Attaching / Using an Anchor

H

happy_flyer

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I have a 21ft Sunrunner from the early 80's - it has no factory / built in anchor. I want to be able to anchor my boat while I lay on some of the wonderful beaches around here and am wondering what my options are. Is it acceptable to attach the anchor rope/chain to a cleat or the railings and throw it oveboard ? What do you experienced folks do ?

Thanks !
 
tashasdaddy

tashasdaddy

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

with a properly attached bow cleat and suffient anchor, line and chain, you should be fine.
 
A

a70eliminator

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

I've always just tied it off to the bow eye, then bring the rope up and 1 wrap around bow cleat, then down the gunwale to the stern cleat, then neatly coil the rope and lay anchor on top of it and shove it all way back against the transom. That was with my 16' 70hp ouboard closed bow MFG. Sometimes in calm waters I would just drop it off the rear corner, if windy then off the rear cleat and leave attached to front cleat, if in 2-3 ft waves, off the bow cleat and nothing but bow eye, when pulling up I would have to do the belly crawl over the windshield and onto the bow then reach for the rope at the bow eye. Now I have a 20' bow rider also no anchor locker so i'm going to have to figure out what works, probably about the same thing only it may be easier to reach out and grab the rope at the bow eye. I've never needed to use any length of chain just the rope has worked for me in the past, navy style anchor.
 
Caveman Charlie

Caveman Charlie

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

My anchor is just a big round weight. I hate hauling around all that extra weight. Would a...um.... anchor shaped anchor be lighter and still keep my 3500 pound boat from drifting on a small lake? The bottoms of all our lakes are mud and silt run off from farm erosion.
 
Mischief Managed

Mischief Managed

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

Caveman Charlie said:
My anchor is just a big round weight. I hate hauling around all that extra weight. Would a...um.... anchor shaped anchor be lighter and still keep my 3500 pound boat from drifting on a small lake? The bottoms of all our lakes are mud and silt run off from farm erosion.
Click to expand...

Heck ya! No sense carrying a mooring around all the time. A danforth, claw, or plow style will work fine in your lake bottom. For 3500 lbs of boat and day use, a 7 lb anchor and 5 feet of chain on the rode ought to do. For overnight use, I'd double the weight and the chain. I use a 22 lb plow and 15' of chain on my 6000 lb boat for day and overnight use. It holds with unbelievable force in mud.
 
JCF350

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

Caveman Charlie said:
My anchor is just a big round weight. I hate hauling around all that extra weight. Would a...um.... anchor shaped anchor be lighter and still keep my 3500 pound boat from drifting on a small lake? The bottoms of all our lakes are mud and silt run off from farm erosion.
Click to expand...

Yes, if you are referring to a Danforth style fluked anchor. Get one that is a little larger rated than your boat if you have to deal with deep mud.
 
Caveman Charlie

Caveman Charlie

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

Danfoth fluke anchor, claw, or plow style. Around 7 pounds. Thanks! I'll look them up.

The one I have now must weigh 20 or more.
 
Texasmark

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

I don't know if you're still interested, but the Danforth, in my opinion, gives you the most holding power for the least amount of weight to carry around in your boat. Agree on the chain and problems with mud.

On where to tie, if you use a deck cleat you need to know how it is attached to the boat. Thru bolted with backup material (for added strength) is best. I wouldn't trust a screw period.....would only use that if temporarily tieing up to a dock in a marina.

If it must hold, I only use the bow eye.

On "fetching", I go down the length of the anchor rope (line in nautical terms) the distance I would have to pull the line to get at it if I were standing in the cockpit, plus the distance for the line to be fully extended when anchored. I attach a snag line to the anchor line there and secure it to a cleat handy to the cockpit.

To retrieve, just drive over the anchor as you are pulling on the snag line and retrieving the anchor line; then store all in the cockpit with the lines lieing along the deck around the end of the windshield.

Also, the best Danforth is one with a slip ring that works normally, but upon retrieving, you can drive past the anchor and as you do the ring will slide to the crown and you pull it out butt first.....really hard to get one of those hung up.

Mark
 
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MrBigStuff

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

I expect it's just colorful description in this post but I have seen people who actually throw their anchors overboard. I'm mystified by this practice as it seems dangerous to me. I prefer to LOWER my anchor into the water and down to the bottom. What if that line is wrapped around something it's not supposed to be? Uncontrolled deployment of the anchor and line is asking for trouble IMHO.
 
R

rndn

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

Cleat or bow eye/transom eye. Do not use the railings as they are not intended for that use.
 
180shabah

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

MrBigStuff said:
I expect it's just colorful description in this post but I have seen people who actually throw their anchors overboard. I'm mystified by this practice as it seems dangerous to me. I prefer to LOWER my anchor into the water and down to the bottom. What if that line is wrapped around something it's not supposed to be? Uncontrolled deployment of the anchor and line is asking for trouble IMHO.
Click to expand...

And then they pull it up and throw it again, then they pull it up and throw it again....... Eventually it hits bottom without the line being under it or wrapped around it and can be set.

