Anchoring in rough water
 

All last summer I was having problems getting my anchor to hold in the lake. (Lake Conroe TX) The bottom is hard pack sand and with the rough water the boat always comes loose. Has anyone found an anchor that will hold in those conditions? Mine will hold for only minutes than I have to swim out to retrieve the boat.

I'm using the run of the mill hooker anchor that I bought from Academy. It says it is for boats up to 25' I use it on a 22' Scarab. What am I doing wrong?

Roby

Get a fortress anchor. They work 10 times better than a standard danforth style. Make sure you have plenty of rode(chain) for weight which helps reduce the pulling angle on the anchor. Last thing to do is have plenty of scope. 5-7 times the depth is recommended. In other words, if you're anchoring in 10 feet of water, let out 50-70 feet of line. You want to pull on the anchor almost horizontally...it's the only way they will hold in rough water. If the scope is too short, you're pulling up on it too much and not enough horizontally.

That's about it.

Ive anchored in travis in 80ft of water, i better get 800ft of rope :D

it does work much better with more out like that. the good thing about travis is your anchor hooks on a rock and holds you. the bad news is about 5 times a summer, i get to go diving to get my stuck anchor back.:rolleyes:

This long scope can pose a problem when many boats are anchored in close proximity as anchored boats can drift in all different directions. Many of times I have had to reposition my boat when it gets close to another boat. However for the most part it seems like it is mine that is always coming loose. Perhaps I need to take Anchoring 101, or maybe if I spent more than 30 dollars for anchor and rope I wouldn't have problems. :D

Roby

then anchoring on the beach in lake erie, Itstough cause there can be some pretty big waves but its real shallow so I've found the anchor your useing will hold fine you just need to let more line out.
If drifting too much throw an aft anchor too.

Forget the Fortress anchor...pure junk (no disrespect intended Baja Daze). The only thing you're doing wrong is your not using the Box Anchor...end of problem. I gave my Fortress away after the first time I used my Box Anchor. I'm not alone in my opinion either...


http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...ght=box+anchor

Just find a large SeaRay to piggy back off of. Let them worry about it.:D :D ;)

None taken, Indy. What works for some may not for others, it all depends on the bottom, too.

I swear by mine, though. Out of probably 300 anchorings with mine over the last two years, the total times it pulled out was zero including plenty of rough conditions.

I was a turn boat for a race this year. So it was important that I stay in position. I threw out my old Fortress. It wouldn't hold.:( So I pulled it back in and threw out my new Box Anchor.It wouldn't hold.:mad:

After quite a bit of struggling:eureka: I threw out both anchors and didn't move again.:p

Sometimes it takes teamwork.:)

As Baja-Daze said, throw out plenty of scope to get the right angle to keep it set. Setting solo a second anchor is necessary for the drifting. Another amongst many creative ways is to throw a stern line to an adjoining buddy's boat and tie off on his stern keeping the boats in unison with winds/currents...

My Fortress holds fine in silt/mud (I've held up to 4 other boats rafted to me), but doesn't work well on sandy bottoms. Thanks for the link re: box anchors, Indy -- I'll look into that. Ditto the comments on the scope.

Actually my main concern is anchoring in about 3 to 5 feet of water. This is where we just stand around and chat, drink, eat and whatever else. However the water is very rough for a small lake. lots of boat traffic and bulkheading

Roby

In 3-5 feet of water, sandy bottom, and lots of boat wakes, I simply use a standard danforth anchor. BUT, I have 5' of chain on mine. I also have the anchor rated for the next size up, my boat is 24', and I have the anchor for the next range up from that. In 5 feet I'll be putting out at least 40' of rode, perhaps more if the waves are bigger. We do this A LOT on the shores of Lake Michigan. Perftectly sandy bottom, no rocks, no weeds, no clay. Just pure white sand. My boat NEVER comes loose. It is important that when you put your anchor in, you don't simply "throw" it over board. Lay it into the water and then back down to where you want the boat to end up. This kinda takes 2 people I guess.... one to drive, one to set the anchor. And I do mean "set the anchor." Hold the line parallel to the water while backing down, and just before you get to where you want to end up, neutral the boat and stop it using the anchor. You will know INSTANTLY whether you got a good set or not. If you don't stop, no set! This works every time.

To keep from drifting into other boats, I carry an 8lb navy anchor in a nylon bag with about 40' of line on it. I drop it off the back of the boat, nearly straight down, and I do not drift back and forth.

I've been using this method since my father taught it to me nearly 30 years ago. I like anchoring in sand!!!!

Get a box anchor!! No chain, just throw it in the water and relax. Do a search on the box anchor... I've never heard a negative thing from anyone about them!!!

I've been told they do not work so well in sandy bottom areas, especially if the waves are bigger. Just what I've been told, never seen anyone use one around here. We all stick with our danfoth's.

I've got the smallest one and it holds the Cig. fine (10,000 lbs.). The last time that I used it, we were the only boat anchored and three others were tied up to us. The only place that I've used it is in the sand. (Potomac River)

Like I said, no personal knowledge, just second hand drivvel I guess!!

I've been very pleased with my Fortress. However, I set the anchor exactly like Waterfoul and I've never had a problem on Lake Mich.

Watch out for sailboat!!!

"Hey! You scratched my anchor!!!"

Enough chain and plenty of scope.

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

Thing is, a sandspike is an additional piece of equipment, in addition to the requisite anchor. If your engine(s) die 100 yds off a rocky jetty with wind and waves pushing you toward the rocks, a sandspike isn't going to help. ROBYW1 will need a good anchor, and good technique, if only for safety.

Now that is a lesson in anchoring!!!

ANCHORING LESSON 101
 

First off, I have no experience with the box anchor that ya'll are talking about and don't even know what it looks like, all my experience is with either a danforth or a Fortress.

It is simple geometry! You have to let out enough scope on the rode to allow the flukes of the anchor to embed themselves in whatever medium you are anchoring in. The angle between the anchor rode/shank and the bottom must be less than the total angle between the rode/shank and the flukes. This will allow the anchor to bury itself in the medium. You can compensate with chain to help hold the shank down while setting the anchor, but nothing helps more than enough scope. If you look at page 256 of the 62nd edition of Chapman's you will see how an anchor is suppose to be set. Once set the only thing you should see on the bottom is the rode sticking out.

On my 40' SeaRay in 20' of water I put out around 120 to 150 feet of rode with no chain, once I feel that it is set, I "back down" on it with both engines to 2000 rpm's to make sure the anchor is set. I sometimes throw a stern anchor to control the drift. I have held 12 large boats this way. On the 41, I use a Fortress FX16 with 10' of 3/8" chain. I don't have to use as much scope 'cause the chain holds the shank parallel to the bottom to set the anchor.

If I were you, anchoring a 22' boat in 3 to 5 feet of water, I would put out at least 40 feet of rode on whatever anchor I had and possibly some chain. It has been my experience that smaller boats react more to wave action than larger ones.

I hope this helps,
Robert