What Kind of Anchor is best?

[mtnbkr738]

Hey All

I have a 98 Sunsetter. Got the tow rope stuck under the prop today. Had to anchor to i could dive under to untangle the rope.

Turns out my anchor is basically useless with 8 people in the boat and a slight breeze.

I kept drifting toward the shore. Which was super rocky.

Good thing all the ladies were in the boat giving me good advise... wow... great to have little helpers in the boat.... with all kinds of good advise.... like "maybe the starter is broke".... ARRRGGHHH!!???!!

Anyways... it got kinda tense there for a little bit....SO...what works best and how long of a rope should i have.??

Thanks.!

[WakingMeHappy]

I carry two basic anchors with 50 foot line on each. But your rope lenth will depend on the depth of your lake.

[Bill_AirJunky]

Box anchor & an Anchor Buddy works great for me.

[Soon2BV]

I have one of these for my 21. Sunscape. Inland lakes, muddy bottom. Holds great.

I have the galvanized version, not the stainless. Not positive, but i think i actually have the "baby" box size and it is great.

I started with the "small" but it was way too big. I think they are sized / rated for off-shore.

They fold for easier storage, but i actually keep mine opened up and under a front seat and use it 2-3 times a day on most trips.

For rope length, general rules are 2:1 or 3:1 scope. 2:1 means if it is 20 feet deep, have 40 feet of rope. 2:1 is good for inland waters where most of us boat.

I have a 75 foot rope and i marked every 10 feet with a piece of colored twine. I know the depth from the depth gage on the boat, and then let out 2x that and hook it on. Remember you will drift as the rope gets tight, so think about where you want to end, not where you are starting when you let out the rope.

Two other suggestions. I have a danik hook i keep on the rope. makes it easy to hook on the front eye. I also have a red floating ball / bobber (4" long) on the very end of the rope so if it all goes out for some reason, i can still get the anchor back. (not that this have ever happened to me.

http://slideanchor.com/store/index.php/the-box-anchor.html

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Danik-Hook-Anchor-System&i=38808

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Plastic-Float&i=10115

Edited May 26, 2015 by Soon2BV

[BFresh]

Box anchor, anchor buddy, and a sand spike for me.

[ndahlberg12]

Box anchor.

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[DarkSide]

box anchor

[isellacuras]

I have had good luck with a 13lb folding grapnel anchor like this:

http://m.ebay.com/itm/13-lb-Galvanized-Folding-Grapnel-Anchor-for-Boats-14-to-22-feet-Long-/120793946502

Like others have said, line length is important. I use an anchor buddy and have a 20' leader close by that I can hook on to the anchor buddy for deeper water. I like the grapnel style because I can tuck the anchor in the cup holder area in the bow. I have no other bow storage. I use an old fender for my anchor buoy. I tuck it in the front of the cup holder and the anchor behind the cup holder. I have thought about getting a box anchor but my current anchor works so I haven't found the need to change it.

Edited May 26, 2015 by isellacuras

[2manyhobbies]

Just ordered the box anchor, but are you all using the baby or the small? I ordered the small for my 23lsv, but not sure if that's too big or just right? Thoughts?

[saxton15]

Add a chain to your anchor (Anchor -> Chain (length of your boat) -> Rope). You will not move. We carry a 20 pound coated galvanized anchor plus 20 feet of coated galvanized chain. No rust, no mess.

[ndahlberg12]

Just ordered the box anchor, but are you all using the baby or the small? I ordered the small for my 23lsv, but not sure if that's too big or just right? Thoughts?

Small

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[SunriseH2OSkier]

I have the small box anchor for my RLXi, like it so much I bought another for my new 22' pontoon. Debated whether to get the baby size, but the small is not particularly difficult to store (fits easily under the bow seat in the RLXi), and it just holds. Usually have 2 other ski boats tied up to us, and have never, ever had to reset it - even in high winds.

[Bill_AirJunky]

I believe the baby size box anchor is rated for like an 18' boat. While that should be enough to hold some of our smaller boats in descent conditions, it may not be enough when the wind or waves start to pick up. The small is not that much larger & has held my 21' Vride overnight in like +20 mph winds. A few years ago we had like 13 boats rafted up at the Banks Lake WOW using 3 anchors.

[obski]

Box anchor, anchor buddy, and a sand spike for me.

[Romi]

With silty bottoms and when we camp I use a fluke anchor with about 15 feet of 3/4 chain. Otherwise I use box anchor.

[srab]

Another vote for box anchor.

Small. Folds up neatly into bag and fits easily into cubbyhole under bow cushion.

No chain necessary with box anchor. I've got a 100 ft. rope, but, at my lake, 50 ft. would be more than enough 99% of the time. YMMV.

[catalac]

The proper anchor is not what brand is best IMO, it's what is the correct size and how easy they are to store in a boat. I've used grapnel 8.8lb which are nice as they fold up and are low cost and danforth size 8 which hold great but take up lots of room.

[skibumm]

I have the baby box and it works very well has held in many 40+mph storms. My boat is the size of a Malibu skier though. I would go with a small if I my boat was any bigger.

[DAI]

+1 on box anchor.

[Ceesub]

Cant go wrong with the box anchor, and as far as I am concerned the bigger the better.

[oldjeep]

Just ordered the box anchor, but are you all using the baby or the small? I ordered the small for my 23lsv, but not sure if that's too big or just right? Thoughts?

I use the small with my vtx. Holds great and I just use a standard anchor line with it.

[Falko]

I use a Danforth with about 8' of chain. Holds well, is bulky. Our lake can get pretty windy, don't want to worry about it.

[Shodan01]

This forum always costs me money. I had been using a way too light mushroom since we don't anchor much, but I bought a small box anchor, anchor buddy and clips for next time out!

[oldjeep]

Maybe time for another group buy. I got my box anchor during the one we did last year

[That Guy]

I bought this anchor for our boat, and got to use it out for the first time yesterday. Worked GREAT, never needed to touch it and according to "the weather channel" app on my phone we had high wind advisories of up to 45mph yesterday. It definitely was windy, probably too windy to go boating but we just got our new boat last week so we went anyways! This was definitely one of the the windiest days I've been out on a ski boat....getting back onto the trailer was a PITA. The boat swung back and forth constantly, but the anchor never lost hold. We were in about 20ft of muddy bottom. I only put it on my anchor buddy and tossed it out.

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Coated-18-lb-River-Anchor&i=74517

I may buy a box anchor in the future if this doesn't continue to work but I wanted something WITHOUT any sharp edges/metal that could scratch the boat or tear any vinyl, plus for the cost it's awesome!

My .02

Edited May 26, 2015 by That Guy