You are doing it correctly, lower it, let out the required scope, use reverse(in direction of current or wind) to set the anchor. Then relax, no injuries, and you look good, cause it set the first time(usually).
 
H

happy_flyer

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

Thanks folks for the replies... I will seek out a Danforth most likely. I now undertsand how to set the anchor, but I still don't understand the easiest / safest way to free it when it's time to move on....could somebody explain that to me again ? ( I apologise - I am a total boating newbie )....
 
Caveman Charlie

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

I looked up danforth and was thinking there was a lot of sharp edges. Also, it looks much bigger then my simple weigh. Remember, I'm not on the ocean and I'm in a boat with limited storage room. Looks like my simple round weight is the best for me so far. Even if it is heavy.
 
A

a70eliminator

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

I carry a second anchor of the mushroom type I boat inland lakes also and the need for a danforth is nill.
I'm one of those guys whom you will see throwing the anchor out just as far as I can, (I have my reasons) and yes you have to have a neatly coiled rope and be careful about what your doing.
 
A

a70eliminator

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

180shabah said:
And then they pull it up and throw it again, then they pull it up and throw it again....... Eventually it hits bottom without the line being under it or wrapped around it and can be set.

You are doing it correctly, lower it, let out the required scope, use reverse(in direction of current or wind) to set the anchor. Then relax, no injuries, and you look good, cause it set the first time(usually).[/QUOTE

Thats me. Depending on what type of fishing I'm doing it will be necessary to anchor from the bow and the stern. I'll anchor from the stern by dropping anchor and pulling forward a bit to set, then i'll heave the other off the bow as far as I can throw it and after it hits bottom slowly pull the slack, sometimes it takes a couple throws to get it set, but once it does the boat will stay put without wallowing left and right as it would with just one anchor.
Click to expand...
 
orion25

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

Caveman Charlie said:
My anchor is just a big round weight. I hate hauling around all that extra weight. Would a...um.... anchor shaped anchor be lighter and still keep my 3500 pound boat from drifting on a small lake? The bottoms of all our lakes are mud and silt run off from farm erosion.
Click to expand...

I have a 20lb Mushroom anchor that I use with my 3400lb boat. It fits nicely in the anchor compartment...... I have had no problems with it in the few months that I have had it. It is used in sandy conditions. I just lower it until it hits bottom then throw about 10' to 15' of extra line and put the boat in reverse for a few seconds. I can feel it grab. When it comes time to depart I pull on the line and the boat moves to where the anchor & line is vertical and I pull it up.
 
PhatboyC

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

Texasmark said:
On where to tie, if you use a deck cleat you need to know how it is attached to the boat. Thru bolted with backup material (for added strength) is best. I wouldn't trust a screw period.....would only use that if temporarily tieing up to a dock in a marina.
If it must hold, I only use the bow eye.
Click to expand...

Aren't all cleats made to secure your boat? Either be when rafting up or at a marina even in bad weather? I never heard anyone said they are only for light duty before. All the boats I see left at the marina thats all they use. I never heard any stories about the cleats coming out?

Texasmark said:
Also, the best Danforth is one with a slip ring that works normally, but upon retrieving, you can drive past the anchor and as you do the ring will slide to the crown and you pull it out butt first.....really hard to get one of those hung up.
Mark
Click to expand...

I agree. The best for day application. Which is what happy_flyer needs it for. But anyone else reading, these anchors are not recommended for overnight. To easy for the wind to change direction and drag the anchor the opposite way.
 
Texasmark

Texasmark

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

#1 If you want to anchor to a gunwale cleat have at it. Some boats point out in their sales brochures that their cleats are backed up (usually with marine plywood) and thru bolted. Some you can see for yourself from the underside.

On my Ranger, a premier bass boat if you never heard of them, you can't access the underside of the gunwale once the boat is built. So they drill holes in the fiberglass and screw them in.

#2 Agree on changing wind directions can uproot your anchor, but most will right themselves and rebore in the bottom. Only when you have a mushroom on a hard bottom do you have problems; course I used Navy type before I graduated to Danforth, and the fat flukes on the Navy sometimes wouldn't bite into hard bottoms either.......but the Danforth (with chain) would.
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On retrieving an anchor, I usually used the slip ring type Danforth where you drive past it taking up the slack in the line as you go. Only on a couple of occasions did I have to tie onto the stern eye to dislodge one and usually that was of the not tripping type.

My 2c,

Mark
 
180shabah

180shabah

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Re: Attaching / Using an Anchor

a70eliminator said:
Thats me. Depending on what type of fishing I'm doing it will be necessary to anchor from the bow and the stern. I'll anchor from the stern by dropping anchor and pulling forward a bit to set, then i'll heave the other off the bow as far as I can throw it and after it hits bottom slowly pull the slack, sometimes it takes a couple throws to get it set, but once it does the boat will stay put without wallowing left and right as it would with just one anchor.
Click to expand...


There's an exception to every rule, sounds like you got a system that works.
 
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