boat anchor design suggestions

Started by saltystick, June 19, 2018, 07:41:33 AM

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saltystick

I just bought a Grumman Oneida fishing boat that rides a lot higher than my old Ranger bass boat and prone to wind movement regardless the anchors I have: one 15# tri-leg, one 10lb. mushroom I also own fluke style anchors which are only good for soft bottoms yet hold the boat the least. The boat is blown around even in a 15 mph wind.

Any suggestions?

Wizard

The style on my wife's cruiser works well. It is a single arm design that will hold against current, in rocks, pretty much everywhere. You just motor to the other side of the anchor to pull it easily free. I have seen the smallest size used for bass boats.

Wizard

SteveTX

How deep of water are you in usually? I fish a lot of shallow waters 10ft or less in a 18ft aluminum boat that can be a hassle in the wind. The best anchor I have found is the shallow water stick type anchor. I specifically have the 9ft Superstick Shallow Water Anchor Pin and it is great.

I have the larger mushroom anchor for deep water but most of my fishing lakes have a lot of soft bottoms. So they work pretty good.

I eventually want a Ultrex for deep water but thats just a wish for now.

Kris

Quote from: saltystick on June 19, 2018, 07:41:33 AM
I just bought a Grumman Oneida fishing boat that rides a lot higher than my old Ranger bass boat and prone to wind movement regardless the anchors I have: one 15# tri-leg, one 10lb. mushroom I also own fluke style anchors which are only good for soft bottoms yet hold the boat the least. The boat is blown around even in a 15 mph wind.

Any suggestions?
I use a 12lb river anchor, kinda think what you describe as a tri-leg. You did not say if you do but I use a seven foot piece of chain and then the anchor line. My boat is 16 foot aluminum with relatively high sides and that works for me.
I plan on adding some kind of manual anchor pin sometime next year. I would like to add two but we will see how the finances hold out.
Reservoir fishing in MD, Vietnam Vet, Retired
Ouachita 16' Model B, Minn Kota, Lowrance, Raymarine
Moderator - Maryland Fishing Reports and Chat

Oldfart9999

I used to use mushroom anchors in deeper water but now I have SPOT LOCK it does a decent job, the new does a really good job. Shallow I use my mushrooms, when I try my older SPOT LOCK, it's inaccurate enough the boat moves around.
Rodney 
Old Fishermen never die, their rods just go limp.

saltystick

#5
The waters I fish range from 12-45' deep, but I usually fish water less than 10', some hard pack, some mud bottoms.

I forgot about the chain. For sure I will attach one regardless the anchor design. Thanks for reminding me.

Still not sure how a Superstick Shallow Water Anchor Pin would hold a 16' aluminum boat in winds over 20 mph.

Spot Lock would draw too much power in a steady wind.

SteveTX

Quote from: saltystick on June 20, 2018, 07:35:22 AM
Still not sure how a Superstick Shallow Water Anchor Pin would hold a 16' aluminum boat in winds over 20 mph.
It would depend on the bottom your sticking it in. I have used mine on my 18' Aluminum Seaark in 20 to 25 mph winds and it held just fine. But I had a good bottom for it to stick in.

Thornback

Don't forget an important factor for your anchor to hold your boat in place is the amount of rode (line) you have out.

saltystick

Found this info last night:

Added 4' of heavy chain this morning and it made a big difference in a 20 mph wind. Plus I added rode between anchor and boat (scope) using the following info I found last night:

QuoteBefore you drop your anchor, determine how much you'll line, or rode, you'll need, then use a cleat hitch to tie it at that distance. The term scope refers to the ratio between the length of your rode and the distance from the bow to the bottom. A good rule of thumb is a scope of at least 7:1 for a rope rode, or 5:1 for a heavier all-chain rode. Increase the scope to 10:1 or more for stormy conditions or if your anchor keeps ripping free of the bottom. The longer the scope, the closer to horizontal your rode is, and the more tightly you will be anchored.[30] Measure from the bow, not the water surface. If the water is 10 feet deep (3m), and your bow is 4 feet (1.2) m above the water surface, the total depth is 14 feet (4.2m). A typical scope of 7:1 would require 14 x 7 = 98 feet of rode (4.2 x 7 = 29.4 m).

For smaller lighter boats like my 16' aluminum boat, the scope can be 4:1 but no less. The chain and  line length (4 x 5' = 20') for a Danforth (fluke) design anchor still dragged anchor but much slower than no chain and a shorter rope, both of which are supposed to keep the anchor shaft as horizontal to the bottom as possible to allow the sharp blades to dig in.  I added more rope but the 25 mph wind still slowly dragged anchor. Conclusion: use two anchors plus chains. I have a heavy three prong anchor I will also use next time after I buy a chain for it.

Thanks for the suggestions. Who know anchoring could be so complicated!?  ~xyz