boat anchor

[Whitetail15]

what would work good for a boat anchor that will not move for a week. going to vacation on a lake at a rental cotage with dock. thinking about dropping a heavy something about 20 feet from dock and attaching a line and marking ball. then just pulling boat over to the dock with a line when going to use it. i can't think about leaving it againt those docks. i don't know what shape they will be in.

[bkhallpass]

How deep, how much current, what is the the bottom surface.

A five gallon bucket filled with cement, and ring bolt stuck in the cement actually works pretty well.

BKH

[uwhusky]

Why not just buy an anchor?

[srock]

Just watch out for any big rain storms that will overwhelm you battery running the pumps or if larger waves from wind or boats that could wash over the bow. Seen it more than once.

[mcbridek]

I would use a danforth anchor the correct size for your boat and setup correctly (has to have chain attaching the anchor to the anchor rope). When you initially drop the anchor make sure it is set in the lake bottom. If you have access to a second anchor, you can set in a "V", but that may not be neecessary. We have been sailing many times in the Caribbean an anchor in the protected coves for the night. Sounds like you will be very close to the boat and if bad weather kicks up, your right there. Also depending on your location, you may need to leave the anchor light on at night.

[GoBig]

...and attaching a line and marking ball. then just pulling boat over to the dock with a line when going to use it...

An Anchor Buddy would be perfect for this. I use a fluke anchor with 6' of galvanized chain between the fluke and the Anchor Buddy with a marker buoy at the end. My 210 has held solid with this setup through pretty fierce wind and chop.

[brananders]

Do you think an Anchor Buddy would work to attach a boat to a permanent mooring buoy and used as a mooring pendant? I keep my boat on a buoy and I'm always swimming out to get it. If I could use an anchor buddy, I could just pull it back closer to shore and step on.

[GoBig]

Do you think an Anchor Buddy would work to attach a boat to a permanent mooring buoy and used as a mooring pendant? I keep my boat on a buoy and I'm always swimming out to get it. If I could use an anchor buddy, I could just pull it back closer to shore and step on.

I would NOT put an Anchor Buddy between a boat and a mooring bouy. They are ~20' and stretch over 50'. That is way too much play, especially if there are other boats nearby. How many feet is it between the shore and the boat? How deep is the water?

[brananders]

Yeah, i would only use it when I was on the beach. I wouldn't leave it unattended. The buoy is about 75-100ft from shore in 7 ft of water. The real problem is there isn't a dock so I don't have a good way to get people into the boat. Right now I moor it and we use a big 3 man tube to ferry people to the shore.

[captainbrad1]

I just got back from a lake vacation and had a very close call with my new 230 when a gnarly thunderstorm came up. The anchor broke loose and I had to run out in the middle of the storm and hold off the boat. I would invest in a large danforth anchor with at least 6' of chain (soft bottom) or a large jetty type anchor(rocky bottom). Go up at least 2 sizes from what the anchor says it's rated for.

[HS]

I just got back from a lake vacation and had a very close call with my new 230 when a gnarly thunderstorm came up. The anchor broke loose and I had to run out in the middle of the storm and hold off the boat. I would invest in a large danforth anchor with at least 6' of chain (soft bottom) or a large jetty type anchor(rocky bottom). Go up at least 2 sizes from what the anchor says it's rated for.

Bummer. What size anchor was it and how much scope did you have out?

FYI, and I am sure this is known to most here, but the reason why most guides advise 3:1 (for lunch) or 5:1 (overnight) scope for anchoring is becasue the holding power of an anchor is in the horizontal direction, which is why to pull up an anchor that has been properly set, you need to pull up on it in the vertical direction. Pulling horizontalyy with the proper scope should result in the anchor setting even deeper, assuming the bottom good holding and the anchor is not fouled on weeds or grass. Scope is the length of anchor rode relative to the depth of water where you anchor (plus the distance from the water level to the bow roller)...as McbrideK notes, that's the common practice on "big" boats.

In a lakeside situation, puting out that much anchor rode can end up creating a lot of "swing" room on an anchor. Well set moorings use less room and the benefit there is that in a mooring field, the boats will swing with the wind or current together. One guy on anchor too close to a mooring field could be problematic.

An option to using the concrete filled bucket would be an anchor and a shore tie. The web site that sells anchor buddy's shows how to use an anchor buddy in that manner.

For lunch and day stops (when I am always in sight of the boat) I have been using a river style mushroom anchor on an anchor buddy to the bow ring, then about a 20' shore tie line with a medium sized sand spike clipped to the stern. When it's time to go, haul in on the shore tie and wade out to the boat and board.

[GoBig]

Yeah, i would only use it when I was on the beach. I wouldn't leave it unattended. The buoy is about 75-100ft from shore in 7 ft of water. The real problem is there isn't a dock so I don't have a good way to get people into the boat. Right now I moor it and we use a big 3 man tube to ferry people to the shore.

I would just make your own setup and forget the mooring buoy. In this order...

*Fluke or Danforth anchor
*6' galvanized chain
*Anchor Buddy
*2' braided rope extension with SS hook for bow eye (this isn't totally necessary but it keeps the marker buoy off the hull, looks better sitting in the water, and is a much more durable hook than the carabiner that comes with AB)
*Marker buoy

This setup would work perfect in your situation. Just run a stern line to shore, tie it off to a stake, branch, or rock, then pull it in and jump on the swim step and you're set. Just beware of your rudder hitting the bottom when you pull the stern in close.

[brananders]

Thanks, that's a good suggestion. Would you leave it set up like that unattended? I still think I should use the permanent buoy for overnight moorage when I'm not within sight of the boat.

[GoBig]

I've left mine like that unattended overnight...but not for days at a time. If I'm going out for a session, I attach the stern line to the marker buoy/bow-hook and just leave in the water. When you return, your whole setup is right there, just pick up the marker buoy, attach the bow hook, walk the stern line back, tie off and pull yourself to shore...brilliant. The I/O guys on the beach look at you like, "that is cool!"

[captainbrad1]

I had 75' of rope out in 7-8' of water which is plenty of scope. The problem is that the wind was gusting to over 50mph. Trust me, I could have cracked walnuts with my..... well you know.