anchoring probs

[mrbroadbill]

G'DAY RAIDERS .

NEED TO SUM ADVICE OR HELP OR ANCHORING, IM HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY BOAT AT ANCHOR, BOAT SWAYS LEFT TO RIGHT WHEN I ANCHOR AND IT TAKES AGES TO GRAB.

I AM RUNNING AND SOUTH PACFIC GYPSY WITH 10 METRES OF 6 MM SHORT LINK CHAIN CONNECTED TO A 10lb SAND ANCHOR, BOAT SIZE IS 5.7M SAVAGE ALUMINIUM HULL.

IS THERE TO MUCH ROPE OUT ? ANCHOR SIZE?

AND WATS THE GO WITH THE CHAIN ? I KNOW YOU MUST LET OUT 3 TIMES THE DEPTH OF ROPE TO THE DEPTH OF WATER YOUR ANCHORED IN, SO DOES THAT INCLUDE THE CHAIN TO ?

ANY ADVICE WOULD BE GREAT CHEERS GUYS !!

[Fisherman36]

Im no expert so maybe someone has some better advice, but having 10m of chain, wouldn't that mean you have to back up 10m before the slack on the chain is taken up and the anchor starts to drag and catch? I have a 4.75 aluminium boat with about 2 metres of chain before the rope.

[DTROJAN]

Im no expert so maybe someone has some better advice, but having 10m of chain, wouldn't that mean you have to back up 10m before the slack on the chain is taken up and the anchor starts to drag and catch? I have a 4.75 aluminium boat with about 2 metres of chain before the rope.

I was led to believe that the length of the chain must be at least equal to the length of the boat. Sure 2m will hold in calm conditions but will usually let go when you really need it to hold.

[DTROJAN]

G'DAY RAIDERS .

NEED TO SUM ADVICE OR HELP OR ANCHORING, IM HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY BOAT AT ANCHOR, BOAT SWAYS LEFT TO RIGHT WHEN I ANCHOR AND IT TAKES AGES TO GRAB.

I AM RUNNING AND SOUTH PACFIC GYPSY WITH 10 METRES OF 6 MM SHORT LINK CHAIN CONNECTED TO A 10lb SAND ANCHOR, BOAT SIZE IS 5.7M SAVAGE ALUMINIUM HULL.

IS THERE TO MUCH ROPE OUT ? ANCHOR SIZE?

AND WATS THE GO WITH THE CHAIN ? I KNOW YOU MUST LET OUT 3 TIMES THE DEPTH OF ROPE TO THE DEPTH OF WATER YOUR ANCHORED IN, SO DOES THAT INCLUDE THE CHAIN TO ?

ANY ADVICE WOULD BE GREAT CHEERS GUYS !!

I reckon 6m of chain should be ample amount for your boat. Not sure that having 10m would be causing the boat to swing but definately would take longer to grab. In reguards to the depth, I think that having three times the depth is only required when anchoring in poorer conditions and may be overkill on a calm day. Before shortening the chain try and reduce the amount of rope out on a calm day and see if that helps.

[Fisherman36]

Yeah, you're probably right as it does sometimes struggle to hold in windy conditions. I might have to get some longer chain for mine. Thanks for the tip.

[fishon]

a sea anchor should keep you straight

[musty]

5.7m boat, I think you need a bigger anchor mate.

Musty

[Berleyguts]

5.7m boat, I think you need a bigger anchor mate.

Musty

Yeah, I was thinking a 10lb anchor would not be big enough.

Baz

[idolz]

I have a 6.5 mtr plate boat,, i certainly dont have 10mtrs of chain, as im the poor bastard that has to pull the anchor up!!! I would say I would only have about 2 metres maybe 3 with a 14Lb anchor (I think) I normally hook up pretty quick,,

I agree with Musty get a bigger anchor, less chain and let the rope out a fair bit so the angle of the anchor is lower.

[Yarraone]

I saw a hint from water ways once that suggested 3m of chain and 3 times the depth of rope.i use this method and it works well.. I have a 4.8m fiberglass..i have 12mm chain and a 10lb anchore..If the wind is up and I am swinging around a sea anchore will fix the problem.. If you have a lot of rope out in calm conditions you may find you swing around as well.. so you now have 2 options... shorten the rope? or place a sea anchor

[BWV]

Mrbroadbill your anchor size and chain is fine. Every boat swings when at anchor, even very large ships, just depends on how much windage the vessel has in relation to the draft and underwater shape of the vessel. The more chain the better the holding power of the anchor, as the weight of the chain will hold the vessel rather than the anchor in calm to moderate conditions. As for the rule of 3 times the depth of the water, that is an absolute minimum. In calm conditions you will get away with 3 to 4 X the depth of water but as the wind/sea/current increases it is not uncommon to have a minimum of 10 X the depth of water of line out. It is not unusual to have all your anchor line out and having to extend it in adverse weather conditions. If in doubt let more out.

Another import factor when anchoring is the scope of the anchor line ( the angle of the line in relation to the sea bed) this must be no greater than 25-30 degrees otherwise the anchor will pull out.

If you where to put a mask and snorkel on and watch you chain and anchor when on the bottom, if all the chain lifts off the bottom due to the movement of the vessel there is a high risk of dragging and breaking the anchor out. Too stop this you either need to let more line out to reduce the scope or have heavier or a longer lenght of chain.

You should have your anchor line marked every 10m so you can estimate accuratly how much you have let out, I use cable ties or wipping twine on rope and paint on chain.

