Bigger anchor

[Scoop]

My brother-in-law owns a pontoon boat which we use as a swim platform. The lake they live on has an area in the middle that is 2 to 3 foot deep and it is the only place on the lake that has sand. Everyone on the lake goes there with their pontoon boat to swim. He has always had a problem with the boat drifting. The pontoon has a canopy and the the wind on the lake is bad a lot of the time. He tried 12 lb mushroom anchors, and then the ones with 3 lobes, but no matter what, the wind would pick up and we would start blowing out of the swim area. A few times, the anchors would break free and we would scramble to start the motor so we would not hit the other boats near by. One day he went into the boat place and told the sales guy he needed a bigger anchor. The guy behind the counter brings out a 12 lb mushroom, then a 3 lobed, then a heavier 3 lobed. Each time, my Brother-in-law said not big enough, not big enough. The sales guy goes in back once more to get the biggest anchor he has as a joke. He walks out of the back with this anchor made for a sail boat. It is 3 foot long, with two 1 ft long sharp points which pivot. The sales guy has this grin on his face like this is the best joke in the world. The grin left his face when my brother-in-law said, that's the one. I can say that no matter what, the potoon boat has never drifted ever again. It takes two hands to throw the anchor out and it makes a heck of a splash.

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: Bigger anchor

that's the one. lol<br /><br />anchors have to vary according to your situation. my little river boat 'slides' in most parts of the river i use it in, which is fine with me. it holds in slack water, and i hafta pick it up. i use it like a drift sock. but this post makes me laugh because it brings up:<br /><br /> whatever does the job is what is recommended. kinda like the automatic doorcloser-pump type hinge i bought. you know, the kind in supermarkets and businesses, it closes the door after you walk thru it. i got one, still in the wrapper. i put it in the laundry room for awhile. now i don't hafta listen to the washer/dryer running when i'm watching tv anymore, because the door seems to stay closed now. <br /><br />(edited 9/24)<br />i didn't consider all the situations when i replied. sorry, but i'm only a captain in inland lakes and not anchoring a boat bigger than my bassboat. i just recently quit using a 10# barbell and bought a 12# mushroom anchor. my 12' tinnie still uses a 10# barbell

 

[Fishbusters]

Re: Bigger anchor

It was not the weight but anchor type. I found that out the first couple trips I made with my toon and lost an old anchor and the first 2 I bought from them dragging into something from which I could not free them. I now have one that digs in as it is pulled on and while it won't work on a stone bottom it holds well where I am. If it gets stuck you just drive past it and a ring slips down the shaft and you can remove it backwards.

 

[endust]

Re: Bigger anchor

Sounds like you ended up with a Danforth anchor - long narrow twin flukes (sharp points) that dig into the bottom.<br /><br />May want to think about your scope of the anchor rode - in two to 3 feet of water, plus maybe 2 additional feet to your tie-off - you might think about a scope of 10:1 This would be 50' of line. Don't think you are throwing the anchor that far out <br /><br />A scope of 3:1 is marginal, 7:1 good to hold the boat when you are around, and 10:1 is considered a "storm" type of anchor. In a lake - would think that would hold without fail.<br /><br />The holding power increases as you increase the length of the rode - so that the pull is as nearly horizontal as possible.

 

[L Christopher]

Re: Bigger anchor

endust is all over this one like a cheap suite. In addition to making sure you have enough scope (see endust) you may also consider a lenght of chain 10' - 15' feet. This increases the hold power of a Danforth by keeping the anchor at a better angle to the sea bottom

 

[Scoop]

Re: Bigger anchor

I have to say, I personally have never thought much about anchors or their ropes, but what you say makes a heck of a lot sense. Thanks for the information.

 

[johnqx4]

Re: Bigger anchor

Wow, something I can (intelligently) comment on...<br /><br />having been a sailor for a while. Anchoring is an art. perhaps secondly only to celestial navigation. <br /><br />study your surroundings, bottom type, weather, proximity of other boats and about 1000 other things... and you will grasp about 10 percent of it.<br /><br />but to wake up in a #*$&% of a storm and realize that you are holding fast... is about one of the best feelings that you will ever have boating (or sailing in my case)<br /><br />lol<br /><br />johnny

 

[Scoop]

Re: Bigger anchor

Welcome to the board Johnny.

