How heavy of a anchor?

[Caveman Charlie]

I have a 16 foot open bow 73 Silverline stern drive boat. I suppose it will weigh about 2200 pounds. It will be used on small inland lakes only. If it's too windy out I will stay home. I will not be on the water over night. I'm looking to purchase a mushroom type anchor. I know there heavier but, smaller and don't have any sharp edges. About how heavy of a anchor will I need?

Thank you.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

heavy, the problem is they do not grab the bottom. a 7 lb flute anchor and 4 feet of chain will anchor your boat well.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

To me it depends on the bottom structure. I've lost a few fluted anchors in inland lakes due to real soft mud. I've found that the mushroom is fair if used with a rode of chain. The key is having the right length of rope ratio to the depth of water along with the 4' rode of chain. I had an old 20' deep vee that I kept 3 anchors on board. One was a 10 pound mushroom style similar to a grapling hook type (for soft bottom), one was about a 10 pound fluted, (gravel/sand bottom) and the other was a homemade one from rebar that looked like great big grapling hook with 6 hooks. It weighed about 8 pounds. The later one worked well, but it finally grabbed onto something and wouldn't let go. Tried pulling it straight up and from different directions. It finally broke the link to the rode of chain. For my 27', I use a 15# fluted and so far it has done well. It drags awhile on a gravel bottom, but it does end up digging in.

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

The bottoms on all our lakes are mud. About 5 to 15 feet deep.It flows in there due to farming practices. (Farmers plow right up to the shore of the lake or stream. The lakes get a little more shallow every year. In 25 years most of them will be gone) When I purchased the boat last year it came with a anchor. Kind of. It has a heavy round weight with a bolt welded to it and a piece of chain welded to that. The problem is it's not flat on the bottom and it rolls around the deck like a loose cannon. It weighs about 40-50 pounds I'm guessing. Would you want that rolling around on your boat? Anyway, it holds the boat just fine when in the water.

Even if I did drift a little it would not hurt anything.

Heck when I was a boy and we had a little aluminum row boat with a sears and roebuck engine on it we used to just use some bricks tied to a rope. A lot of people use weighs from a old balance beam type scale. Anything heavy will do. As long as it doesn't roll around on the boat.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

One of my friends uses an old crankshaft from a type 1 VW. I was surprised how well it worked.

 

[jameskb2]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

The bottoms on all our lakes are mud. About 5 to 15 feet deep.It flows in there due to farming practices. (Farmers plow right up to the shore of the lake or stream. The lakes get a little more shallow every year. In 25 years most of them will be gone) When I purchased the boat last year it came with a anchor. Kind of. It has a heavy round weight with a bolt welded to it and a piece of chain welded to that. The problem is it's not flat on the bottom and it rolls around the deck like a loose cannon. It weighs about 40-50 pounds I'm guessing. Would you want that rolling around on your boat? Anyway, it holds the boat just fine when in the water.

My family used to frequent Big Lake Manistee in the upper peninsula of MI. They rented 14' boats with outboards for fishing. The anchors they had were made from a 20" disk of steel (much like a satellite dish) with a 16" rod bolted through the center on the concave side. Two opposing sides of the anchor had about 6" removed to flatten them so they wouldn't roll around.

They dug well in mud or sand or rocks. Always retrievable. They were heavy as heck when they dug in mud though, and you had to "wash" them, swishing them around in the water before being brought aboard. That lake could get very windy, and although these boats are smaller than yours, they would not drift a bit with those anchors.

 

[Caveman Charlie]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

The bottoms on all our lakes are mud. About 5 to 15 feet deep.It flows in there due to farming practices. (Farmers plow right up to the shore of the lake or stream. The lakes get a little more shallow every year. In 25 years most of them will be gone) When I purchased the boat last year it came with a anchor. Kind of. It has a heavy round weight with a bolt welded to it and a piece of chain welded to that. The problem is it's not flat on the bottom and it rolls around the deck like a loose cannon. It weighs about 40-50 pounds I'm guessing. Would you want that rolling around on your boat? Anyway, it holds the boat just fine when in the water.

