Anchoring tips

[Finnz]

Hello friends,

I am looking for pointers how to anchor my ski nautique 19.6. i have always had an inboardoutboard and just beached it in soft sand. A few questions:
-what depth should i shoot for
-what is the best way to anchor the bow e.g., anchor buddy, auger, ect...
-should i anchor the front and back

last week we were at the campsite and anchored in pretty rough water. I used a 30ft rope to a 40lb anchor off the bow and tied to the beach off the back, but the boat consistently washed to the shore. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated

[jhersey29]

Mushroom anchor? Might try the wedge style where you can dig it into the lake bottom.
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[wakejunky]

For the longest time I was anchor challenged while doing a week long camping trip. I would have all the sails up, wakesurfboards, wakeboards, bimini, wakeskates etc and it never failed that it would get windy on one day of the trip. My boat would literally swing 20-30 feet each direction and threaten to hit other boats. I eventually learned through process of trial and error that you I needed a big *** anchor, in my case, I've found that the Box Anchors work better than any other anchor. (plus it folds flat for storage)
I used 50ft of hard line attached to an anchor buddy and I'd throw the anchor way out attached to my bow eye. I would then back up towards shore taking into account the prop walk so, that I would take up the line and the anchor buddy was starting to get stretched pretty good by the time I go near shore. I'd then jump out with a line attached to the stern and walk up to shore and anchor the stern.
You want to back end in no closer than in 3ft deep water to feel comfortable about not hitting the bottom. The anchor buddy should allow a little bit of pull to get the boat a little closer for boarding.

[Finnz]

Thanks a million......do recommend a place to pick up the anchor buddy or just get one online

[nautiques4life]

I second the box anchor

[desertskier]

If you use an anchor buddy follow the manufacturers directions. Attach your normal anchor line in parallel with the anchor buddy so that when you pull it up your anchor line is doing the pulling not the anchor buddy. It is basically a rubber band and it has been mine and many others experience that they break after several years of use. I have been using bulk bungy cord rather than an anchor buddy for many years now and haven't had a problem. You can buy it at army navy stores or some hardware stores. For anchoring in rough water I use a traditional anchor with a chain rode and 100ft of rope and the bungy in parallel. Never had a problem. Good luck.

[migs]

anchor buddy - then a hard line to shore. My suggestion however is, if you want to be 100% confident in your anchor, you swim down and secure it yourself. Dig it in by hand, then stack rocks on top of it. Thats the only way I anchor when camping. It makes a great, fun exercise with your buddies after finding your camping spot.
I anchor buddy off the rear of the boat though, & keep the bow up front - just in case for whatever reason my anchor fails, my boat goes into shore bow first & not prop first.

[shag]

All good advice above. Much more line than 30' needed, and yes a big anchor in rough water.. Always bow to the wind/waves.

[desertskier]

migs. Your pictures look like your line isn't long enough. Maybe why it pulls up. The chain should be at much less of an angle. Basically laying on the bottom. At least a 5:1 ratio 10:1 is maximum holding power. 10 ft depth should be at least 50 ft.

[NautiqueJeff]

I have used a procedure similar to wakejunky's for about fifteen years now. Works great! Never had an issue. I use a danforth anchor, but it is HUGE (made for a 45' yacht).

I would be very careful if you anchor your boat backwards like migs does. Waves will push the boat much harder if they are hitting the back of the boat (instead of letting the bow cut through them), and keeping the boat in place will require that much bigger of an anchor.

[swatguy]

Box anchor all the way. Along w/ an anchor buddy. Bow pointing away from shore transom towards shore tied to a stake.

[nyryan2001]

Fins..... a BABY box anchor with the anchor buddy would work great for your boat and would be plenty. ~10x10"? maybe if you are feeling froggy and want a little extra grab put 2-5ft of heavy chain off the anchor to really keep your pull angle as low as possible.

[core-rider]

Rope length has a LOT to do with how well your anchor will hold. Matching the anchor to the conditions on the bottom of your waterway helps too. Good rule of thumb is 7:1 ratio for anchor rope length. For every 1' of water depth you need to pay out 7' of rope. 10' of water needs 70' of rope. Having about 6' of chain attaching the rope to the anchor also helps with the anchor holding on the bottom.

Most of where I anchor is mud/clay/silt bottom. I only have a 15# river anchor (looks like a mushroom with 3 sections missing), 6' of chain, and 150' of rope. That setup held a boatline along with several other anchors all day in 15MPH winds a couple weeks ago. I had all 150' of rope out in about 15-18' of water. It dug down into the bottom and held great. That same anchor would not hold for squat on a rocky bottom though.