Best anchor?

[hethj7]

36 minutes ago, ctvandy23 said:

I use a Danik hook and clip it to the bow eye tow hook.  Never had a problem! 

Same for us.  Makes it easy to let more line in or out too unti it sets well.  

[twitchee2]

I tie a quick figure 8 follow through knot with a loop. Use a big carabiner and clip it to the bow eye. Its not as adjustable but simple and effective, plus i keep random carabiners all throughout the boat. 

I also keep a loop at the end of the 100ft line, and I loop that over the ski plylon before dropping the anchor. Nice to know I, or someone else, cannot accidentally drop everything overboard.

[eubanks]

On 7/17/2017 at 6:41 PM, Ronnie said:

Box anchor with a Danik Hook. I hold 3 boats with it routinely. Never had it not hook up but our lake it's mostly sand (Mud). You don't use any chain with this setup. I tie a knot in the rope about 5' up from the anchor to tell me when the anchor is approaching the surface so I don't contact the boat with the anchor. 

There is a process for getting the Box Anchor to release easily. Read about it on the link below.

Danik Hook

Box Anchor

@Ronnie Those Danik hooks look awesome!  You use Nylon or SS?

[eubanks]

Small box anchor good enough to hold a 23LSV in Texas lakes?

[browneye253]

13 minutes ago, eubanks said:

Small box anchor good enough to hold a 23LSV in Texas lakes?

No problem... It holds my 25LSV without a problem.  I'm pissed I didn't buy one sooner.  Last Summer was my first to use it and I don't think I ever had to reset the anchor after the first toss. 

[dalt1]

33 minutes ago, eubanks said:

Small box anchor good enough to hold a 23LSV in Texas lakes?

Is the small the 12" x 12" square? or is the 12 X 12 a medium?

[Ronnie]

42 minutes ago, eubanks said:

Small box anchor good enough to hold a 23LSV in Texas lakes?

 

44 minutes ago, eubanks said:

@Ronnie Those Danik hooks look awesome!  You use Nylon or SS?

SS  

Always used the Small. Holds several boats.

I had one for several years. Had an issue with the spring in it. Called them and they sent me a new one with return label for the old one.

 

[G Spot]

9 minutes ago, dalt1 said:

Is the small the 12" x 12" square? or is the 12 X 12 a medium?

Looks like the small is approx 11" x 11" and baby is approx 9" x 9"

[G Spot]

45 minutes ago, eubanks said:

Small box anchor good enough to hold a 23LSV in Texas lakes?

I have a small and a baby. I've found that the baby works good locally with the muddy bottom holding a few boats as long as the wind isn't blowing too bad. The small is a bit more cumbersome but like it better for the deep rocky bottom at Broken Bow. 

[hethj7]

11 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

 

SS  

Always used the Small. Holds several boats.

I had one for several years. Had an issue with the spring in it. Called them and they sent me a new one with return label for the old one.

 

Wow, I should do this.  I replaced one lost at the bottom of my lake and the new one has always been much more difficult to fold and open due to the spring not being quite aligned.  

[dalt1]

3 minutes ago, G Spot said:

I have a small and a baby. I've found that the baby works good locally with the muddy bottom holding a few boats as long as the wind isn't blowing too bad. The small is a bit more cumbersome but like it better for the deep rocky bottom at Broken Bow. 

So I bought a Small (12 x 12") for this year. We have lots of rocks and stumps in our TN lakes. Concerns me if it gets hung on one, what is you experience for release when it happens? Just keep changing directions till it lets go?

[G Spot]

8 minutes ago, dalt1 said:

So I bought a Small (12 x 12") for this year. We have lots of rocks and stumps in our TN lakes. Concerns me if it gets hung on one, what is you experience for release when it happens? Just keep changing directions till it lets go?

I got one twisted around a tree limb half way up in about 90' of water once. I was whipped and about to give up but it finally released. Changing directions or dragging it with the boat it the opposite directions seem like solid options.

[eubanks]

I’ve heard about the box anchors for years but never owned one. This thread has me placing an order for one...and a few danik hooks, and shore spike, and rope, and...

[TallRedRider]

Good to know we helped you spend money, @eubanks

Another vote here for Danik hooks and box anchors with shore spike. 

Beware of the vinyl bag the box anchor comes in  (or used to come in).  I kept finding small red streaks on my vinyl.  I found that if you pull the bag across the vinyl, it leaves a mark sort of like black soled shoes in a gymnasium.  Very difficult to remove.  

It doesn't work well on slickrock bottom, but neither does anything else.  If anyone has an idea what I can do when at Lake Powell and there is no mud/dirt to anchor on, let me know.  

 

Edited January 15, 2019 by TallRedRider

[lasik]

For the TN folks, does box anchor work at Norris?

