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good anchor needed


scott_fx

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Hey guys,

I purchase a sunsetter vlx and the previous owner said I'd needed to get a proper anchor because the one on the boat is too small.

what type of anchor should i be looking for and what size is the correct size?

thanks in advance,

scott

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It really depends on what your situation is.

I usually anchor in lakes with a rocky or muddy bottom. A fluke anchor like this plus about 6' of chain to make it lay down. The anchor, chain & 100' of rope fit under the bow seat easily.... with room to spare.

159180025.jpg

Plus, don't forget a Anchor Buddy & a good stake (like a Sandspike) if you tie off at shore.

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Tri-fluted river anchors are the best and one of the most compact anchors out there. We use and sell the 30 lb version for use with our portable slalom courses (www.ez-slalom.com). I've personally tested every conceivable thing you can anchor a slalom course (or a boat) with and hands down the river anchors work better in a wider variety of bottom conditions than anything else out there, period. The ONLY thing they don't work well for is if you have flat plate rock on the bottom. Plus again, they're very compact and easy to store in the boat without worrying about gouging anything as with a fluted type anchor.

I use a 15 lb river anchor for my boat and it works great. Vinyl coated makes for easy cleanup. 30 lb may be overkill but I guarantee your boat won't pull loose. 20 lb probably sufficient IMO.

Ed

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I use a 15 # Navy Anchor with flukes. It is not nearly as good as the anchor pictured above but it stores compactly in my bilge locker. I have had it since my first new boat, a 1972 SeaRay 17' I/O. To compensate I added an extra 15 feet of chain for a total of about 20'.

At my 9 day campout I take an extra 15 pound vinyl fluted mushroom type anchor. This is so I can leave my regular campsite anchor system in place and yet go "gunkhole" up in a cove and swing on the extra hook. That's why I have not gone to a bigger anchor because I sometime's need two.

My point is whatever anchor you choose if you find it is not enough you can get some extra help by just adding some extra chain. If 10' is not enough go to 20'.

Edited by DONTW8
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Ed

Have you got a photo of the 30lb anchor you use for the slalom courses. I am looking for something to moor my portable course (Insta-Slalom, bought used) that I leave in all summer. The bottom on my lake is a combination of mud and rock. Last season I used a couple of plastic paint pails with 36lbs of cement in them. They held on calm days but when the wind picked up we got 2ft waves and it would drag the course. Maybe a good thing because it didn't get damaged. Do you think they would work better than more cement in the bucket? Let me know.

Thanks

Gary

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Ed

Have you got a photo of the 30lb anchor you use for the slalom courses. I am looking for something to moor my portable course (Insta-Slalom, bought used) that I leave in all summer. The bottom on my lake is a combination of mud and rock. Last season I used a couple of plastic paint pails with 36lbs of cement in them. They held on calm days but when the wind picked up we got 2ft waves and it would drag the course. Maybe a good thing because it didn't get damaged. Do you think they would work better than more cement in the bucket? Let me know.

Thanks

Gary

I have several photos but I don't know how to upload/post them. I've added a link below, this should give you a good idea of what I'm talking about. If the link doesn't work go to www.basspro.com, in the Search function type in "river anchor".

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s...__SearchResults

I truly have tested everything you could even possible conceive of to anchor a portable slalom course. Buckets of concrete, old car wheels, hunks of railroad track, small engine blocks, cement blocks, you name it. Hands down the 30 lb river anchors are the best thing out there, if they weren't I'd be pushing something else. They're compact, easy to store/transport, they hold extremely well, they're easy to clean up.

The problem with buckets of concrete is that weight and mass alone do not necessarily make a good anchor, the suggestions for the fluke type anchors being a good example. A heavy bucket of concrete is a PITA to haul around, plus its shape allows it to slide or roll around on the bottom. Besides weight you need a design that bites into the bottom quickly and solidly. Navy or fluke type anchors require the length of heavy chain described earlier to work properly, plus they have to be dragged a ways before they bite in. That's OK for a boat, but for a portable slalom course you want your anchors, especially the 2nd anchor, to grab immediately to hold the tension you've pulled on the course to get it tight. By definition and design a navy anchor etc doesn't do that, the reason so many folks who own the same brand course as yours come to me to get anchors that really work for their portable courses. So IMO you don't need more weight, you need anchors that will bite in quickly and hold solidly. River anchors do that in a wider variety of bottom conditions better than anything else out there.

For a permanent or semi-permanent instalation such as you're doing you might be better off going with massive weight, something in the range of 100 lbs on each end. But it still needs to be odd shaped enough that it will bit into the bottom and not slide on you. Heavy concrete blocks chained together, old engine heads, anything like that should do the job. But for a strictly portable course go with 30 lb river anchors.

Ed

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I've seen plenty of guys use those river anchors without any issues. The key is to use a length of chain to make it lay down so it can dig in.

