly threw the deck hatch. No way in a crowded area, or even an emergency I can see a way to anchor safely from the bow. Especially when alone. Any advice? My thought is to get a stern anchor out initially and then climb up on the bow with a bow anchor threw the hatch. Thanks

If you're looking for an anchor type suggestion I would recommend the "box anchor". It is very easy to use and store, it takes up very little space.

http://www.slideanchor.com/hlm_shopi...1-c5e749bb8688

In an emergency, sure set it off the stern, then once set just spin boat and tie it off to the bow.

From a fellow Jersey'n.

Try anchoring off the bow of a fountain with the old style windshield

Never set an anchor from the stern ! Simply drop anchor overboard from the cockpit {Holding on to bitter end } Walk up to bow with the end and secure
Allow wind/waves/current to drift away.

yep, theres a technique associated with every boat and you may just hafta develop what works best for you. When i come into a raft off with the Donzi (horrible bow access and if you make it out there your probably going to go swimming lol) i will set up a few hundred feet out from where i wanna be and if I'm by myself i have a little rig i made from some of my caribiners a slings from climbing that allows me to hand the anchor off the bow with it tied to my mid cleat by the helm. I can back slowly into the line up and dump the anchor right where i want it on the fly. Give it a quick tug to set it then after i am rafted in i can pull my rig off the bow cleat and set that line. Its a bit of a ballet sometimes but like i said you develop a method.

I agree with combined approach pointed about above. The Box Anchor sets nearly every time by just dropping it over the the side and letting the weight of the boat in the current/breeze set it. Once you drop it over the side, walk up to the bow and tie it off. www.slide-anchor.com

You can set an anchor off the stern or side of the boat BRIEFLY; and in CALM WATER only; until you get up to the bow to tie it off properly. If needed, tie the anchor off to the stern of the boat BRIEFLY, but leave enough line on the end of the anchor line to walk up to the bow and tie the bitter end off; then go back and undo it from the stern. You can have too short of a rhode, but the only time you will have too long of a rhode is if you can swing into something else. Too long of a rhode is easy to adjust.

I tie off the stern of the Fountain all the time. The bow height and shape tend to make the boat wander like crazy if tied off the bow. If all the boat are facing north then mine is either facing west or east unless I tie off the rear. (Granted this is in a no wake zone)

Thanks. I like the idea of dropping my anchor( a Fortress at this time) off the side and mid cleat until I can secure the bow. Thanks for the ideas. Today at Tices Shoal I got off easy, tying up to my already anchored friend!

My 255 is as bad as it gets...but I made a slight mod that works for me.

I have a custom aluminum ladder on the port side just forward of the passenger seat. On the port side of the boat about 3' behind the windshield I have a stainless steel step pad fastened to the topsides just above the rub rail and below the side glass. I am able to step over the side glass onto the step...turn and step to the bow and walk to the bow cleat and fasten the anchor line. I have a knot at that point along the anchor line that I attach a "retrieval" line. I keep the retrieval line attached to the spring cleat on the starboard side so I can reach it and handle it from the helm.

I've gotten pretty good with the set up and can drop and set my anchor in a matter of a few minutes. using the retrieval line I can ease up on the anchor and pull it up quickly. If I know I am going directly to an anchorage, a short distance, I will set the lines before I leave the dock and keep the anchor handy in the cabin and toss it thru the forward hatch once I reach anchorage.

Admittedly, anchoring a sport boat with limited bow access is a challenge. I anchor our regularly here in South Florida so I developed a system that works for me. I sure do miss my 40' EC Sea Ray with the remote controlled windless...that was awesome.

I put a towel on bow. Set anchor and rhode up there. Step on passenger bolster then over side window and I'm on the bow. Takes very little time. Drop anchor tie off. My anchor line stays coiled up on an extension cord reel. Makes for easy handling.

Plan A: (preferred), find someone that has their anchor set and tie up to them.

Plan B: On my 28 I have a cleat set just forward of the cockpit on my side that I use in a situation where I am on my own or with the kids. Drop the anchor then when I am sure it is set, transfer it to the bow if needed.

plan C: If you are serious about setting an anchor off the bow , first check your depth, measure out your line( about 6X) attach to the bow, then drop the anchor from the cockpit, currents can easily be more than you expect. You can always shorten up or give out more after you have the anchor set.

