Anchor suggestions

[freerider8]

So I have an 18ft sport boat with a cubby, so no open bow which I now wish I had. My issue is using an anchor that I can toss over the boat that will still hold the boat yet not a pain in the butt to haul in. I have been climbing onto the bow to retrieve the anchor but this has become a real pain. I have a fluke anchor but I feel it is not large enough for my boat. It has a number 10 printed on one of the points of the anchor so I assume that is the weight. The other problem that I do not like about this anchor is when retrieving it into the boat it is very difficult to get all the mud and plant life that comes off the bottom of the lake. I was looking into the plow anchors and was wondering if anyone uses this type and how well does it work for you? One last question. Is it possible to add an electric anchor to the bow of a boat that currently does not have one?
Thanks

 

[alldodge]

Being 18 footer the 10lb should be enough to hold. It should also have at least 10 ft of chain, 15 is better. The chain keeps the the anchor digging in and a plow type would be best for soft mud or sand bottoms. Also need enough rode let out for at least 3 times the depth, and more as current increases

Could go 15lb to help but having to climb on the bow is a pain

You can add a winch to the bow but this requires cutting, reinforcing the deck and other things.

 

[tpenfield]

Fluke anchors do not dig in very well in seaweed or rocky areas. You could try a Delta (plow) or a claw anchor. You might need to go up to a 14 lb. size range just to get a bit more reliability.

As stated, adding a windlass, is a big project ($,$$$) . . . BTDT

 

[flashback]

What kind of weather do you experience on your lake?
Why do you anchor?
How long?

Anchor from the stern can work fine depending on conditions...

 

[sangerwaker]

Another option is to put a chain link connector 10-20' from the bow eye where the anchor is attached (length depends on size of boat). Attach a second rope to the chain link and use that rope to pull in the main line into the boat. That way there is no need to get on the bow to retrieve the anchor. Everything can be done from the back of the boat. Just be sure to secure the end of the second rope somewhere inside the boat when anchor is deployed. Been there.

 

[Scott Danforth]

A 10# fluke anchor and 10' of chain should hold fine on your 18'. I use a 13# on my 26 foot

 

[ESGWheel]

I also boat in a lake (Lake George in NY) that has everything from mud to silt to grass to rock as the bottom. I have tried several styles including danforth, flute, grapple, etc. But my go to and what I have consistently used for years now is a river anchor (link). Its compact, easy to handle and store and works for me. I also violate the rule and have only a 100-foot braided (not twisted) rode, no chain. However, while anchored in a good stiff wind with large wakes from passing boats it will cause me to drag anchor, so I remain aware knowing this. But I have recently added an anchor shock bungee device (link) with good success in those conditions.

I do carry a danforth with a 200’ rode with a 10’ chain as a backup and a smallish grapple. Grapple used for anchoring the stern in a cove to keep me properly orientated.

And regardless of the anchor, you are going to have to deal with mud and such.

 

[freerider8]

I also boat in a lake (Lake George in NY) that has everything from mud to silt to grass to rock as the bottom. I have tried several styles including danforth, flute, grapple, etc. But my go to and what I have consistently used for years now is a river anchor (link). Its compact, easy to handle and store and works for me. I also violate the rule and have only a 100-foot braided (not twisted) rode, no chain. However, while anchored in a good stiff wind with large wakes from passing boats it will cause me to drag anchor, so I remain aware knowing this. But I have recently added an anchor shock bungee device (link) with good success in those conditions.

I do carry a danforth with a 200’ rode with a 10’ chain as a backup and a smallish grapple. Grapple used for anchoring the stern in a cove to keep me properly orientated.

And regardless of the anchor, you are going to have to deal with mud and such.

I am definitely getting one of the anchor shocks. The looks like it can also help in keeping my boat more stable when it is windy. Thanks for the tip.

 

[freerider8]

What kind of weather do you experience on your lake?
Why do you anchor?
How long?

Anchor from the stern can work fine depending on conditions...

I live near Lake Erie and it can get windy at a moments notice and the water gets choppy and if I do not want to drift too far then anchoring is necessary. I only anchor from the stern if the conditions are calm and I just want to stay in one place because we are just relaxing on the water. There are usually other boats in the same area so it is important to stay in place.