90% of pleasure boaters don't know how to anchor properly (and some commercial operators too). When anchoring pay out the anchor slowly until it reaches the bottom, don’t throw it or let it run out freely as the chain will foul the anchor as it will be all pile up on top of it. When the anchor is on the bottom reverse the boat to lay the chain out on the sea bed then pay the rope out under varying amounts of pressure to bite the anchor in.

So if your anchor is not dragging your fine as every vessel swings at anchor to a certain degree it’s just the nature of the beast.

[musty]

I saw a hint from water ways once that suggested 3m of chain and 3 times the depth of rope.i use this method and it works well.. I have a 4.8m fiberglass..i have 12mm chain and a 10lb anchore..If the wind is up and I am swinging around a sea anchore will fix the problem.. If you have a lot of rope out in calm conditions you may find you swing around as well.. so you now have 2 options... shorten the rope? or place a sea anchor

Mate its only my opinion, but that 3 times rule has always seemed like a crock of you know what to me... If im sitting in a channel 40m wide, and 10 m deep, which isnt uncommon is the Georges River or Hawkesbury system, that means i let out 30m of rope, Im swinging all over the shop with the wind. I reckon in calm water all you need to do is hold bottom and let another 3-4m of rope out maximum. Maybe in rough seas that rule may work but who wants to anchor in rough seas? and there are shock cords for that.

Maybe im missing something but I have Never let out 30-40m of rope to anchor in 10m of water.

10lb isnt very heavy, No harm in going larger i wouldnt have thought.

Also, consider the boat in question. An open tinnie 5m wont require as much as a 5m cuddy cab, the more surface area to catch the wind the bigger the anchor, plus the current. What i use in port hacking will not work in my tinnie at the rail bridge of hawkesbury river for example. Its not complicated however i dont believe there is a set rule for every boat in terms of anchor and chain length.

Then again im no anchoring expert as my anchoring days are long gone, its all bowmount leccy work nowadays the anchor is merely the legal requirement.

Cheers

Musty

[TheCount]

Mate - are you throwing all 10m out at one time?

Seriously though - sounds like a little feathering of the drop may help if you have that much steel out. Feel the anchor hit bottom and let the drift pull the chain from you.

Bit of trial and error but also consider shortening (halving) that chain...

TC.

[BWV]

Mate its only my opinion, but that 3 times rule has always seemed like a crock of you know what to me... If im sitting in a channel 40m wide, and 10 m deep, which isnt uncommon is the Georges River or Hawkesbury system, that means i let out 30m of rope, Im swinging all over the shop with the wind. I reckon in calm water all you need to do is hold bottom and let another 3-4m of rope out maximum. Maybe in rough seas that rule may work but who wants to anchor in rough seas? and there are shock cords for that.

Maybe im missing something but I have Never let out 30-40m of rope to anchor in 10m of water.

10lb isnt very heavy, No harm in going larger i wouldnt have thought.

Also, consider the boat in question. An open tinnie 5m wont require as much as a 5m cuddy cab, the more surface area to catch the wind the bigger the anchor, plus the current. What i use in port hacking will not work in my tinnie at the rail bridge of hawkesbury river for example. Its not complicated however i dont believe there is a set rule for every boat in terms of anchor and chain length.

Then again im no anchoring expert as my anchoring days are long gone, its all bowmount leccy work nowadays the anchor is merely the legal requirement.

Cheers

Musty

Musty, if I was anchoring my vessel in a channel like that I would have at least 50m out, but your not alloud to anchor in narrow channels anyway under rule 9 of the Collision Regs. As I said previously 3 is an absolute minimum and anything less than that is playing with fire. I know no one wants to anchor in rough conditions, but what happens you have too? 3 to 4 times just isnt going to cut it. Shocks cords are not the answer for it either.

If your going to only let out as much line as the depth of water plus 3-4 m extra, it may do the job sometimes, but is it correct? NO. Can it be done better? YES.

You might aswell though a brick with line attached to it because you are not letting to anchor do its job.

The more important factor with anchoring is the scope of the anchor line not the weight of the anchor.

In the Skeeter 20i we have my anchor from my 11ft tinny, just with extra chain and it is perfect.

There isnt a set rule at all more along the lines or trial and error, but it has been done a thousand times before us. So there is no need to re-invent the wheel.

The longer the chain = better holding power of the anchor.

The smaller the angle the line makes with the bottom(scope) = better holding power

If in doubt, let more line out!

I think that the "Australian Boating Manual" by Capt. Dick Gandy wouldnt be a bad read for a lot of pleasure boaters out there.

Edited April 4, 2011 by Whaler 255

[Little Hooker]

Mate ive had a problem like yours when i first started boating but i have figured out what works best for my boat. I have the same winch and same lenght of chain which previously was only 4mtrs. I have a 15lb anchor which holds much much better by adding that extra 6m on. Once i get a good hold on the ground i would use the winich and wind up abit of slack line which pulls the nose of the boat down and helps with the swinging...

[Alastair]

Provided you have solved the holding problem, there is a simple way to reduce the swinging a lot.

Once the anchor is set, attach a "bridle" rope to the anchor line, say 4m from the bow. Lead this back to a cleat near the back of the boat, and tie off so that it forms a long narrow triangle with the boat and anchor line.

The boat will now "tack" off slightly in the opposite direction, and the swinging will be much reduced.

I have a painter on the bollard, about 3m long. I have spliced loops into the anchor line every 3m. When I anchor, I lower anchor until it bottoms, then let it out until it bites. At that point I clip in the painter, and let the slack out, while keeping the rest of the anchor rope to hand in the boat. If I wish to "bridle", I just take up a bit of that slack, and tie off to one of the stern cleats.

Works for me

regards

Edited April 4, 2011 by Alastair

[fishon]

small sea anchor????????