Need An Anchor

[Blue Dawg]

Dumb question. Got a 18’ center console. Fish some lakes but mostly the upper and lower Potomac. Got a small anchor but it won’t hold the boat when waters moving pretty good. Any suggestions as to what weigh and style anchor will work for me?
Thanx in advance
Blue Dawg

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

I use a Danforth anchor and like it for it's light weight. If the bottom is sand, muck or stones it works well, if it's bedrock like some of the shield lakes I fish, it will just slide. There is a size chart on their website.

 

[overboard]

Couple other options would be a box anchor or a Columbia River anchor, one benefit of a box anchor is that it collapses and doesn't take up a lot of room.

 

[airshot]

Gotta know what you anchoring in...refering to bottom makeup !! Different anchors for different bottoms...there is no one anchor that does it all. At my age (73) wrestling an anchor is a job for me, I do carry a heavy anchor just in case, an off brand unit that I made mods to so it will work on most bottoms with my 16' tinnie, but can be a handfull !! Now, I have a trolling motor with the anchor feature, just deploy the TM then push a button on the remote d it hold my position within three feet circle. It holds well even in two foot chop !! Haven't used an actual anchor since I got this TM !!! Gotta have the anchor for emergencies and to pass the boat safety requirement, but....only use it in an emergency....getting spoiled in my old age !!!

 

[TexasJim]

I did 12,000 miles between Puerto Rico and Venezuela in a 38-foot motor yacht. Anchored 1,000's of times. Like airshot said, different anchors for different bottoms. I had five anchors and needed and used them all. The one anchor that was the most reliable was a Bruce, 15 kg(33 lbs). It was a ***** to retrieve, without a windlass, but would almost always hold. They will hang up under an immovable rock, tree stump or piling, so you need to attach the line to the back end trip line hole, and then use multiple big zip ties to bind the rope to the front end. If you get stuck under a giant rock, the zip ties will break, letting you get your anchor back, by pulling up on the back end. Carry lots of zip ties. CQR Plows were the next best, but won't hold in some bottoms. Danforths are great, but won't hold well in grass bottoms. I use a 2 kg Bruce on my 14-foot tinny. TexasJim

 

[airshot]

Not unusual at all for bigger boats to carry multiple anchors for different bottom types. When I had my 22', I carried at least two and on ocassion three different styles of anchors. Gotta know what your anchoring in !!

 

[jethro]

What kind of anchor do you have and does it have a section of chain? A Danforth for instance requires 8 to 10' of chain before the rope so that the tang of the anchor is dragged properly along the bottom. I use a Danforth on my 21' boat in the saltwater in pretty snotty conditions and it holds well. Also, do you use your depth-finder to make sure you are letting out 3 to 5 times the water depth of anchor line?

 

[airshot]

What kind of anchor do you have and does it have a section of chain? A Danforth for instance requires 8 to 10' of chain before the rope so that the tang of the anchor is dragged properly along the bottom. I use a Danforth on my 21' boat in the saltwater in pretty snotty conditions and it holds well. Also, do you use your depth-finder to make sure you are letting out 3 to 5 times the water depth of anchor line?I

 

[airshot]

I have many different anchors, but now just carry one for safety requirements. For most jobs in soft bottom conditions the danforth is pretty common and they work well and do need a length of chain to work well. I also have a " Chene" anchor which is a modified danforth, smaller in size, bites in more quickly and easier to retrieve!
The one I carry is an offbrand oddball danforth style but thicker and heavier. Found it at a garage sale, heavy at around 15 lbs. The casting was flawed when I bought and it didn't work well, but being a toolmaker by trade, I redesignedvit to work well. Due to its weight in my 16' tinnie it holds well in soft bottoms and also hard bottoms. The flukes are thick and heavy but they do bite in, and the weight makes it work well in most cases. I do have 6' of heavy chain to help make it bite better !! I also have a TM with anchor lock to hold my position, so an anchor is only for emergency and pass my safety inspection. As far as the scope of my anchor, I have painted markers on my rope at 25' intervales. I have 75' of anchor line and another 75' of line that attaches to the main line if needed !! Rarely am I in more than 30 ' of water, normally aroynd 20', so I have whatever I might need... After 60 years of boating it is pretty easy for mevto gage the angle of my line to know if I am good. Experience is valuable !!

 

[TexasJim]

What a lot of people don't know about Danforth anchors: The "H" anchors are Hi-Tensile, made from thinner steel, but alloy, and are heat-treated for strength. They dig in really good, and will hold in lots of bottoms. BUT! If you hang a Hi-Tensile Danforth under a tree stump, you may end up cutting the line to go home. The "S" series anchors are mild steel, don't dig in as easy, but if you get one under a stump, you can probably pull up enough to bend it, and free it. You can put it in a big vise, and straighten it for re-use. In a lake, "S" series are probably the smart move. In the ocean, a "H" series Danforth is a good bet. Danforths were designed to be carried on "flying boats", due to their holding strength to weight ratio. An aluminum Viking or Fortress Danforth anchor with some chain is often a good choice. FYI TexasJim