 

[freerider8]

Being 18 footer the 10lb should be enough to hold. It should also have at least 10 ft of chain, 15 is better. The chain keeps the the anchor digging in and a plow type would be best for soft mud or sand bottoms. Also need enough rode let out for at least 3 times the depth, and more as current increases

Could go 15lb to help but having to climb on the bow is a pain

You can add a winch to the bow but this requires cutting, reinforcing the deck and other things.

So I need to have 10ft of chain attached to the anchor before the rope? Right now there is about 3-4 ft of chain attached to the anchor and then the rope. Whatever is attached to it is what it came with when I purchased the boat. Plus what I have been reading on anchors it seems that they all have this setup as far as the amount of chain attached to the anchor.

 

[freerider8]

I also found a claw anchor but it is 8 lbs with a 6.5 ft chain. It claims that this would hold a 17-24 foot boat. Does this sound accurate to any of you? I am also going to purchase a anchor shock to use with my anchor.

 

[ESGWheel]

I also found a claw anchor but it is 8 lbs with a 6.5 ft chain. It claims that this would hold a 17-24 foot boat. Does this sound accurate to any of you?

You will not know until you try. I experimented with a number of combinations until I settled out on the river anchor. Ironically it was also my first anchor but after 2 or 3 seasons of experimenting, I ended up where I started!

How much chain depends. Not a clean answer but it does. I have 10’ of chain on my danforth because for the times I have used it that worked for me. Think of the chain as the ‘shock absorber’ > the weight of the chain ideally lays flat on the bottom and as the boat pitches up and down the chain end attached to the line will get pulled up, and then lay back down again. This precludes the anchor getting ‘tugged’ in a vertical direction by the line which would cause it to unseat (drag). The shock absorber is like a substitute for the chain for my river anchor. Not ideal but works in my conditions. Also, I only anchor astern in dead calm. The smallish foldable grapple anchor mentioned is used as a 2nd anchor (main one on bow, grapple off stern) to hold my heading so to speak. Here is a good article on anchoring if you have not seen it already link.

 

[freerider8]

You will not know until you try. I experimented with a number of combinations until I settled out on the river anchor. Ironically it was also my first anchor but after 2 or 3 seasons of experimenting, I ended up where I started!

How much chain depends. Not a clean answer but it does. I have 10’ of chain on my danforth because for the times I have used it that worked for me. Think of the chain as the ‘shock absorber’ > the weight of the chain ideally lays flat on the bottom and as the boat pitches up and down the chain end attached to the line will get pulled up, and then lay back down again. This precludes the anchor getting ‘tugged’ in a vertical direction by the line which would cause it to unseat (drag). The shock absorber is like a substitute for the chain for my river anchor. Not ideal but works in my conditions. Also, I only anchor astern in dead calm. The smallish foldable grapple anchor mentioned is used as a 2nd anchor (main one on bow, grapple off stern) to hold my heading so to speak. Here is a good article on anchoring if you have not seen it already link.

Thank you for your response. I have checked out that article and find it helpful, but I am unfamiliar with some of the terminology used in the article. I have more to learn.

 

[freerider8]

Another option is to put a chain link connector 10-20' from the bow eye where the anchor is attached (length depends on size of boat). Attach a second rope to the chain link and use that rope to pull in the main line into the boat. That way there is no need to get on the bow to retrieve the anchor. Everything can be done from the back of the boat. Just be sure to secure the end of the second rope somewhere inside the boat when anchor is deployed. Been there.

View attachment 386818

I am unsure what you mean by this. My boat does not have an anchor built into the bow of the boat. I have to climb up on top of the bow to put the anchor in and also retrieve it.

 

[FunInDuhSun]

What he means is attach a line to the bow eye that is long enough to reach into your cockpit. When you anchor, use this line and attach your anchor rode to it. I used to do this with a 23 foot cuddy cabin boat. No need to crawl to the bow. I might add that a secondary line should be added to the same point as the anchor rode and kept near the cockpit to aid in anchor retrieval.

 

[freerider8]

What he means is attach a line to the bow eye that is long enough to reach into your cockpit. When you anchor, use this line and attach your anchor rode to it. I used to do this with a 23 foot cuddy cabin boat. No need to crawl to the bow. I might add that a secondary line should be added to the same point as the anchor rode and kept near the cockpit to aid in anchor retrieval.

Is there any way I can get some kind of pictorial to see what this looks like. I am trying to picture this based on your explanation but I am not quite sure what to do. I am sorry if I sound like a novice, but I am still learning the tricks of boating. Thanks

 

[ESGWheel]

The idea is similar to this video without all the extra stuff link
Here is the concept:
Tie a line from the bow eye to a cleat in the rear cockpit. See picture.


