I just bought a 1986 Formula 242 and need an anchor and rode. The boat probably weighs around 5000lbs with gas and people? What size/weight anchor would work best, and what length of rode? I have to stow it in a bag down below when not using it. mostly mud or sand by me. Thanks

Look up Fortress Anchors. They work great in sand. @3 feet of chain and 5 times the water depth you will be anchoring in. You can buy 150' anchor rode set's already made from most boat stores.

+1 on fortress. I got the cheaper Guardian anchor (same thing minus a better warranty and minus a coating on the anchor).

On my Donzi 28 I started with the G16 but it was a bit too long to fit in the anchor locker. I now use a smaller guardian (can't remember if it is the G7 or G11) but it holds the boat perfectly.

Easy to set, light weight, no rust.

Recommend BOX ANCHOR

http://www.slideanchor.com

It only needs a 2:1 scope on the line.........and they have it in beautiful Stainless!!!

The box anchor is great for storage but does not hold anywhere near like a Danford style does. Plus they are Heavy . I`ve switched to Fortress , love the light weight but storage blows..

get a danford. i think you can get 8lb or 13lb, the 8lb may do it, 13 will hold anything with 5' of chain attached. I've looked around for a "nice" looking anchor, but most importantly you want a good bite which makes anchoring easy.

I use both Box and Fortress anchors.

Not impressed with a small Box's holding for my 24' MC or pontoon in silt / mud bottom. It holds slightly better in sand since sand has more mass and does not slide as much.

I deploy the Large Box as my primary day anchor. works great on short scope when pulling into a raft line.

Fortress is my backup "lock down" anchor I keep for big weekends where the crowd in general is poorly anchored, over nights, especially windy days and emergency if I lose power and cant afford to risk drifting into shore. FX-16 would be about right, FX-23 would be nice over kill. The biggest benift of the FX over Guardian series is the greater angle which gives a deeper bite in loose bottom conditions.
It breaks down into a compact package for storage but can be assembled with two wrenches in a matter of minutes. A standard section of chain increases effectiveness.

Rode depends on your expected anchoring depth but I generally recomend not less than 150' and more if possible in at least 1/2" diam. Nylon only, NO poly braid.

After boating a number of years in variety of conditions, I have learned that skimping on the basics increases risk and makes life difficult.
Big anchors, plenty of rode, oversized fenders and extra long dock lines make for relaxing, no excuses boating.

I have an FX-7 Fortress with 6' chain and it easily holds my 6K 26' boat. I tried a box anchor this summer as a stern anchor to help with rotation in windy conditions and I found it cumbersome to deploy/retrieve. On a 2:1 scope it did not hold well at all in a mud bottom lake. The downside of the Fortress is it is sometimes hard to hook on hard clay bottoms.

Agreed! Box it up