Buy the 'Chapman's Guide to Seamanship and Small Boat Handling'. Chapter 12 is devoted to anchoring, including ground tackle, techniques, recovery, etc. Besides providing more information than you may ever need to know, it is really good reading. Every boater should have a copy of this book.

I have a 5lb coffee can filled with concrete. I put an eyelet in the mix before it dried. I have 35 ft of clothesline and I went the extra mile and safety wired the shackle!! Holds great in the pond out back.

I'm taking orders (my wife has a coffee addicton):p

I was raised on Chapmans. I literally lived on a boat the first 10 years of my life, the Intercoastal Waterway was my home. And my family owned a boatyard. My father made it 'mandatory reading'. I still have yet to tire of it.

For ROBYW1, it is the PERFECT solution to his anchoring maladies. Twenty bucks WELL spent.

BTW - I use a Fortress (find that it holds better than a standard Danforth) on 10ft of heavy chain (chain can help offset a lack of scope), and keep a small 5 or 7 pound Danforth (throwing weight) on light floating nylon for the stern.

I do have the Chapmans 61st edition. I know there is a newer one. I will read the anchoring section again.

Thanks for the tips
Roby

I've been referencing Chapman's for over twenty years...great book. Put it back on the shelf, buy the Box Anchor, no chain needed, not much scope either :D He'll give you your money back if you don't like it. Can't really go wrong, and you still got a great book :p :D :p

I will place the order. Up untill now the best anchor I have tried was myself although I'm only good to 6 feet. My girlfriend told me once that I should try for deeper waters though.

:D Roby

I second the Chapmans book. If you were to put a float on your anchor line about 20' from the anchor it will tend to dampen the tug on the line. This will help from jerking the anchor loose. That would only work if you already had a good set. It just help to keep the anchor from jerking out.

Have you ever tried a spike that you could just screw in the sand since you are only in 3' to 5' of water?

Actually that's not a bad idea. On the Box Anchor web site they have a product that is a sand spike. Not a bad idea for this application.

I thought those spikes were mainly for PWCs. Wouldn't a 22' boat in choppy water yank it out of the sand - or worse break it?

Roby