Anchoring and Swaying

[Adamf24]

Hey everybody, I have another newbie question...

We like to take our boat to Elliot Key's sandbar, and everytime we drop anchor our boat seems to be the only one swaying left to right. I always put the bow of the boat into the waves/wind, and make sure that the anchor catches. But still the boat sways.

A friend of mine said it's because my boat isn't a true 'V' shaped hull, it catches all the little waves when anchored thats why we move so much. Is this the reason or am I anchoring incorrectly somehow?

Pic of a Hurricane SunDeck 237OB for reference to non 'V' shaped hull:

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

I am not sure how true the statement is but I also like to drop an anchor off the stern and that seems to stop my Pontoon from swaying.

 

[Ned L]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

Pretty much every different boat design will respond differently on an anchor, some will just sit there & some will swing back & forth in a wide arc. Nothing to do with your achoring technique. As has been said, a second anchor will help control that.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

Adam, Does your boat have the anchor cleat in the exact center of the bow, or off center. If it is off center, the boat will tend to sway more than if it is in the center.

Also, heavier boats with lower sides move less due to the wind, than lighter boats with higher sides. However, this is all relative to the boats next to you. I presume all the boats use a single bow anchor? if so, you should use one too, but give yourself enough room beween your boat and the boats next to you, in case they swing more than you, or you swing more than them. All the boats need to swing together - there's a happy thought!

 

[boat1010]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

All boats "sway" at anchor. Even the big ships do. Everything goes into consideration. weight size, free board. Just like drifting. you can get two boats almost identical and they will not drift the same. If ya want to stop the drifting, drop a stern anchor.

 

[Adamf24]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

Adam, Does your boat have the anchor cleat in the exact center of the bow, or off center. If it is off center, the boat will tend to sway more than if it is in the center.

Also, heavier boats with lower sides move less due to the wind, than lighter boats with higher sides. However, this is all relative to the boats next to you. I presume all the boats use a single bow anchor? if so, you should use one too, but give yourself enough room beween your boat and the boats next to you, in case they swing more than you, or you swing more than them. All the boats need to swing together - there's a happy thought!

The anchor cleat is off center, and that's something I've been thinking affected the swaying as well.

I'll look into getting a stern anchor now. Thanks everyone.

 

[JH3]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

A stern anchor should do the trick. After I back my forward anchor down and get it set, I let out additional rode, then toss out the stern anchor and pull in the forward anchor until the stern anchor sets.

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

Adam,
Since you identified yourself as a newbie, here's a little tag-along advice. If you decide to purchase and use a stern anchor, you've now created a situation that requires more vigilance. The beauty of using only a bow anchor is that your boat can adapt to changes in wind and wave direction, always keeping your boat pointed mostly into the waves. Adding a stern anchor will control your swaying as mentioned in previous posts, but it will also lock your point into a certain direction.

You now need to pay attention to wind and wave direction more closely than before. You wouldn't want to anchor on a sandbar, go hop in someone else's boat or go off elsewhere for too long or you might find your boat taking waves from the side.

 

[swordfish25]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

I have a 27 Doral cruiser and you can not stop it from swaying. I have every kind of anchor bow and stern, and it still wants to go up beside any boat that is any where near if the wind is blowing al all. I even tried three. My checkmate was not bad at all. So some boats will do it more then others. But they all will do it.

 

[Adamf24]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

So is it the hull shape/design that causes my boat to sway so much more than others? I have noticed other boats sway.. but my boat will sway significantly more than any others.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

Adam, The sides of your boat (Freeboard and sheer), are a bit higher than other boats of your boat's weight. This gives a bit more surface area to catch the wind. Combine that with the lighter weight of yout outboard, and the off center cleat, and you will swing more than others. You might consider a bow cleat in the exact center to hold the anchor line. That should help a lot.

If you want to see the affect of the off center bow cleat, try having someone tow your boat from the cleat. The bow will wander back and forth continuously. This is the same effect as using an anchor.

 

[capt sam]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

What about beaching it? There's also a technique called bahamian anchoring, basically you tie two anchors off your bow, one portside, one starboard. I'll do this in the Keys alot, it always keeps the bow in the wind/current.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

you can put this thing that looks like a cleat, except that it is open in the middle, and you just slide the rope into it, and it will guide the rope. So you have a cleat behind it, tie the rope to the cleat, then run the rope thru this guider thing, that will get the rope closer to center.

this is it.

Bow chocks

http://www.iboats.com/Skene_Bow_Chocks/dm/*******.820140737--**********.358465752--view_id.39738

Try to get this as close to center as possible, or you way be able to run the line thru the bow eye before tieng it to the cleat.

 

[QC]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

One question is: why do you care? Be very careful with the stern anchor plan as noted above. Whatever you decide you need a second anchor, can use it off the stern of course, but at a minimum you need a spare

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

Adam and Bowman, That item is called a "chock", and will allow the bow cleat to be anywhere, but the anchor line will run thru the chock to the cleat.

When I wrote my post the "chock" was in my mind, but "cleat" was on my fingertips.....

 

[puddlesplasher]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

Adam,
If you decide to purchase and use a stern anchor, you've now created a situation that requires more vigilance.

Although I have few posts "stern anchoring" is always a concern of mine, especially in small boats that I use for fly fishing.

(well we all start somewhere )

Now that I have progressed to a 17ft boat, I too wonder about anchoring.

I wont give advice, cause I cannot, what I will do is offer hope.

The replies in here are worthy of special consideration as they make sense to me, hopefully we all take something from it.

No topic Hi-jack intended.

Puddle.

 

[abj87]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

all chain rode prevents "sailing" at anchor but thats a little impractial on a powerboat

 

[bowman316]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

Just give it enough room so that, if the boat next to you swings to you, and you swing to it, you will not be close.

And keep in mind, they had prob 5 times the water depth in rope out, and you should be maybe 200 ft away from the nearest boat in 10 ft of water. deeper water needs more room.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

It's kind of a pain, but I tie the anchor line directly to my bow eye them bring it up and around the bow back to stern cleat and stow anchor in stern.
Then when anchoring usually in about 40' to 50' I'll just grab the anchor and undo the rope from stern and bow cleat and throw all the rope out, whenb it comes time to raise the anchor I have a pole with a hook on it to snatch the rope (closed bow) If I tie off to cleat up on the bow my boat sways like crazy but directly off the bow eye the sways are more predicatable and gradual.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Anchoring and Swaying

this is lengthy thread on the subject. http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=289079&highlight=beaching