Mooring the boat away from shore - how to ?

[kevinstan]

Went to the lake over the weekend. Where we camped there was a good bit of rocks at the shore line. I noticed both people with boats on either side of me had their boats moored away from shore - perfectly... I was the dummy that brought my boat all the way to shore against the rocks on the bottom. So here is my stupid question, how in the world did the one guy next to me get his boat to stay put so perfectly ? It never moved all weekend when parked. Stayed in one location about 15 ft from shore - didn't turn or go anywhere. Not even with passing boats wake. Is this done simply with an anchor ? or was he using two ? I have seen this before but would like to know how since it would be obviously better for the boat. I know this is probably a stupid question but I am curious.

 

[H20Rat]

Most likely a decent size anchor with an anchor buddy, and a line securing the stern to the shore. Was there a floating buoy in front of his boat? At my current lake, the shore slope is very gradual, so I've sometimes put in a 4 ft screw in anchor 30 feet out or so, and marked with a buoy. Not great if you are just camping as it is somewhat of a pain to install/remove.

http://www.iboats.com/Poly-Covered-Bungee-Cord-Anchor-Buddy-Greenfield/dm/view_id.1144203

 

[lineman09]

I use a anchor buddy style setup with a second line from the stern of the boat to tie off to the shore . that way u can pull your boat in to load and unload..its really easy to use and has kept my boat off rocks and secure from drifting ...

 

[scoutabout]

There's no doubt anchoring temporarily just off shore is a bit if an art, especially if you've got wind, waves, boat wake and the like to contend with. I don't do it a lot so when I do there's generally a fair bit of fiddling til I'm satisfied it's in the correct spot and it will stay put. Lots of line and the right sized anchor for your boat and the bottom conditions (mud vs sand vs rock etc) are a good start. Plus if the beach or shoreline is busy with waders and swimmers etc and shallow, I'll mark the anchor point with something like a pfd or fender so no one subs their toe on the thing. As for how much line to ensure it sets and holds...I've read everything from 3 to 7:1 ratio of depth to length.

 

[Chris1956]

The easiest way to anchor off the beach is to use an anchor at the bow and stern. You will want to anchor the bow into the wind or wakes. Of course, you need to walk out to get to the boat.

Another way is to use a heavy rubber snubber on the anchor away from the shore. Now the boat will stay away from shore, until you pull it in, stretching the snubber to load and unload the boat.

 

[wahlejim]

And don't forget an anchor chain, a couple feet of chain works wonders by absorbing some of the energy from waves.

 

[H20Rat]

Rubber bungee cord works even better! My anchor rope is nothing but 50 feet of bungee, much like the anchor buddy above. Most of the time if you are shore anchoring, the slope of the shore means that even with a lot of scope, the doesn't really have a chance to lift off the bottom and absorb shock.