My family used to frequent Big Lake Manistee in the upper peninsula of MI. They rented 14' boats with outboards for fishing. The anchors they had were made from a 20" disk of steel (much like a satellite dish) with a 16" rod bolted through the center on the concave side. Two opposing sides of the anchor had about 6" removed to flatten them so they wouldn't roll around.

They dug well in mud or sand or rocks. Always retrievable. They were heavy as heck when they dug in mud though, and you had to "wash" them, swishing them around in the water before being brought aboard. That lake could get very windy, and although these boats are smaller than yours, they would not drift a bit with those anchors.

Humm.... Sounds like a blade from a piece of agriculture equipment called a disk harrow. Might not be a bad idea at all. And cheap, I have bunches of worn out ones at my disposal.

 

[Boatist]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

I have a lot of anchors for my boats but none better than the Fortress FX-7 4 pound aluminum anchor. Tested by the Coast Guard and many boating Mags and all found to be the best anchor but it is not a cheap anchor. It diggs in FAST and DEEP also comes with a free mud flap if you want it. I never used the mud flap and the anchor holds our 21 foot boat everywhere we go.

http://www.iboats.com/Fortress_Anch...204617873--**********.439092526--view_id.4943

 

[cbavier]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

I have two anchors a navy Anchor 15 Lbs and a Fluke 8 Lbs both with 4 ft of Rode Anchor Clasps and using 3/8 Rope tied properly.

Both work well in soft and normal sand but the Navy Anchor seems to weigh a ton. I am going to purchase another Fluke Anchor soon. I also prefer the coated Fluke Anchor. Not only is it lighter but easier to pull from the Lake Bottom.

With the Fluke you just pull up and when it starts to come up. Release the pressure then go ahead and pull it up. It just seems so much lighter and easier to work. Although both hold well.

I had a 10 Lb Mushroom anchor and it didn't hold worth a hoot. Rolled and dragged without biting in so the boat would drift in the slightest wind.

It will be Fluke Anchors for me. There are two types of Fluke Anchors one has a ring the other is tied direct.

The Fluke with the ring seems to hang up occasionally so I personally prefer the one you Tie directly to.

An 8 Lb Fluke will hold my Boat in any wind that I care to stay out in.

4 Winns Horizon 190

 

[reelfishin]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

I only use a mushroom anchor where there is no current at all. With my smaller boats, say up to about 15' in freshwater, I have to old window sash weights that I dipped in epoxy so they don't mar up the boat. I used one years ago after losing an anchor and had found one out in the woods, it worked so well that I went out and found a few more. They drop straight down like a missle and sink well into soft bottoms but pull right out when your over the anchor. They also don't tear up the bottom real bad. If they get stuck, its also no big loss, but I've yet to lose one. They vary in weight, but most are about 4 to 5lbs. I keep two on my lake boat so I can use two to hold position on windy days.

They work so well that I stopped carrying a regular anchor. They will roll around the boat though if you don't have a place to stash them. I mounted a pair of brackets to hold mine, sort of like deep cup holders with some pipe insulation inside.

 

[PhatboyC]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

For your size of boat I also recommend a Fluke style anchor. They can be very light, especially the ones made of aluminium. Or get the no name galvanized steel fluke style. Cheaper, still light and can be found at a bargain.

For my boat this year I splurge for a new to the market XYZ anchor. They claimed to be the smallest with some of the best holding power. I haven't used it yet but from the review I have read and videos Ive seen I like the new approach they took to the design.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

When using a fluke type anchor in rough bottom areas, I try to stick to one with a sliding ring, so that a reverse pull will release the flukes. I've yet to lose one of these yet. The largest one I have however was a freebie I found in the river, complete with about 135' of line and a 4' length of chain. I snagged it while striper fishing, it must have either fallen overboard or gotten dragged up stream somehow. It took a lot of pulling and changing direction to get it free, but it came up and I hauled it home in the jon boat I was in that day.

Here's an example of a self releasing design: http://tinyurl.com/2gqd4q

One nice thing about a fluke type anchor is that they are light and you can afford to carry a spare.