This is the line that the anchor will be tied to; let’s call it the A-Line. Toss anchor from cockpit. Let out sufficient rode. Tie off the rode to the A-Line using a carabiner or such. Note that you will have to tie the rode to the carabiner and then clip the carabiner to the A-Line. By current, wind or your engine ‘back up’ and the carabiner will naturally go to the bow. Set anchor with backing engine as needed. And keep the bitter end of the rode in your cockpit. Then when ready to weigh anchor, pull on this bitter end to get the carabiner back to you in the cockpit. Unclip and start pulling in your anchor. Note that if the conditions are bad hauling an anchor from the side or astern of the boat can cause it to swamp. Here is a top view of all that.

Also try googling “Anchoring from the Cockpit”. Google is your friend

 

[freerider8]

The idea is similar to this video without all the extra stuff link
Here is the concept:
Tie a line from the bow eye to a cleat in the rear cockpit. See picture.
View attachment 386996

This is the line that the anchor will be tied to; let’s call it the A-Line. Toss anchor from cockpit. Let out sufficient rode. Tie off the rode to the A-Line using a carabiner or such. Note that you will have to tie the rode to the carabiner and then clip the carabiner to the A-Line. By current, wind or your engine ‘back up’ and the carabiner will naturally go to the bow. Set anchor with backing engine as needed. And keep the bitter end of the rode in your cockpit. Then when ready to weigh anchor, pull on this bitter end to get the carabiner back to you in the cockpit. Unclip and start pulling in your anchor. Note that if the conditions are bad hauling an anchor from the side or astern of the boat can cause it to swamp. Here is a top view of all that.
View attachment 386997
Also try googling “Anchoring from the Cockpit”. Google is your friend

So if I am reading this correctly, it would require that I put the carabiner close to the end of the rode that I would keep in the boat? How much extra would you suggest? I think the rope I have is 100ft. I also just purchased a anchor shock, so I may try that first before I try this method. Unless I can do both? Is this possible?

 

[ESGWheel]

I am not sure I am following your question so I will answer it two ways:

1. How much rode you let out depends on depth, conditions, and anchor type. Go back to that article or look up others, there is a TON of info out there. In brief your rode length is from 3 to 10 times the water depth.
2. For how to place the carabiner let’s say you should let out 60 feet of rode. You do so and tie the carabiner on to the rode at that point. Then clip the carabiner onto the A-Line > it will slide to the bow. Since you still have 40 feet of rode that you left in the cockpit you have a means to get back the carabiner, untie the rode and haul in the anchor.

How much rode have you let out? One way to tell is to make the line every 10 feet with some good electricians’ tape or such and just count as you let it out. I have that on my backup anchors rode but I do not use it much so usure how often it needs to be replaced. For my 100 ft line on the river anchor I just estimate based on how much I have left.

And I would not use a combination of the above and the shock cord. The shock cord that was in the link is designed to be attached to two cleats on the boat at the bow.

Hope this helps.

 

[freerider8]

I am not sure I am following your question so I will answer it two ways:

1. How much rode you let out depends on depth, conditions, and anchor type. Go back to that article or look up others, there is a TON of info out there. In brief your rode length is from 3 to 10 times the water depth.
2. For how to place the carabiner let’s say you should let out 60 feet of rode. You do so and tie the carabiner on to the rode at that point. Then clip the carabiner onto the A-Line > it will slide to the bow. Since you still have 40 feet of rode that you left in the cockpit you have a means to get back the carabiner, untie the rode and haul in the anchor.

How much rode have you let out? One way to tell is to make the line every 10 feet with some good electricians’ tape or such and just count as you let it out. I have that on my backup anchors rode but I do not use it much so usure how often it needs to be replaced. For my 100 ft line on the river anchor I just estimate based on how much I have left.

And I would not use a combination of the above and the shock cord. The shock cord that was in the link is designed to be attached to two cleats on the boat at the bow.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for your help. I just had a DUH moment when it just hit me how to do this. LOL. I guess I was reading into it more than I needed too. I watched the video and it appeared that the guy put the whole line out and I am thinking, what if I don't need to put out the whole line. The more I thought about it, I was like DUH dummy what is so complicated?? LOL
I am definitely going to try this method and I will let you know how well it works for me. It's a real pain to climb up onto the bow of the boat.