We have a car wheel & tire full of concrete on our swimming bouys off our beach. Weight is probably around 200 lbs & nothing moves it.

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thanks guys.

i think i'll go ahead and get the river anchor. the 30# one is a lot less then what i was planning on spending anyways. so with the solid reputation and reviews it's a good gamble.

as far as the differences in the river anchors, is there something i should look for when purchasing or is the bass-pro linked anchor a good choice?

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One other anchor trick that works.

If You already have an inadequate anchor say a 15# Navy Anchor.

If you can find a 5, 10, or 15# mushroom anchor cheap on craigslist: Attach a carabiner to it to make it easily installed/removed. If you already have 15 feet of anchor chain on your main anchor you can place your cheapo mushroom anchor to your chain say 7 feet from your main anchor. What this does is make your Navy Anchor chain remain parallel to the river bottom. So your Navy Anchor flukes stay dug in. Your boat must first lift your cheapo anchor signifigantly to pull your main anchor straight up.

The advantage of this setup is price. You only have to buy a cheapo anchor. The other advantage is that you can use the second detachable cheapo anchor for temporary "gunkholing" use when you want to leave your main anchor in place at your mooring spot.

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thanks for the suggestion but i'd rather spend the money now and have a simple setup. Maybe it'll save me some frustration..or at least space.

We bought a coated fluke style anchor with coated chain. Love it. Does not scratch the boat, is very quiet while moving it and when stored, and any mud/dirt falls right off.

We got ours at Overton's. Something like part numbers 72107 and 74286. Most of our lake is dirt bottom with some small rock. We use it in 10' to 70' of water in about any water condition without any drifting. I would not undersize the anchor but go larger than smaller, and get plenty of rope. Most people anchor too vertical, but fluke works best with plenty of rope. Some say a 5 to 1 or even a 7 to 1 ratio (rope to depth).

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I'm going to have to recommend the Box Anchor. Best anchor I've had, holds like a mofo. Only issue I ever had was in mud/milfoil up to my knees. Other than that it always hold and is small when folded up.

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Another +1 for the Box anchor. I have used it at Parker to hold my boat in place over night numerous times. It also works well at all the local AZ lakes I hit up.

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thanks for the suggestion but i'd rather spend the money now and have a simple setup. Maybe it'll save me some frustration..or at least space.

We bought a coated fluke style anchor with coated chain. Love it. Does not scratch the boat, is very quiet while moving it and when stored, and any mud/dirt falls right off.

We got ours at Overton's. Something like part numbers 72107 and 74286. Most of our lake is dirt bottom with some small rock. We use it in 10' to 70' of water in about any water condition without any drifting. I would not undersize the anchor but go larger than smaller, and get plenty of rope. Most people anchor too vertical, but fluke works best with plenty of rope. Some say a 5 to 1 or even a 7 to 1 ratio (rope to depth).

7 to 1 in 70' of water is 490' of anchor rope..... are you really carrying that much?! Seems like the use anchor chain would cut that ratio a lot.

I use my Anchor Buddy more often than the rope. We're usually anchoring just off shore, maybe near a campsite or a beach we're hanging out at. I think an Anchor Buddy is maybe 20' or 25' long fully stretched. At those ratios that means the Anchor Buddy is only good for less than 6' - 8' of water. When we're all tied up, I think my bow might be in 6' - 8' of water, but the anchor could be in 20' or more.

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Hey guys,

I purchase a sunsetter vlx and the previous owner said I'd needed to get a proper anchor because the one on the boat is too small.

what type of anchor should i be looking for and what size is the correct size?

thanks in advance,

scott

13S Danforth, 30' of 3/16 chain. 300 ' 1/2 nylon 3 strand. 5-1 scope should work. 7-1 if it gets windy. just my opinion, but I like to sleep.

Edited by CRMNGRN
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I'm going to have to recommend the Box Anchor. Best anchor I've had, holds like a mofo. Only issue I ever had was in mud/milfoil up to my knees. Other than that it always hold and is small when folded up.

Plus1.gif

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I'm surprised the Box anchor took so long to come up. I have one and it's been great. I must admit that I don't have ANY experience with other anchors, but 99% of our boating now is on the river and the box anchor has been flawless.

I don't use a chain either.

Edited by Molarbu
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I'm surprised the Box anchor took so long to come up. I have one and it's been great. I must admit that I don't have ANY experience with other anchors, but 99% of our boating now is on the river and the box anchor has been flawless.

i've heard a lot about the box anchors too, the guy i used to go to the river with had one. Has anyone that has a box anchor now used a river anchor in the past? I directo comparison would be awesome.

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I'm surprised the Box anchor took so long to come up. I have one and it's been great. I must admit that I don't have ANY experience with other anchors, but 99% of our boating now is on the river and the box anchor has been flawless.

i've heard a lot about the box anchors too, the guy i used to go to the river with had one. Has anyone that has a box anchor now used a river anchor in the past? I directo comparison would be awesome.

http://www.noteco.com/bulwagga/multimedia/..._pdf_Jan_01.pdf
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thanks for the suggestion but i'd rather spend the money now and have a simple setup. Maybe it'll save me some frustration..or at least space.