[Skymedic]

We’re headed to Lake Norris in July. It’s about a four hour trek but LOVE THAT LAKE!! I just have a simple mushroom anchor and seems to do just fine. 

[wdr]

1 hour ago, lasik said:

For the TN folks, does box anchor work at Norris?

Even a ( insert anchor name) is not going to work very well or at all without the correct rope to depth ratio. IIRC it is ideally no less than a 2 to 1 ratio for a given depth. I have a box with a Danik and love it, but there have been times on the river where you would of thought I had thrown it out on top of a frozen lake for all the good it was doing, and that was with a 3ft section of chain and 100' of rope. On a lake I have had little to problems unless I ran out of rope due to the depth. A word of advice, put a solid filled hand sized buoy inline on the rope between the anchor and the end of the rope. I lost my "new" box on a 4th of July in the dark due to a crazy current. I was mocked for that for over a year, until I waited for the water level to drop and I dredged for it all the while being laughed at! The current payed out the rope full length so I could finally claw it up. To this day that story of how I recovered it is still being told around camp fires.

[dalt1]

10 hours ago, wdr said:

Even a ( insert anchor name) is not going to work very well or at all without the correct rope to depth ratio. IIRC it is ideally no less than a 2 to 1 ratio for a given depth. I have a box with a Danik and love it, but there have been times on the river where you would of thought I had thrown it out on top of a frozen lake for all the good it was doing, and that was with a 3ft section of chain and 100' of rope. On a lake I have had little to problems unless I ran out of rope due to the depth. A word of advice, put a solid filled hand sized buoy inline on the rope between the anchor and the end of the rope. I lost my "new" box on a 4th of July in the dark due to a crazy current. I was mocked for that for over a year, until I waited for the water level to drop and I dredged for it all the while being laughed at! The current payed out the rope full length so I could finally claw it up. To this day that story of how I recovered it is still being told around camp fires.

Should be 5 to 1 scope at minimum. Though most people never get close to that. 

[wdr]

1 hour ago, dalt1 said:

Should be 5 to 1 scope at minimum. Though most people never get close to that. 

Guess I was thinking of my bourbon to water ratio. 🥃

[Ronnie]

I've never used a chain on a box anchor.

Box Anchor Website

The Box Anchor is a state of the art offshore boating anchor that brings anchoring to a new level of sophistication by allowing you to have more control over the placement of your boat, regardless of the situation. It requires no chain and only a fraction of the line used for a traditional Danforth anchor, making the Box Anchor easier to handle than most other boat anchors available.

Quick facts

Sizes available for boats up to 70'

4 sizes available; 304 stainless or hot dip galvanized

Rolls over and quickly resets in wind or current change

Sets quickly without powering down

Easy retrieval

Folds flat for compact storage

2 to 1 scope

Uses no chain, and 1/2 the line of a traditional anchor

Allows you more control over placement of your boat

[efjeld]

On 1/13/2019 at 4:09 PM, SpaceSurfer said:

Ok, bumping an old'ish thread but, where do you tie the anchor rope after tossing the anchor? Cleats on our boat are just a little fwd from the drivers seat. Do you add a cleat to the bow somewhere?

Clove hitch on a carabiner clipped to the bow eye.  I also just use an old school navy anchor.  Works well in the sandy or silty lake beds around here. 

[wdr]

The chain on mine was mostly from force of habit on my old anchors. When I pulled the rope off of my old anchor I just undid the clevis and reattached it to the box arm. It is a nylon dipped chain so I kind of hated not using it. Besides the nylon is the first thing to hit the boat when someone other than myself drags it in.

[Ronnie]

2 hours ago, wdr said:

The chain on mine was mostly from force of habit on my old anchors. When I pulled the rope off of my old anchor I just undid the clevis and reattached it to the box arm. It is a nylon dipped chain so I kind of hated not using it. Besides the nylon is the first thing to hit the boat when someone other than myself drags it in.

I tie a knot in the rope about 5'-6' from the anchor. I know the anchor is right behind the knot when I bring it up.

[oldjeep]

14 hours ago, dalt1 said:

Should be 5 to 1 scope at minimum. Though most people never get close to that. 

Box anchor does fine with way less than that in heavy waves.  Box anchor says it is good at 2:1 and it actually works that way.  No chain, just a rope tied to it.  I toss it overboard and then tie off to the bow loop. 

For anchor retrieval I just stand with one foot on either side of the bow light and pull it up.  The water around here is clear enough where you can see the anchor easily - sitting on the bottom most of the time (10-15 feet of water)

Edited January 23, 2019 by oldjeep

[twitchee2]

1 hour ago, Ronnie said:

I tie a knot in the rope about 5'-6' from the anchor. I know the anchor is right behind the knot when I bring it up.

I will be doing this.