Anchor Size

[randlemanboater]

Originally Posted by nipper

I have 2 in my boat. The first is a Danforth style (weight unknown) with about 12' of chain and 200' of rope. The second is a navy style, 12 lb. with 6' of chain and 100' of rope. I think chain is incredibly important to keep the proper scope on the anchor rode. Blue water sailers often use all chain rodes.

I agree about the chain for most anchors, but I have yet to need it with that 20 pounder. But we have mostly sand around my area of coastal pleasure. And 100 ft would be the deepest I would anchor.

[Stinky_Hooker]

Chain around here isnt only for holding power, but to keep your rope from getting cut in wrecks and such.

[C YENSEN]

I use an 8 pounder with 6' of chain and plenty of line. you never know when you will need more line. I sure as hell dont want to try to anchor in a hurry and not have enough line to get to the bottom. I think mine has roughly 150' of line.

[randlemanboater]

I probably should put a short chain on mine to protect the rode, but it is hard enough already for my little girls to pull in the 20 pounder by itself.


As for how long should your rode be, triple the depth and there you are.

If you are anchoring in 10 ft of water x 3 = 30 feet of achor rode required.

So I carry at least 300 ft.

[wpearch]

Originally Posted by chumbucket

8lb is plenty as long as you use 4'-6' of chain. I usually kept a spare 4lb on board for a stern anchor. I didn't use it a lot, but there were certain circumstances when fishing in tight to rocks where a stern anchor was required to maintain position without bouncing off the rocks. The stern anchor was also a plus when taking the family out and beaching the boat. We often put in on a nice sandy beach that had lots of current and lots of other boats. The stern anchor kept your boat from swinging into other boats. Just drop the stern anchor before hitting the beach, then motor right up onto the beach, snub the stern line, then set your bow anchor on the beach and watch your tides. ;)

What a tide LOL

[C YENSEN]

Originally Posted by wpearch

What a tide LOL

i thought the great lakes had a little tide variation

[bcmarinamanager]

Originally Posted by randlemanboater

I probably should put a short chain on mine to protect the rode, but it is hard enough already for my little girls to pull in the 20 pounder by itself.


As for how long should your rode be, triple the depth and there you are.

If you are anchoring in 10 ft of water x 3 = 30 feet of achor rode required.

So I carry at least 300 ft.

Actually, the correct scope is 7:1. It is extremely too much, but according to the USCG, the 7:1 is the correct scope. It's more or less for if you plan on anchoring overnight. That way you have less of an angle in your rode by the time it gets down to your anchor. Usually, the length of chain should be roughly half, to 1/3rd the length of your boat.

[nipper]

Thanks BC. To the depth of the water you need to add the height of where the rode will be fastened to the boat from the water. It's not much, but that 4 or 5 feet should be factored into the equation. 7:1 is proper, and probably necessary for overnight anchoring. You can generally get away with less when you are in the boat and attentive to what is going on (i.e. whether you are drifting despite having the anchor down). I am always amazed when you see folks anchored (often with other boats rafting beside) with the anchor rode going virtually straight down.

[tsubaki]

Re: Make my life easier http://www.wellcraftv20.com/communit...my+life+easier
DIFFERENT ANCHORING APPROACH: tie a weight about 5-10 feet ahead of your normal anchor. This does the same thing as adding chain to the anchor but better. The weight can be a 10lb mushroom anchor, etc. I've never seen a more reliable positioning method.

[randlemanboater]

7 to 1......I gotta go buy more rope.