anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

[mariob]

what did you do to retrieve it?

I was out on Simcoe a couple of days ago and my anchor got stuck. I couldn't work it free so I had to cut the rope. it was only in about 15 ft of water, so it was pretty frustrating.

I may go and try to dive down and unhook it.

I thought I'd ask if anyone knew any tricks to getting an anchor unstuck. I tried pulling it from every direction and it wouldn't let go.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

You did the right thing

Never try to get an anchor free by full forward thrust

Trying different angles at minimum idle is best which I'm sure you did.

The NFL players that died in the gulf tried that and swamped the boat instantly. Severing the line/chain is best when in that situation.

You can always buy another anchor

Also diving to retrieve it is a fun challenge...I've lost many anchors in Lake Huron and my grandfather used to make me work to cover the cost of new ones to teach me a lesson. It worked and I'm always careful when anchoring now.

 

[rbh]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

Although we did get our anchour out eventually, it was a real pain in the butt.
the 16 pound danforth anchor had been torqued into the clay bottom good and would not let go, so we spun the boat around, tied the anchor rode off to a couple of cleats and pulled it out backwards, and spent the next 15 min scraping off the muck
rob

 

[mariob]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

how are you more careful?

how do you know when not to drop the anchor?

I thought of the NFL players that died from that same situation. definitely didn't want the same happening to me.

I had a water jug and tied it to the anchor to act as a marker. So, at least if I make an attempt to dive for it I'll know exactly where it is.

 

[mariob]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

Although we did get our anchour out eventually, it was a real pain in the butt.
the 16 pound danforth anchor had been torqued into the clay bottom good and would not let go, so we spun the boat around, tied the anchor rode off to a couple of cleats and pulled it out backwards, and spent the next 15 min scraping off the muck
rob

I was thinking of doing that too, but I didn't want to risk tearing out the cleats since it was lodged in there so tight.

 

[pmat1]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

I had one i almost couldent get up, me and 4 other people were pulling the rope as hard as we could and when we got it up, there was a atleast 30 ft tree on it

 

[alldodge]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

I have been lucky I guess getting mine out except once. When I'm ready to bring it up I always go over the top of the anchor and pass it by a little before I start bringing it up. Got mine hung real good for the first time this year. I have 125 feet of chain and I was in 25 feet of water, I'm usually in 50 feet. I couldn't get it up so I head toward shore letting all the rode out as I went and dropped it. Came back later with scuba gear and retreived it.

The reason it got hug was I rapped it around a stump whle I was getting my self in position to tie up with other boats. They wanted me to set my anchor because of having so many tied together and just one outher anchor out. So I dropped the anchor and then started backing into position, while doing so I had to go forward a couple times do to the wind. In this case if I would have gone over the top of the anchor I may have broken it free by allowing it to unwrap around the stump.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

how are you more careful?

how do you know when not to drop the anchor?

Mostly what I meant is that I am more careful with what type of knots I am tying on the when anchoring

I lost the anchors when I was 8-12 years old taking out our old rowboat(which I'm currently restoring) so it was inexperience and bad knot tying. I learned good knots to use and have had no problems since

Knowing the bottom type is crucial. Try to anchor in sand or mud to avoid getting it too attached. Avoid rocky areas if possible unless you need to anchor for safety reasons. I use a river anchor that is a mushroom shape and never get stuck. The larger slip-lock anchors will catch on rocks and get hung up.

Like the previous poster stated try 180 degrees opposite the way it was pulling while anchored to free it up.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

I had one i almost couldent get up, me and 4 other people were pulling the rope as hard as we could and when we got it up, there was a atleast 30 ft tree on it

Some people pay very high prices for lumber that's been submerged in water due to the unique stains from metallic content of the water.

Hard work though to get them up. I've been wondering how much lumber is in the great lakes that could be pulled up and resold for mantles and stuff. Cold freshwater preserves the wood nicely.

 

[Les Robb]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

If you have a grapnal anchor with a ring on the bottom end all you do is hook the end of the chain to the ring and tie with waxed twine the chain to the top of the anchor. I never saw it done with a danforth or navy style but guess it would work.( With a hard pull the string breaks and you pull out from bottom of the anchor which is great on rocks and reefs)

One time in the intercoastal waterway in stuart I hooked solid and after hauling for about a half hour pulled up and old 3/4" abandoned dredge cable. Now I would cut the rope and say goodbye.

Tain't worth messing up your back or sinking the boat ya'll

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

I use nothing but danforths, and never had a problem with them getting stuck. The biggest problem I have is getting them to hold in the first place, sometimes the bottom is too solid for it to dig in and get a grip. I do, however, pull up quite a few old anchors with my anchor when I pull it in. I guess some people cut their anchor lines, or a prop hits it, but in the last year I've gotten 3 anchors. One nice one on my boat, with 15' of chain, and two on my buddy's boat, that I let him keep.

 

[dan t.]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

use a danforth with a slotted shank,that way if it gets stuck just pull from the oposite direction,the ring will pull down the shank and the anchor will pull out backwards,or attach a trip line to the head of the anchor,most have an eye there for that purpose

 

[LoudDog]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

it took every bit of strength to pull up anchor once. I almost gave up, but kept pulling and pulling. When I got the anchor up there was a rope around it (both ends going down)!

I thought for a second to pull the rope up just to see what it was, but i did not have the stength. I'm guessing it was two crab pots? I've pulled the small crab pots before and this was much heavier then that?

 

[SeanT]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

Imagining what might be on the bottom of most lakes scares the living **** out of me. There I said it. I don't tell my kids that. And I just supress it when I'm floating in the water waiting for the tow boat to come back around and get me.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

If it happens a lot, the retrieve line onthe top of the anchor is a good way to go.
The football players tried to motor up the anchor from a stern cleat; it dragged them under.
One trick (none of them are perfect) is to position directly above the anchor, get everyone to stand on the bow and tie the line down as tight as you can. Then send everyone to the stern; you boat works like a lever and might pop it loose.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

Home Cookin that sounds like an excellent way to do it...thanks for the tip. I will try to file it away in the long-term memory in case I need to test it out someday

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

If it happens a lot, the retrieve line onthe top of the anchor is a good way to go.
The football players tried to motor up the anchor from a stern cleat; it dragged them under.
One trick (none of them are perfect) is to position directly above the anchor, get everyone to stand on the bow and tie the line down as tight as you can. Then send everyone to the stern; you boat works like a lever and might pop it loose.

This is also an excellent way to snap a bow pulpit that may not be as strong as was thought when verticle pressure is applied to the anchor cleat. Been there, done that.

 

[walt-oxie1]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

I have had a couple that got stubborn to get up. I tied the anchor rope to the rear cleat and was able to pull them back with the exception of 1. Just be careful when trying to get a stuck anchor back. They are not worth the possible damage you can do to the boat or occupants.

 

[bj2455]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

I use my fishfinder to 'survey' the bottom before dropping anchor. Not always reliable against snags but I at least know there are no major obstructions below me. Haven't lost one yet

 

[mariob]

Re: anyone ever have an anchor they couldn't pull up?

thanks for all the tips.

I think its getting too cold to go for a swim for it now.

I guess I'll just have to buy another one.