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What anchor should I buy?


Michigan boarder

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On our previous lake we had a house so there was no need to anchor off anywhere. Now we are on a slip on a different lake, and I have very little experience with the whole beach hang out thing. Here is my current go-to area. Waves are coming in between the breakwaters, in a channel going to Lake Michigan. So they are mostly knocked down, but boat wakes can come thru and bounce things around a bit. All I currently have is a cheapie little rubberized anchor, and it does not hold tight at all. In fact, in the picture below I have beached the nose and tied the bow eye off to a tree on shore, it's the only way I could hold the boat still.

All of the other boats are using two anchors, bow into the waves. Do I need two box anchors? One for the bow and 1 for the stern? Sand spike? What do you guys think?

post-8942-0-97940900-1448386659_thumb.jp

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ahopkins22LSV

To be completely honest, I am sure the box anchor is great, but for my whole life I have been using these: http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--traditional-anchors--P005_153_001_010

For the front anchor (13lb I think) I have 4 or 5 feet of chain on it which is very important and the rear(small 4lb I think) just on a rope. Having a rear is great because you can keep the platform exactly where you want it. You can get this style for cheaper/on sale as well.

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Box anchor as long as your bottom is not rock. Bow into the waves, no reason for a second anchor unless others are anchored too close and you haven't got room to rotate.

Bottom is pure sand. It gets really tight, but maybe not so much with my little boat (as compared to some of those yachts). Maybe I should try the box anchor up front and then drop my old anchor off the back corner?

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To be completely honest, I am sure the box anchor is great, but for my whole life I have been using these: http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--traditional-anchors--P005_153_001_010

For the front anchor (13lb I think) I have 4 or 5 feet of chain on it which is very important and the rear(small 4lb I think) just on a rope. Having a rear is great because you can keep the platform exactly where you want it. You can get this style for cheaper/on sale as well.

Yeah, we've got a West Marine right here in town too. I like the idea of keeping the platform in 1 spot. These are the ones that I have seen in use the most, with the larger boats.

Why is the chain important?

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To be completely honest, I am sure the box anchor is great, but for my whole life I have been using these: http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--traditional-anchors--P005_153_001_010

For the front anchor (13lb I think) I have 4 or 5 feet of chain on it which is very important and the rear(small 4lb I think) just on a rope. Having a rear is great because you can keep the platform exactly where you want it. You can get this style for cheaper/on sale as well.

I threw one of those away. Huge pain in the rear due to the needed chain and the scope you have to run for them to hold. A box anchor will hold with a 2:1 scope, Danforth needs more like 6:1

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I threw one of those away. Huge pain in the rear due to the needed chain and the scope you have to run for them to hold. A box anchor will hold with a 2:1 scope, Danforth needs more like 6:1

Two feet vertical: one foot horizontal?

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Chain is needed on that style anchor because it catches by pulling horizontally. Otherwise the rope will go straight back to your boat and pull the anchor free constantly. Box anchors work great with no chain, traditional anchors work great with a chain. Just comes down to what do you want to spend and what you want to store on your boat.

I personally didn't like the idea of spending so much on a box anchor to drop to the bottom of the lake and hope it comes up every time. I bought traditional with no chain and it did not hold. I added a chain and it works great now. Good friend of mine has a box anchor with no chain and it works great.

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Two feet vertical: one foot horizontal?

2 feet of rope for every foot of depth. Which means your anchor isn't a mile in front of the boat. Danforth needs 5 or 6 Ft of rope per foot of depth and the chain that is needed just to make it dig in.

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2 feet of rope for every foot of depth. Which means your anchor isn't a mile in front of the boat. Danforth needs 5 or 6 Ft of rope per foot of depth and the chain that is needed just to make it dig in.

Got it.

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ahopkins22LSV

It isn't a huge pain in the rear, but maybe I am just willing to put up with more?

Our hang out points are sand as well, 3-5ft of water which is what it looks like in your picture. My process is:

  1. Pull boat up to spot, spin to have orientation I want
  2. Walk to bow to get anchor, throw anchor out.
  3. Either let the boat drift back more to let some line out or a quick pop in reverse - wife does this part if in boat
  4. Tie off front line
  5. Get in water to position platform where I want it and set/tie rear anchor.

