Boat anchor

[rcain1]

I would like to get some ideas for a boat anchor. Yes, I do have the recommended anchor for my boat but it doesn’t seem to hold great. I want to have piece of mind that my boat will be where I left it when I surface from a dive.

Info:
Use for anchoring in about 40ft
On a lake
I have a 22ft boat

Most of the time I tie off to the moorings the LDS has put in but they are not everywhere. When I tie off to them I know my boat will be there when I come up. (by the way the boat is left unattended most of the time)

I was thinking about filling a 5-gallon plastic pail concrete and putting an eyebolt on the top for the line. I figure it would be “boat friendly” and heavy enough. Is this to “ghetto”?

Any better or different ideas are welcome. Thanks

 

[Tiny Bubbles]

What kind of anchor do you currently have and how heavy is it? How much chain do you have and how thick is it?

I can't imagine a bucket of concrete holding any better than a proper anchor.

 

[DennisS]

A nice heavy 10 ft length of chain attached to the anchor makes a big difference

 

[rcain1]

I have a "regular" fluke anchor with about 6ft of 3/8th chain.
It never seems to grab the bottom. I don't throw it, i lower it like it is supposed to be done.

 

[pipedope]

Like diving, anchoring is both art and science.

First, what is the bottom material where you anchor?

The best anchor is the one that holds best in the bottom under the boat.

Mud is different than sand it different than clay, is different than rock is different than grass.

The fluke anchor (Danforth is one brand) is great in mud and generally good in sand. It is not so good in rock and is usually worthless in grass.

A plow anchor is fairly good in most bottoms.

A 'palm' anchor (Bruce and clones) is good in most bottoms and is very strong and self resetting with direction change.

A bucket of concrete is a BAD ANCHOR for a boat but it will hold down a body.

For a boat you need to select an anchor proper for the bottom and big enough for the boat in the conditions expected. Then you need to put on enough chain of the right size and rode (the rope) of the right size and long enough.
The rode needs to be at least 5 times as long as the deepest depth you will EVER anchor in, longer is better.

Then the anchor needs to be set. To set an anchor you need to let out enough scope, that is let out a length of rode that is 4-7 times the depth of the water while backing down so th rode is not in a pile on top of the anchor. Then you slowly back down harder as the anchor digs in. Once the anchor holds good tension without moving you can gradually reduce power and let the boat settle in place.

When you dive you can drop down the anchor rode and check the anchor visually. If the set is poor you can reset by hand.

This is only a quick overview, there are whole books written on just anchoring. Marine hardware stores like West Marine have books for sale (as well as all the hardware) and they have free handouts that cover the basics.

There are lots of tricks that I can't even begin to cover here (maybe I should write another book) that I learned in my years of living on an enginless sailboat.

 

[rcain1]

I was hoping for a quick and easy tip. I know the basics and fundamentals associated with anchoring. I was just hoping some one had a idea that involved duct tape or something.

I guess I will have to think about a plow anchor.

I do plan to make some moorings though. Rope and a empty 20gal propane tank works nice.

 

[rcain1]

A bucket of concrete is a BAD ANCHOR for a boat but it will hold down a body.

 

[pipedope]

A bucket of concrete is a BAD ANCHOR for a boat but it will hold down a body.

Or so the Wise Guys tell me.

What is the bottom material you are anchoring in?

Did you know that a good temporary mooring can be made with mobile home anchors screwed into the bottom? Especially if the bottom is sand.

On my 28' trimaran I had a 33 pound Bruce with 65' chain and 500' 1/2" nylon as my main anchor. I also had three different size Danforth anchors and a fisherman.
The Bruce held in almost any bottom but it was worst in grass.
The fisherman was great in grass or rock but was a pain to handle.

If the anchor is Ok for the bottom the next thing is to be sure to let out enough scope. It is very helpfull to mark the rode so you KNOW how much you have out. You need at least 5 to 1 to get most anchors to bite in. Remember to add the height of the bow to the depth of the water before you calculate scope. Example, if you are in 20' of water and the bow roller is 5' above the water use 25' depth for claculation and let out at least 125' of rode before putting tension on the rode.

If you use just the 20' of water and let out 100' then you are actually only getting about 4 to 1 scope and that is not enough for a Danforth to set reliably.

 

[pipedope]

I was hoping for a quick and easy tip. I know the basics and fundamentals associated with anchoring. I was just hoping some one had a idea that involved duct tape or something.

Here is one for you.

If the bottom is soft muck on top of something firmer the common problem is getting the anchor to penetrate deep enough to bite something more solid than muck.
In this case a 10' or 20' length of stainless steel cable between the anchor and chain will let the anchor go deep in the goop and get a bite.

The steps;

1. Use a big enough anchor (bigger is better)
2. Use enough chain (more is better, usually)
3. Let out enough scope (more is better as long as there is room to swing)
4. If you need to stay tightly in one spot, use multiple anchors

I hope some of this helps.

 

[redacted]

Local lakes (Belton, Stillhouse, Travis) are rock and shale along much of the shoreline with slopes of 50 to 150 percent in many areas you might want to dive. And variable winds along shorelines just make it more fun. After having to chase my boat down on Belton once, I decided to go with a two anchor system. With my 18' bassboat, I run one anchor almost up to shore on about 100 ft of line, back off the length of line, and drop the second anchor down and tie it off in what is usually 30 to 50 ft of water. The shallow anchor keeps if from blowing off shore (make sure it has a good bite) and the deep anchor keeps it from blowing up onto shore in any weather I'd dive in.

Oh, if you need more anchors, Belton seems to have a fairly good supply. Plus it is good practice using a lift bag.