Let's see your ground tackle

[JustCruisin]

I just got done re-doing my anchor setup. Have yet to use it, would like to see how other boats are set up to haul their anchor. Thanks...glad spring is here!

 

[klee wyck]

Libra's winch.

 

[O C Diver]

Slow Hand's ground tackle.





Ted

 

[JustCruisin]

I like the dual anchor setup...how often do you need two anchors?

 

[rslifkin]

My setup looks a bit simplistic compared to the previous few posts, but here it is.

 

[O C Diver]

I like the dual anchor setup...how often do you need two anchors?

Never off the bow. Rarely I use a second much smaller anchor off the stern to stay parallel to the shore line in a river where I'm not expecting the current to change.

I view two anchors as redundancy should I lose the primary or have to cut it loose. The second anchor, genuine Bruce, hasn't been used since that picture in 2015.

Alternatively, if you felt you had a second anchor that was better in maybe very soft mud, that my be a reason to switch to the backup.

Ted

 

[Fletcher500]

We have a Lewmar Windlass with a Sampson post for tie off.

A few months ago I pulled off the old chain/rope combo, and added more chain which I need for deeper water anchoring at the Channel Islands.

I got rid of the Ultra Swivel and put on this Mantus which I really like. My slip neighbor calls it boat jewelry.

 

[Stabi]

I got rid of the Ultra Swivel and put on this Mantus which I really like.

Out of curiosity, why the switch from the Ultra Swivel to the Mantus?

 

[Fletcher500]

Also, the reason I have the notes regarding the bowline is for emergency cut off reminder to myself. Its a big loop that I can reach inside the anchor locker fairly easily to cut in a worst case scenario.

 

[Fletcher500]

Out of curiosity, why the switch from the Ultra Swivel to the Mantus?

I don't want to start an anchor war thread: A very experienced boater told me a story about the Ultra style swivels side loading and breaking. He knew someone that had it happen. The Mantus website discusses it more.

The Mantus also allows the anchor to pivot back in to the anchor roller pocket easier (facing in the proper direction), but that is probably also a clearance issue I had on the anchor with the Ultra and adding a shackle (which I should have had) would have improved that.

 

[jleonard]

Main is a 35 Danforth high tensile on all chain. Secondary is a 44 Delta 40 ft of chain and 3 strand nylon.
I've used both several times, either in storms or tight, crappy holding ground anchorages.

 

[C lectric]

My setup. More workboat than the others though which is what the hulls were built for.

 

[JustCruisin]

Thanks for the responses...I would like to know some more about using a stern anchor. I will be spending a fair amount of time anchoring on my home river and I think using one will be needed to keep the boat from blowing around. I realize I will need to know when the tide changes and pull and re-set the rear anchor when that happens so...what is the best way to deploy the anchor and then pull it and re-set when the tide changes without having to re-set the bow anchor and will it the bow anchor re-set on it's own when the direction reverses. The river is mostly muddy bottom. Use dinghy to set/retrieve stern anchor? I am looking to get a danforth to use for the stern anchor.

 

[rslifkin]

2 easiest ways to set a stern anchor is to either dinghy it out, or let out more rode on the primary, back down, drop the stern anchor, then move forward and take up the excess primary rode.



In general, I avoid stern anchors whenever I can. They're pretty much just for when you absolutely can't let the boat swing.

 

[Larmex99]

New build Jan/21

After dragging anchor is a squal I replaced the 25’ of 5/16” chain with 75’ of 3/8” chain. She doesn’t move anymore. There is 400’ of Amsteel Blue 3/8” line under the chain. Works well is big tides and currents. So far…..

 

[rgano]

Not much to see, but it works. Got rid of the toy 16-lb Claw that came with the boat and put a 35-lb Supermax on the end of 180 feet of G4 chain. Fortress FX37 and a 35-lb fisherman and rodes stowed below decks aft plus a second FX37 in the tool shed if storm-threatened - it all worked in a cat five hurricane in 2018. Nuff said.

 

[O C Diver]

Thanks for the responses...I would like to know some more about using a stern anchor. I will be spending a fair amount of time anchoring on my home river and I think using one will be needed to keep the boat from blowing around. I realize I will need to know when the tide changes and pull and re-set the rear anchor when that happens so...what is the best way to deploy the anchor and then pull it and re-set when the tide changes without having to re-set the bow anchor and will it the bow anchor re-set on it's own when the direction reverses. The river is mostly muddy bottom. Use dinghy to set/retrieve stern anchor? I am looking to get a danforth to use for the stern anchor.

I use a Fortress FX11, 6' of 3/16" chain, and around 300' of 1/2" three strand nylon. It's set up in a milk crate where I can tie the bitter end off through a hawse pipe to a cleat on my stern deck. The anchor and chain sit on top of the rope in the crate. I figure out where I'm going to drop the bow anchor, mark it on the chart plotter as MOB and start moving to where I want to drop the stern anchor. My MOB mark will give me distance back to the mark on the plotter. When I get to where I want the stern anchor, I position the boat towards the MOB mark and give it a slight forward motion. Run back; throw anchor and chain behind the boat; run forward and put the boat in gear. The rope needs to be set in the box or on the deck where it will self deploy without tangling. Slowly motor up to the MOB mark,leave the boat in neutral and drop anchor and chain quickly. Then go to the stern and pull the slack out of the stern anchor rope till the bow anchor draws tight. Once the slack is drawn out of the stern anchor rope, you can set the bow anchor and make adjustments.

Now I do this all solo each time I use 2 anchors. With someone to deploy and keep the stern anchor rope from slacking and going into the prop, it would be much easier. In a perfect world, I want 20:1 scope on the stern rope. That little anchor has a tremendous amount of holding at that scope. With 200' of stretchy line out, the line acts like a shock absorber to soften the boat tugging. After the bow anchor is set, I pull the stern rope very taught to hold the boat in place.