 

[cbavier]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

When using a fluke type anchor in rough bottom areas, I try to stick to one with a sliding ring, so that a reverse pull will release the flukes. I've yet to lose one of these yet. The largest one I have however was a freebie I found in the river, complete with about 135' of line and a 4' length of chain. I snagged it while striper fishing, it must have either fallen overboard or gotten dragged up stream somehow. It took a lot of pulling and changing direction to get it free, but it came up and I hauled it home in the jon boat I was in that day.

Here's an example of a self releasing design: http://tinyurl.com/2gqd4q

One nice thing about a fluke type anchor is that they are light and you can afford to carry a spare.

Amen to your comment reelfishin. Boy how lucky. The only things I ever find are people's old discarded fishing line in a ball or broken fishing poles.

 

[frankie g]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

Fissh the Gulf of Mexico, 2302 wa loaded approx 5500 lbs 3-4' seas, Fortress FX-7 4 lbs w/ 20' 1/4" chain hooks up every time! The chain is most important. For every foot of boat, use a foot of chain and you'll have no problem. boating where and how you use your boat I'd say FX-7 w 6' 1/4" chain and you'll be hooked up and will not kill you when lifting.

 

[cbavier]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

For every foot of boat, use a foot of chain and you'll have no problem. boating where and how you use your boat I'd say FX-7 w 6' 1/4" chain and you'll be hooked up and will not kill you when lifting.

Lets see 20ft of Boat = 20 Ft of Chain. Better get a Hoist to bring that chain in. Somehow I think he meant for every four feet of boat use one ft of chain.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

Lets see 20ft of Boat = 20 Ft of Chain. Better get a Hoist to bring that chain in. Somehow I think he meant for every four feet of boat use one ft of chain.

Uh, I hope so, cause that would mean I would need 28' of chain, heck I might as well make it 40 and tie it to a cleat Just kiddin of course I use 4' chain & 1/2" braided (not twisted) nylon rope with a fluke. It's about 12# and galvanized. With the large surface area of my boat, it hasn't ever failed to drift any. For 20' of water, I'll use 80' of line. Not sure if that is right or not, but it works for me. I think he meant 4' of line per foot of water, thats what I go by.

 

[daniel2229]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

I bought my first boat last January at the boat show and got a great deal. When I went to pick up the boat in April, it came with a Richter anchor. It's an 18 pounder. It does great in our muddy bottomed lakes in Ohio. It also did really well holding in the wind at Norris Lake which tends to have a rocky bottom.

I have had only one close call with the anchor in a stand of drowned trees. The anchor got hung up on a limb. But I moved to the other side of the tree like the manufacturer says to do, and it came right up.

Check it out at http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0013645015218a.shtml

Good luck with your boat.

 

[cbavier]

Re: How heavy of a anchor?

I bought my first boat last January at the boat show and got a great deal. When I went to pick up the boat in April, it came with a Richter anchor. It's an 18 pounder. It does great in our muddy bottomed lakes in Ohio. It also did really well holding in the wind at Norris Lake which tends to have a rocky bottom.

I have had only one close call with the anchor in a stand of drowned trees. The anchor got hung up on a limb. But I moved to the other side of the tree like the manufacturer says to do, and it came right up.

Check it out at http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0013645015218a.shtml

Good luck with your boat.

Congratulations with the New Boat! Launch is only 8 weeks away for me in Northern Michigan. But even in Ohio your a ways away from launch. However with that said. You can keep that 18 Lb Anchor. I'd rather have my 8 Lb Fluke anchor that will do the same thing plus not give me a Hernia pulling it out of the Muck or weeds even with a Four Foot 3/8 Chain.
I have a 10 LB Navy anchor also and the difference between the two I have is unbelievable when it comes time to handle them. I can't feature trying to pull an 18 LB anchor by hand. If you had an Electric Anchor Winch that wouldn't be an issue.
I plan to purchase another 8 Lb Fluke anchor soon and I'll just keep the Navy anchor for a spare.