We bought a coated fluke style anchor with coated chain. Love it. Does not scratch the boat, is very quiet while moving it and when stored, and any mud/dirt falls right off.

We got ours at Overton's. Something like part numbers 72107 and 74286. Most of our lake is dirt bottom with some small rock. We use it in 10' to 70' of water in about any water condition without any drifting. I would not undersize the anchor but go larger than smaller, and get plenty of rope. Most people anchor too vertical, but fluke works best with plenty of rope. Some say a 5 to 1 or even a 7 to 1 ratio (rope to depth).

7 to 1 in 70' of water is 490' of anchor rope..... are you really carrying that much?! Seems like the use anchor chain would cut that ratio a lot.

Note I said "some say" but I don't actually follow that rule for our lake. That's a heck of a lot of rope.

More than not I'm in about 15' of water in a wind protected cove when anchoring. I anchor in 70' only to watch 4th of July fireworks, etc. about once a year and even that is on our pontoon boat, not our BU. So I only carry a 100' rope with chain on the BU unless I know I'm headed out to spend some time in other areas.

When I'm at anchor it is a nice day, else my butt is in the house if bad weather or rough water.

Never used a box anchor. Don't see any of those around my lake, but looks like it would work well if coated and collapsible. The fluke style is about all I've ever used, except that chunk of metal my dad used for his pond boat when I was growing up!! Good times!! I think now they call that "ballast".

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Do those of you with box anchors have galvanized or stainless steel?

I'd love to have a SS anchor, but the price hike seems fairly steep.

I've got galvanized, I like the bling but dang those SS are way to much.

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Do those of you with box anchors have galvanized or stainless steel?

I'd love to have a SS anchor, but the price hike seems fairly steep.

I couldn't justify the extra expense on the SS, so I have the regular. I figured of all the places to add money, the anchor wasn't the one!

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Do those of you with box anchors have galvanized or stainless steel?

I'd love to have a SS anchor, but the price hike seems fairly steep.

I couldn't justify the extra expense on the SS, so I have the regular. I figured of all the places to add money, the anchor wasn't the one!

I might have to agree. See it for a few seconds, then its bling at the bottom of the lake!

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thanks for the suggestion but i'd rather spend the money now and have a simple setup. Maybe it'll save me some frustration..or at least space.

We bought a coated fluke style anchor with coated chain. Love it. Does not scratch the boat, is very quiet while moving it and when stored, and any mud/dirt falls right off.

We got ours at Overton's. Something like part numbers 72107 and 74286. Most of our lake is dirt bottom with some small rock. We use it in 10' to 70' of water in about any water condition without any drifting. I would not undersize the anchor but go larger than smaller, and get plenty of rope. Most people anchor too vertical, but fluke works best with plenty of rope. Some say a 5 to 1 or even a 7 to 1 ratio (rope to depth).

7 to 1 in 70' of water is 490' of anchor rope..... are you really carrying that much?! Seems like the use anchor chain would cut that ratio a lot.

I use my Anchor Buddy more often than the rope. We're usually anchoring just off shore, maybe near a campsite or a beach we're hanging out at. I think an Anchor Buddy is maybe 20' or 25' long fully stretched. At those ratios that means the Anchor Buddy is only good for less than 6' - 8' of water. When we're all tied up, I think my bow might be in 6' - 8' of water, but the anchor could be in 20' or more.

How much rope compared to depth will have a lot to do with conditions such as current, wind and type of lake bottom. If you use the anchor buddy as directed you would use it in combination with a rope, so you would have say a 25 foot anchor buddy with a 100 foot rope. The anchor buddy and rope both attach to the anchor and the other end of the anchor buddy attaches 25 feet up the rope. This allows you to pull your boat into the beach when you are boarding. I have a rope I tie from the stern to a sand spike on the beach, when we are ready to board just pull the boat in and everyone washes feet on the swim step before stepping into the boat. For the anchor line I tie a buoy on the end I attach to the bow of the boat so when we take off just leave the anchor and whole rig in the water, when we come back just find the buoy and reattach to the bow, then I back the boat toward the beach until someone can get off to get the rope from the sand spike (of course you need to know where you are backing up so you do not hit the prop on a rock or bottom, only back up to where I know its safe). I know some people attach the stern rope from the sand spike to the anchor line when they leave, but I prefer not to leave rope in the water in this manner as I believe oit poses a hazard potentially to swimmers or other boaters.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. I use the large size box anchor (for my vlx) and it has worked well. Folds up nicely and stores easily. Would not waste money on stainless for somthing that sits under the seat and goes to the bottom of the lake the rest of the time.

BTW, there is no need to use chain with the box anchor and they do not need as much line in relation to depth as typical anchors.

Edited by Sandbagger
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