Anchor Recommendations

[phipps]

I just purchased a 24ft pontoon and it does not have an anchor. The only anchor my local Wal Mart has is a 10lb mushroom. That just doesnt seem like it would hold my boat.

I am looking for suggestions as to what type/size of anchor I should get.



Thanks,

Gary

 

[quantico]

Re: Anchor Recommendations

I have a 21 foot pontoon on a river. I use a 18 lb river anchor that works ok in a gravel and mud bottom unless the river current is really fast. With fast water or heavy wind the 18 pound anchor will slide along the bottom fairly easily. If you are on a lake the ten pound anchor would be suitable for what I call a "lunch hook" . That is an easy to throw and recover anchor when you want to stop and talk or swim. I would not trust a ten pound anchor to keep your boat in place with the high wind loading that a pontoon boat offers. Remember too that you want about six times the depth of water in anchor line. If the water is pretty still you can put out 20 feet of line in 10 feet of water as long as the goal is to kind of help keep the boat in a given area.

I would add that if you have an engine problem or want to avoid crashing into a dock or shallow area in some serious wind or moving water that you want to ability to actually keep your boat stuck to the bottom. Having two anchors is not a bad thing, and having one that kids can easily toss and recover is a great thing. You will want to get something heavier that works best in the water you boat in. The bottom that you have in your area will determine what will work best for you.

I have found that my river anchor ( looks like a three leaf clover ) with vinyl coating and a heavy metal pipe that comes up about 8 inches can be recovered by most anyone. Mine is 18 pounds and I am looking for a second anchor that would be suitable for faster water on my river / or more wind loading. The nice thing about the river anchor is that is has no sharp edges when sitting on the carpet is is foot friendly and won't tear up decking.

So that ten pound anchor might be a good lite anchor and can give you something to use until you see what everyone else is using for boats your size on your water. You can test the ten pound anchor by setting it and putting the boat in reverse at fairly low throttle and my guess is that the thing will move around easily. You should know that you have a very limited duty " lunch hook" .

 

[phipps]

Re: Anchor Recommendations

Thanks for the thoughts. The lake where our boat is docked is usually fairly calm. It only averages about 5-6 feet in depth and is a muddy bottom.

 

[NelsonQ]

Re: Anchor Recommendations

I have a 10lb anchor on a mud bottom in the lake I have my boat in. Works well on my 17' deck boat. A friend of mine has a 23" deck boat. A single 10lb doesn't cut it in the muddy bottom, particularly when there's a good breeze/wind.

I suspect the larger or 2 may work best (drop the second only in wind) as mentioned above. I don't think the mushroom type would work for your application and are probably designed for smaller crafts like a 12-14" aluminum.

 

[Johnson 225]

Re: Anchor Recommendations

Look at a chain too. It help the shock of the boat moving around about 4 to 6 foot long.

 

[phipps]

Re: Anchor Recommendations

What is the purpose of the chain? Ive seen that recommended elsewhere, just not sure why.

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Anchor Recommendations

The chain will help keep the anchor horizontal to set it. Also plan on at least a 3 to 1 rode slope. That is if the bottom is 20 feet deep, play out 60 feet of rode (anchor rope). For windy or high current, you may have to have a 5 to 1 slope.

I have inserted vinyl markers in my rode so that I know how much is played out.

I have a 20# Danforth for my 24' deckboat on a lake with a muddy bottom. I will transfer it to the new 'toon.

Whenever you anchor out, you will need to occasionally check your position to ensure that the anchor isn't slipping.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Anchor Recommendations

I use a 25lb Vinyl Coated Richter Anchor with 4' of chain and 3x the depth of anchor rope. Hold my 25' toon great. I would have been fine with the 18lb but they were sold out.

 

[quantico]

Re: Anchor Recommendations

interesting looking anchor. Chain has two reasons to be used.... the first to protect the anchor line from rocks when it gets pulled and moved around... second to help keep the loading horizontal / which helps keep the holding power of a danforth type anchor.

I would not suggest a chain for a muddy bottom lake... it will make a mess every time you pull it up with little benefit in holding power.

I would buy a 18 lb river anchor and try that a while... it it works pretty well get a second one and you have a good chance to keep the boat in place when needed. Other wise get about a 25 pound anchor and use the lighter one when it will work just fine. My river is typically 6 feet - 10 feet deep and you don't need to have more than about 50 feet of anchor line.... typically on a non windy day you can get by with 15 feet of line or so. Keep the end of the anchor line tied to a good spot on the boat and tie a simple knot to the railing or whatever when you only need a short anchor run.