Boat Anchor

[majed1965]

I lost my sand anchor yesterday, so i headed to Bias boating for a new one as i wasn't sure if the old one i had at home was big enough for my boat.

I was advised that it was more for a tinnie as it was small. Best advice was to get the right one for my boat or i can get a heavy chain to weight it down. I decided to buy a new one for only $21 and keep the small one in the boat for emergencies.

The salesman at the store was very helpful and explained to me some stuff that i wasn't aware of.

He asked me how long was the chain attached to the anchor. I told him about 1 metre.

He advised me that this was too short and would cause my boat to move in choppy waters or when the current was strong. In this aspect he was correct as i have experienced on many occasions the boat moving and had to be reanchored.

He advised that the chain should be at least half the length of the boat. In my case my boat is 15ft half cabin, so i should have a chain of around 7 foot plus. Too me this seemed too long, but i understood the logic behind it so i also bought the extra bit of chain (10ft). So i will see on my next few trips if this stops the boat from moving.

He also advised that i could tie a cable tie to the shackle or wire to stop it from releasing in future. But as a general rule this should be checked prior to any trip.

Has anyone had any experience with this and advice?

Thanks. Majed.

[mrmoshe]

G'day Majed,

There have been a few threads over the last couple of years on this very subject.

Check out these ones as there's some good advice in them:

Anchor thread #1

Anchor thread #2

Anchor thread #3

Anchor thread #4

If you also do a search on this site, you'll probably come up with a few more tips.

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Pete.

[jewgaffer]

Hi Majed I hope this information will add to the information Pete has given and will assist you as well.

It's not the weight of the anchor that matters so much, it's the length and thichness of the anchor chain.

The way I have been taught to lay an anchor is as follows :-

Let the anchor rope out steadily until it hits bottom and feed a little more so that the anchor and chain will lay flat along the bottom.....then let out at least twice the length of the depth in rope before you secure it and it should grab on it's own, digging in properly as the chain lifts up at a lower angle than say 45 degrees, which is determined by the length of rope.

In other words, the more rope let out the less the angle of the chain to the bottom and therefore the less the pull upwards on the anchor.

jewgaffer

Edited February 17, 2008 by jewgaffer

[inhlanzi]

Hello Majed

Have a look at the SARCA anchor. Sand and Rock/Reef combination anchor

Here is the URL for the Australian site

http://www.anchorright.net/index.php?id=aus

I bought a no 2 a while back and it has been really great. My boat is fibregalss 5.3m

I used to use the normal sand anchors and a reef anchor. I now only use the SARCA but it is wise to always carry a spare.

Go and have a look at their website and there is an excellent movie on the whole concept.

I have no affiliation to this company whatsoever. Just a good and clever product well worth a mention.

Cheers

inhlanzi

[Little Hooker]

Ive also brought a SACRA anchor not to long ago as they are great anchors i still get the odd issue of not hooking up on the first go.

Maybe its the lenght and thickness of my chain... as i use a electric winch and its recommend only 4mts or 6mm short link chain. Also i dont let it out steadily as i jus press a button and it jus falls to the bottom of the sea.. fast.

But much better then the plough anchor i had. The release and recover slot works a treat as i found out on the weekend when i got the anchor stuck in something.