You don't need 6:1 in sand, really weedy area, ya. I frequently tie off and stay perfectly set in sand with a 2:1 or maybe 3:1 ratio. No I don't measure it out, but it isn't much line.

I also agree with sheer on the price of the box anchor. I didn't spend as much as the west marine list price because I got them on sale. I have may $100 into both anchors, chain and rope.

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I use an anchor buddy on my danforth (max stretch of 50ft) and it held in at least 25ft of water. I have been told you need 5:1 but in my experience on inland lakes you don't normally need that much. I can't vouch for large stuff like great lakes though. I would think you have much more wind.

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It isn't a huge pain in the rear, but maybe I am just willing to put up with more?

Our hang out points are sand as well, 3-5ft of water which is what it looks like in your picture. My process is:

  • Pull boat up to spot, spin to have orientation I want
  • Walk to bow to get anchor, throw anchor out.
  • Either let the boat drift back more to let some line out or a quick pop in reverse - wife does this part if in boat
  • Tie off front line
  • Get in water to position platform where I want it and set/tie rear anchor.
You don't need 6:1 in sand, really weedy area, ya. I frequently tie off and stay perfectly set in sand with a 2:1 or maybe 3:1 ratio. No I don't measure it out, but it isn't much line.

I also agree with sheer on the price of the box anchor. I didn't spend as much as the west marine list price because I got them on sale. I have may $100 into both anchors, chain and rope.

What kind of boat waves do you get? Short scope will pull a Danforth right out of the bottom in a big wave. They rely on a horizontal pull to stay hooked hard. Mine dint hold worth a crap without the proper scope and chain.

( Lake Minnetonka and you get rollers into the areas we anchor).

Biggest benefit of the box is it folds down to nothing and the anchor and rope all fit in the small included bag.

Edited by oldjeep
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I have a similar tie up situation, I would use either box anchor or traditional with chain, as others have said, off the bow. I then have a mushroom anchor attached to a anchor buddy (bungee anchor line) that I tie off the back. The anchor off the back is just in ankle to knee deep water to I just pull it to where I want the boat (with bungee line taught) and set it by hand. The bungee lets the boat barely move to bounce in waves but doesn't pull anchor loose. If your anchoring the back on land then get a shore spike.

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ahopkins22LSV

We have a T22, A22, X30 (2), 23LSV that all surf on our lake plus big run-abouts. But I also frequently visit LARGE lakes up north that get high winds and large cruisers along with Lake St Clair. I don't know why your's wouldn't hold. With the correct size anchor and chain size/length, the chain is going to hold the anchor down so it isn't pulled up by the rope.

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I always used a fluke & 4' or 5' of chain. And carried like 100' of rope. It worked OK. There is definitely a science to getting it to set. And then it can be a PITA to get up if there is anything on the bottom.

Then I tried a small box anchor, an anchor buddy & a Sandspike. These things are small & virtually stupid proof. So easy. And works far better.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
  • Like 4
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box anchor 100%.

we launch from south haven at times, drive south and anchor near some dunes. no breakers, nose into waves, box anchor with enough payout and it aint moving. lake wasn't flat either.

anchor was in around 15' depth, boat was around 5', about 60' of line.

Edited by Kalamazoo
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the nice thing (generally***) about the box anchor is that it's easy for the user. All the nonsense about scope and chain and blah blah blah.... box anchor you throw it over the side (making sure your anchor line is connected, of course) then worry about important stuff, like how to rig up your life jacket diaper style or where the super soaker is. If you want to be tied off at the beach, an anchor buddy stretchy line on the box anchor and then a rope hooked to a D-ring at the transom on one end and a shore spike on the other end and you are money.

*** steep/rocky shoreline or lots of wind and waves and the box anchor will tend to "walk". It also does better with tension because it sets by being pulled on. So constant tension from a transom line ensures performance.

Edited by shawndoggy
  • Like 1
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Side note, I thing the discussion of price for a $120 anchor is funny on a site full of ghetto blasting stereos and flat biller trailer wheels;)

Totally. as an investment in boating enjoyment this one is a great buy.

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