 

[ooldschooll]

Re: Bigger anchor

I made my own anchors out of scrap stainless at work. After several tries we found a good design that works good in sand and gravel,and secures a pontoon in mud so good its like fishing off a dock. the bottom plate on these anchors is 1\4" thick 8.5" square with a 6" solid round bar cut 4.5" long & welded in the center on top of the plate. then we welded a thick lock washer to the top for the rope. they weigh about 17 lbs each and 4 of them hold our 18 ft pontoon great, I also made smaller ones for our jon boats in ponds with the same result. I always wondered if some one could use cement filled coffee cans and plywood on the botom and a i-bolt on top for a low cost alternative. One thing i do know is they hold better than any comercial made mushroom type ive tried. good fishin

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: Bigger anchor

I always wondered if some one could use cement filled coffee cans and plywood on the botom and a i-bolt on top for a low cost alternative.

Wonder no more. I've seen these since I was a kid in the early 60s. Most of the small boat rentals use them to this day. No one is going to steal a coffee can filled with cement.

You don't need any wood, just an old coffee can, an I bolt with some fender washers and concrete.

 

[fire831]

Re: Bigger anchor

I used to use old window weights with my 12' alum. V-bottom.

 

[ooldschooll]

Re: Bigger anchor

I've also seen the cans, have even use them. as well as cinder blocks, But the Square plate on the bottom of the stainless ones I made help keep them from dragging and rolling.They seem to create a suction in mud.That why I wondered about a low cost non corosive version.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Bigger anchor

a danforth fluke, 4 feet of chain is enough.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Bigger anchor

Or you can use a 470 merc. motor, thats all it's good for, is a anchor.

 

[flwestcoastboater]

Re: Bigger anchor

ha ha, reading these posts about boot leg anchors makes me feel better!

I am a broke college student and need to use whatever I have with weight as my anchor.

One method I built for my 10 foot inflatable is this...

a big tide bottle, filled with rocks, than tied up with rope to the boat

it works great and pulls out of the water easily.

 

[david_r]

Re: Bigger anchor

the way i see it if you can tie a rope to it and its fairly heavy............its a good anchor...............as long as you have enough rope out it doesnt take much to hold you...........the bad part about using a cement block is you might need it as a jack stand and get tangled up in the rope.

 

[Nandy]

Re: Bigger anchor

It sounded that the problem was not getting a bigger anchor but getting the right anchor(s) for your area and follow the proper anchoring techniques.

 

[sturdavj]

Re: Bigger anchor

I swear this fishermen's story is true.

I was working on a construction crew pouring cement, my buddy had bought a 14ft wooden drift boat and we were going steelhead fishing as soon this pour was over and the job was completed.

We didn?t have an anchor, but I did have a rubber boot that I had worn a hole in the sole of. So I took a piece of 1/2? re-bar bent it into a loop and put it inside the boot then poured the boot full of concrete, stopping 2? inches from the top. The anchor weight the best we could tell was about 15 pounds and the rubber boot protected the boat from the anchor banging against the hull.

The best part was the looks we got from our fellow fishermen. With a drift boat the anchor is hung off the transom using an anchor drop so that the boat can be positioned quickly as you drift into the chosen fishing hole. This being the case the boot dangled a foot off the transom, in plain sight for everyone to admirer. That boot was still hanging from the rear of that boat up to the day it was sold, many years later.

 

[ED21]

Re: Bigger anchor

I always wondered if some one could use cement filled coffee cans and plywood on the botom and a i-bolt on top for a low cost alternative.

As a kid I had an anchor made with an I bolt with a washer & a nut inserted in a milk jug filled with concrete. It was perfect for my little skiff, had a convenient handle and didn't leave rust stains.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Bigger anchor

i have seen and used. window weights, piece of I beam, concrete block, bag of rocks, auto wheels, poured concrete of all configurations.