I do something similiar with minor adjustment- we drop the fortress off the side of cockpit but the anchor line is already run through front cleat and then run back to cockpit. So we drop anchor and feed out scope from cockpit then tie off on side cleat. Dropping anchor is a breeze but still have to climb up and do the dance when retrieving - need to figure out some type of pulley system to retrieve from the side.

My 28' Checkmate is also tough...either you squeeze through the deck hatch or do the wobble dance to the bow... I usually drop the anchor from the cockpit, step onto the passenger bolster seat to climb over the windshield, and then wobble dance to the bow cleat to tie off while letting the wind do the work!!

I grab anchor from under the back seat. Step from back seat onto my 12" walkaround and walk to bow. Set anchor and walk around the cockpit and step back into rear seat. Pretty nifty...:drink::drink::drink:

We anchor most of the time, the wife heads out to the bow as I drop anchor and put it in reverse to get the right scope. As everyone has said doing the long walk on a waxed deck can get interesting.

Not having safe access to the bow of a boat is a stupid tradeoff made in most cases for cosmetic purposes.
ed

Use a line as long as your boat, with an eye in one end, in both ends would be even better. Snap a carabeaner(sp?) to the eye, and also around the anchor line. Tie the other end of the line to a mid cleat (or hang the second eye loop over the cleat). The carabeaner( is now just free floating on the anchor line, not doing anything. set your anchor like you always do. When it's time to retreave the anchor, start pulling on the carabeaner line until you can grab the anchor line, doing all of this from where ever it's safe for you to be, probably the cockpit. Then just pull up the anchor by pulling up the anchor line.

I have a 4" walk around ledge and a flat deck so its pretty simple. My last boat was a nightmare having to crawl over the windshield.

Now if I can only get an anchor that will hold the boat. My wife went out and bought one while I was still finishing the boat, but its one of the white coated anchors that don't hold for $#it. I need to go get one that will hold so I'm not chasing the boat across the sand bar like a circus act again. Turned my back for two minutes and the boat was a 100 feet away drifting towards a group of boats. Thankfully I caught it time!

I tied a line from the bow eye that would reach the side cleat by the steering wheel. From the cockpit, drop the anchor, clip the bitter end to the line to the bow eye, and let drop into water. When I wanted to leave, pull up on anchor line and snag line with boat hook (had two floats on bitter end of anchor line) that when the stress was off the line it would float up. Leave line looped from bow eye to cleat on side of boat.

Then, I installed a windlass with anchor and 70 feet of chain for my "day" anchor. Now, just push button to lower and raise. Makes front of boat ugly to most hp go fast boaters, but then IDGAF what anyone else thinks. They didn't like my rig before anyway with 12 ft of Bimini Cover Up 100% of the time either.

www.slideanchor.com

Sounds like a good idea, would you mind sharing some pictures of your setup? -Michael

that's the best way to do it specially when guests on board can't help because they are in full ass mode
a- lacking Agility usually because they are
s- Stupid and
s- not Sober

Sorry but old thread and he sold the boat a while ago. If he pops in, he might see this and possibly have pics.

You may want to create a new thread.

I got tired of trying to retrieve it from the side so I just cut a hole in the bow .
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...8586db41ce.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...25c6a3d099.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...ea6b71dcd6.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...28aa1d4bfe.jpg

Way cool. I like it.

We used to spend the night on the hook all the time.

One night on our 24’ Sonic, the wind shifted and I went to the bow to retrieve the anchor to move to the now, calm side of the peninsula and lost my footing.
Hit the deck, just missed the chock for the bow eye as I slid past it on the way to the water.
If I had hit that chock, it would have gutted me like a fish just before dumping me over the side.
In the dark.

This was in a very remote area.
If it had knocked me out I would not be typing this.
Smart enough to know, I was way lucky.
Went off that bow one other time too.

Anchor lockers forward of vee births in small boats prove their designers have never weekended on a small boat.

PS, what is your anchor?
I looked at installing wing nuts on one of the aluminum Danforth style anchors to make it collapsible like that.

Twin,
that is a scary story man!!

Mine is a Danford F11 I think .. they are nice and light