Anchor Line Storage

[DavidInWilmNC]

I've got 100' of line and about 7' of chain attached to my anchor. I don't have a real anchor locker, so I keep it in the front storage (fish box?). This is on a 17' cc. I can neatly coil the rope and lay the chain and anchor on it, and it will stay somewhat tangle-free. After using the anchor and retrieving it, it's next to impossible for me to quickly get it back in the locker neatly. I'm thinking of mounting an anchor bracket somewhere in the bow area (maybe on the rail), but that doesn't help with the line. Short of a bracket for the anchor and a bucket for the line and chain, how do other handle this?

 

[HappierWet]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

I would suggest taking your time and doing it right. Keep everything neat and shipshape at all times. If I get into a big hurry that's when something gets fouled up.

 

[jeffnick]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

I use the fish locker at the stern for my rode.​

You don't have to coil it neatly - just feed it in and let it lay as it will.​

And I get a lot of flack for not using chain on my anchor, but it makes it much easier to manage.​

 

[Thad]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

I stow both of my anchors under the front center bow.

I coil the line (not the chain) the length of the anchor, the use a velcro strap to hold it. Then I grad the chain, opposite end of the coil and velcro that to the anchor eyelet. Lay it in the hold and then repeat with the other. I can move them around or pull one out from the bottom and neither gets messed up.

When it is time to use them, undo the velcro at the anchor, hold it over the side, undo the other velcro, hold the line and toss.

 

[SNye45]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

I have 300ft of line with six ft of chain. Since I have diamond plating in front of the windshield the anchor and chain just rest in the foredeck. For the line I use an empty cat litter bucket which works surprisingly well.

 

[QC]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

And I get a lot of flack for not using chain on my anchor, but it makes it much easier to manage.

Ohhhhhh . . . It's easier without chain. Got it . . . Sorry, couldn't help it

 

[nitsuj]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

I have 2 anchors and line. I have a quick line on each anchor chain to attach the line. That way, once I haul it all in, I can quickly remove the line from the anchor. There is a small storage compartment in the bow I can fit the anchors in. Then I neatly coil the line and stick it in the storage box under the bow seats.

 

[DavidInWilmNC]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

I have 2 anchors and line. I have a quick line on each anchor chain to attach the line. That way, once I haul it all in, I can quickly remove the line from the anchor. There is a small storage compartment in the bow I can fit the anchors in. Then I neatly coil the line and stick it in the storage box under the bow seats.

What kind of disconnects do you use on the chain? This is what I'm leaning towards doing, actually.

 

[rbh]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

You can find roller davits for the bow, they look good being stainless steel.
as for a locker for the line and chain, could you mount an older plastic cooler?
rob

 

[JoLin]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

You don't have to coil it neatly - just feed it in and let it lay as it will.[/LEFT]

Ditto that. When I first started out I always tried to coil it neatly so it looked nice. It always tangled the next time I had to feed it out.

Now, with both my anchors, I simply let the line drop into the storage space as I retrieve it, and it always feeds back out again the same way w/o tangling or knotting.

 

[nitsuj]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

What kind of disconnects do you use on the chain? This is what I'm leaning towards doing, actually.

Just quick links. Few bucks at any hardware store. Look like this:

Edit: I resized the pic, so that we don't have scroll issues. Max 640 x 480 seems best, QC

 

[QC]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

I use those too ^^^^^ as I have a shallow water setup with a buoy attached that I leave in the water if I am going back and forth to the same spot, and then my standard 150' for everything else. I don't think they are quick enough though so I always reattach my primary or a spare to the long rode so that I can react quickly in an emergency . . .

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Anchor Line Storage

Jeff, while the stern may be a convenient place to store the anchor, it is seldom a good idea to anchor there.

I might get a bracket for the bow rail for moving from spot to spot; although I have an anchor locker it is too small for convenient repeated use.

 

[high'n'dry]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

Jeff, while the stern may be a convenient place to store the anchor, it is seldom a good idea to anchor there.

I might get a bracket for the bow rail for moving from spot to spot; although I have an anchor locker it is too small for convenient repeated use.

Stern anchoring is a good way to wind up on the bottom or capsized.

 

[nitsuj]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

Ok, may I ask why it's so bad to stern anchor? I've been anchoring off the bow because it's where I keep the anchors and I have a cleat there. But I didn't even know it was that bad to anchor from the stern. So why is it bad?And what if I want to use 2 anchors. Can one be off the bow and one be off the stern then?

 

[rbh]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

Most boats/ships are higher in the bow as well as having a pointy end to cut through the waves, If you anchored stern first which is usually blunt ended, you could possibly take on more water.
my take on it
rob

 

[nitsuj]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

Makes sense. Worries me a bit though. My boat doesn't have a pointy end. It's blunt on both ends. ;-)

 

[high'n'dry]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

Ok, may I ask why it's so bad to stern anchor? I've been anchoring off the bow because it's where I keep the anchors and I have a cleat there. But I didn't even know it was that bad to anchor from the stern. So why is it bad?And what if I want to use 2 anchors. Can one be off the bow and one be off the stern then?

The NFL players who went into the Gulf out of Tampa earlier this year were pulling an anchor from the stern. The anchor and engine thrust pulled the stern down and then waves broke over it swamping the boat and it rolled over, capsized.

Stern anchorage except for beach anchoring or other benign conditions is not wise. The stern simply does not have the lift that the bow has and tends to go down rather than up and over.

 

[nitsuj]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

Ah. Makes perfect sense. So then the football players, they were trying to pull the anchor out with the engine? And this caused the rear of the boat to drop then swamp. I could see that.

So, is the no stern anchoring rule more for ocean and great lake use? Is it something to worry about on a smooth river and when not powering the anchor up?

 

[DavidInWilmNC]

Re: Anchor Line Storage

It's common, and almost required, to use a stern anchor (along witha bow anchor) when anchoring up to the ICWW and river islands here. The stern faces the shore, and the bow faces out. With the bow facing out, waves and wakes don't hit the boat broadside.