What Lb. Anchor?

[MAXXIE]

I need an anchor for my little 16' bowrider. I boat in a lake & have gone to Wal-Mart to look at them. They have a few different styles there & are 10 or 15 lb.'s. When I pick it up in my hand I think, This will never hold the boat, it just seems way too light. Is that all I need is a 10 or 15 Lb.'r ?

 

[Guma]

Re: What Lb. Anchor?

If you haven't looked at the box anchor, give it a look see. It is on the expensive side, but IMHO these are one of the best anchors on the market, and with the addition of am anchor buddy, it is the best setup I have ever used. Here is a like to the manufacturer of the box anchor...

Box Anchor

 

[redone4x4]

Re: What Lb. Anchor?

20 lb navy anchor.

 

[HappierWet]

Re: What Lb. Anchor?

10 or 15 lbs with some chain and the proper amount of anchor rode is all you'll need. The chain will help keep the shank of the anchor parallel to the bottom of the lake. You don't want the anchor line to be straight up and down. It needs to have an angle so the anchor drags into the bottom. The angle is determined by the ratio of depth to number of feet of line out (scope) you'll probably want at least 3 to 1 on a calm day, maybe 5 or 6 to 1 on a windy day or in a mild chop....the worse the conditions the higher the ratio given the same anchor and equipment for a given craft.

PS...I would not use Wally World shackles....

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: What Lb. Anchor?

Anchor design and anchoring surface is much more important than weight. A 15 lb claw or plow anchor would be big-time overkill for your boat in sand, while a 15 lb Navy style would be utterly inadequate in grass. Find out what cruisers (people who routinely spend the night at anchor) use in your boating area, and then get a smaller version of the same anchor for your boat.

Box anchors are great. Another great anchor is the Rocna. Where I live, people swear by Fortress anchors. I have a Delta plow and a Bruce claw aboard my boat. Both work very well for me.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: What Lb. Anchor?

Maxxie, Fluke anchors are best for soft bottoms (Grass, sand, silt, mud). If this is the type of bottom you plan to anchor in, get a 7 or 8# fluke anchor.

If the bottom is rock, a Navy Anchor is best, although I cannot recommend a size.

Other types of anchors are for speciality use. i.e. Grapples are for crabbing wrecks, mushroom anchors are for permanent or semi-permenent moorings.

It is not the weight of the anchor that determines how well it holds, it is the bottom type and the design of the anchor. I use a 2# fluke anchor on my 16' speedboat. It holds real well.

 

[MAXXIE]

Re: What Lb. Anchor?

Thanks, I think the best advice is to ask at the launch what others are using. There are alot of bass fishing boats that show up just as most of the pleasure boaters-tubers & skiers- are coming off the water. They seem to anchor most of the time, I'll check them out. I have no idea what the bottom of this lake is like, I think it's rock & mud.

 

[wellsc1]

Re: What Lb. Anchor?

Maxxie,

You should be able to search the web for each type of anchor of interest and find what size anchor fits your length boat for a recommendation. However, I have found this forum to be quite informative indeed.

I use a danforth style anchor with a length of rubber-coated chain in my 175 Sea Chaser, with an 15 lb. mushroom anchor (rubber coated) for the aft to keep the boat stable on windy days. Yes, put enough scope on the road to keep the boat anchored as well as preventing the boat from being snapped by the line as it bobs up and down on rough days.

I use a 20 lb. mushroom anchor (rubber coated) on my 14 AL flatbottom to keep it in place with strong currents. Again, the rear anchor is an 8 lb. of the same style.