To leave, I slack the stern anchor intermittently while pulling the bow anchor. When the bow anchor comes up, I go pull the rope on the stern anchor, pulling the boat to it. When the rope is near vertical, the anchor usually breaks out of the bottom. Once or twice I tied the rope off when it's vertical, and let the mass of the boat break it out.

If you have the good fortune to do this with a mate, practice it a few times, lots of moving pieces. In a perfect world, I want all the stern rope deployed and the line starting to stretch as I'm dropping the bow anchor. 300' of 1/2" three strand nylon will easily stretch another 50'.

Ted

 

[FWT]

I don't want to start an anchor war thread: A very experienced boater told me a story about the Ultra style swivels side loading and breaking. He knew someone that had it happen. The Mantus website discusses it more.

The Mantus also allows the anchor to pivot back in to the anchor roller pocket easier (facing in the proper direction), but that is probably also a clearance issue I had on the anchor with the Ultra and adding a shackle (which I should have had) would have improved that.

Were you using the Ultra swivel on an Ultra anchor?

Where I'm going with that, is how well the Mantus swivel works on an Ultra anchor?

 

[Airstream345]

Rocna Vulcan 55 as the main anchor, Rocna 70 as the apocalypse/storm anchor. 300' of 1/2" BBB chain in one locker, 50' of 1/2" on 350' a 1" rode in the other. Ideal vertical windlass.

 

[Fletcher500]

Were you using the Ultra swivel on an Ultra anchor?

Where I'm going with that, is how well the Mantus swivel works on an Ultra anchor?

No, mixing and matching swivels and anchors from previous boats which was part of the problem.

 

[rgano]

Just Cruisin, my preferred method of anchoring in a reversing current uses two anchors off the bow so there is no concern about having to retrieve a stern anchor at tidal reverse. Who wants to be up in the middle of the night in whatever weather doing that? In heavy weather, there is the issue of water being forced up stern-facing exhausts and the flat surface of most trawler transoms being beat against by waves.

I like the strongest anchor/rode combo into the natural flow of the river because an ebb tide in an estaurine river will result in a stronger current than when the tide is making on the flood. After dropping the main bower where I want I drift aft if on an ebb letting almost all the rode out, and then I drop the downstream anchor from the stern in order to get all the distance from the upstream anchor I can get. With the second anchor rode free to run along the deck and over the taffrail, I either use the boat's engine to overcome the inertia to head back toward the first anchor until its rode is adjusted to the desided length.

If the tide is making when I anchor, some creativity is in order, but I won't beat that horse anymore.

For a short stay, I am not overly worried about two rodes off the bow getting twisted, but for longer periods, there is always to idead of securing both rodes to a swivel or some other method to avoid twisting.

 

[JustCruisin]

From my experience of anchoring with my pontoon boat on this particular river, Nanticoke River in DE and MD alot of times especially on an outgoing tide the current runs against the wind causing problems trying to keep the boat from swinging around. Do you ever try to keep the stern into the current when the chop is coming against the current? Wave height is not a concern, if it gets bad I am going to be in the marina anyway.

 

[sbu22]

My setup looks a bit simplistic compared to the previous few posts, but here it is.

My rig is so simplistic I don't even have a picture of it. This thread is insperational.

 

[bowball]

Some functional jewelry…

 

[JohnP]

Love our Muir Cheetah and dual anchor pulpit- Primary anchor is a Manson.

 

[JustCruisin]

I really like the two anchor setup...

 

[Greggnvt]

Mantus 85# w/Mantus swivel, Ultra (don't recall the weight) w/Ultra swivel, 3/8 all-chain (300'), Maxwell windless. Use a Mantus Bridle.

Used both anchors just a couple times just to minimize swing. Mantus is primary anchor.

 

[NEtrawler58]

After dragging anchor is a squal I replaced the 25’ of 5/16” chain with 75’ of 3/8” chain. She doesn’t move anymore. There is 400’ of Amsteel Blue 3/8” line under the chain. Works well is big tides and currents. So far…..

Not to start another anchor argument, but adding another 50 ft. of heavier chain should not significantly change your anchor's holding power especially in a squall. It's not a bad thing to do and I'm glad you are satisfied with it, but that should not be the difference in the dragging you described. I'd suggest that when you first dragged either you were not set as good as you think you were, maybe not enough scope, maybe the bottom, or maybe your new setup hasn't experienced the same conditions yet.

 

[LenBuchanan]

I could show you pictures, but all that would show is my anchor, a Rocna Vulcan 55# sitting in the basement and a chain bin sitting in our three seasons room with 100' of 3/8 chain and 200' of 5/8 line sitting on top of it. This will be marked every 10' with yellow paint before I bring it up through the windlass before the boat goes back in the water. I have a Lewmar CPX 3 windlass on the bow of the boat.

This past summer at the end (luckily) of our trip from Lake Michigan to Duluth, MN in Lake Superior, we were anchored out in Frankfort, MI and got hung up on something. No matter what we did, we couldn't get the anchor and chain free. I ended cutting off my Rocna Vulcan 44# and 100' of chain. It is now laying at the bottom of Lake Betsie.

 

[FWT]

Mantus 85# w/Mantus swivel, Ultra (don't recall the weight) w/Ultra swivel, 3/8 all-chain (300'), Maxwell windless. Use a Mantus Bridle.

Used both anchors just a couple times just to minimize swing. Mantus is primary anchor.

With both of those anchors, curious about your selection of the Mantus over the Ultra as primary. I was considering an Ultra. Have you experienced some downside to it, to make it backup instead of primary?