Couple of anchor questions???

[Bigbobdallas]

Got rid of old mushroom anchor that came with the boat I just bought. First on the chain do most of you use one with your anchor? If so how long and size. Also when you hook the anchor to the rope or chain what is the best way to do it.
Next question my boat is 17.5 ft is it better to use it at stern or bow. Should you ever hook up to both?

 

[four winns 214]

Re: Couple of anchor questions???

Yes, use chain on your anchor- at least six feet of 1/4". Buy nylon anchor line with a thimble and use shackles to fasten anchor line to chain and chain to anchor. Anchor from the bow. You might consider this:

http://www.boat-ed.com/tx/

 

[Boatist]

Re: Couple of anchor questions???

Chain is good for two things.
1: If anchoring in water with sharp rocks it will prevert the rocks from cutting your anhor line.
2: If you are anchoring with a short scope (less than 7 to 1) then the heavy weight of the chain can help keep the shank on or near the bottom if conditions are light winds and current.

On my 21 foot boat I have 2 anchors, one has 4 feet of 1/4 inch chain and 150 feet of line and a 8 pound danforth anchor.

The second one has no chain and 200 feet of anchor line with 4 pound Fortress FX-7 anchor.

The lighter Fortress with no chain digs in faster and deeper and hold better.
Since I got the Frotress FX-7 we have not used the other anchor.

If you are going to use a Short Scope like 3 to 1 and a poor quality anchor then you should put som4 change on it.
The chain will make it much heiver and harder to pull.
My Wife can hardly pull out 8 pound Danforth with 4 feet of chain. It wears her out.

The 4 pound Fortress with no chain she has no trouble pulling.

 

[dannyual767]

Re: Couple of anchor questions???

Bigbob, what kind of anchor is it? I'm saltwater boating and we've got swift moving tides so Danforth (fluke) anchors are real popular here. To properly use a Danforth, you must use a lead chain and enough rope to ensure at least a 5:1 scope. In other words, if your anchor is set in 10' of water, then you've got to let out 50+' of rope.

We always anchor to both the bow and the stern when we're at our favorite beach. Because of the shifting tides and strong wind, a boat could end up swinging out 100' from the spot where it was originally sitting! We use a second anchor up on the beach to keep the stern facing the beach and the bow faces the open water. Of course there is no need for a chain on that anchor.

If you're boating on a normal sized lake, anchoring will probably be much less involved .