How to Anchor Properly
 

Does anybody have a good tutorial for how to anchor the boat properly? I boat in Lake Pleasant, AZ, where the ground goes from rock (boulder) to sand and in some areas, old trees. So far I've read the following:

For every foot of water depth, have about 5 feet of line.

Drop anchor in water, guide it all the way down.

Reverse boat until line is snug, and boat is where you want it to be.

Tie it off on the hook at the front of the boat.

When retrieving anchor, drive forward until you are directly above the line.

Pull up until anchor comes out of the water.

Is that about it?

Seems a little crazy that if I'm in 40 feet of water, to let out 200 feet of rope? Wouldn't that cause me to drift 100+ feet around the anchor?

Re: How to Anchor Properly
 

That's why some people (me included) carry a second anchor to tie off the stern and stop that drifting.

Re: How to Anchor Properly
 

I throw it out about 10 feet from the boat let it sink pull up the slack till it's somewhat taunt then let about two feet of slack go and tie it off. I I may drift around in a small circle but I'm not going anywhere. Agree with Mikey you can drop a rear anchor to stop the circle. Most of the time we tie off with another boat who drops their anchor on the opposite end so we both stay put

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Re: How to Anchor Properly
 

You've got the right idea. For the best anchoring advice, I suggest picking up a "Chapman's Guide to Piloting & Seamanship" at your local West Marine or boating supply store. It's about $50, and about 900 pages, but it'll teach you everything you ever needed to know about boating. There's a whole chapter on anchoring that's probably 50+ pages!

The trick is purchasing the right anchor for your boating area's bottom, and to try and learn the terrain as best as you can. Rocky boulder bottoms can become "anchor eaters" if you're not careful, so when your anchor's down, remember to never go faster than idle speed. Stern anchors come in handy if want to reduce your swing, (and if you've got the extra space to store it onboard). Just practice a bit, it'll become second nature after a while!

If you've got any more questions, let us know!

Re: How to Anchor Properly
 

Do you guys not use chain then?

My anchors have the length of my boat in chain before the warp.
The chain makes the anchor lay flat on the bottom so that any pulling force from the boat is transferred to the horizontal plane.
This helps set the anchor and also makes it easier to recover as the pulling force when recovering is at 90* to the setting angle.

I also have my chain attached at the bottom of the anchor, Zip tied to the shaft.
(big zip ties :yes_grin:)
That way if the anchor does get stuck then pulling it with the power of the boat breaks the ties and pulls the anchor out backward :D

Re: How to Anchor Properly
 

Andy I do have a length of chain on mine but definitely not the length of the boat. Its probably 10 feet of chain. The zip ties sound like a really good idea though!

Re: How to Anchor Properly
 

Make sure they are plenty strong and use lots of them :yes_grin:
(I wouldn't recommend this for bigger boats!)

Re: How to Anchor Properly
 

Welp I've been anchoring like a champ....throw out the mushroom anchor, let out about 2-3x depth of water in the cove, and the boat is planted. It'll swing left/right with the wind, but doesn't move an inch up or down. Anchored 4 times now, and it's getting easier every time. Thanks for the helpful info guys!