Best Anchor for the buck

[dvan1901]

So I have a 24' boat that I primarily anchor in a clay bottom lake, with some rock but not everywhere. I'm looking for the right anchor for this and one of my concerns it that I often have to deal with other boat wake in some areas so I'm a bit worried about it coming dislodged. Also, given a particular anchor, what is the best way to set the anchor and retrieve it. Thanks!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Best Anchor for the buck

A Danforth anchor should grab into the rocky clay bottom fairly well. Be sure to have a length of chain on the anchor. Some people run up to 10 feet or so. On my small boat I think its only 3 or 5 feet. The bigger the boat, the longer the chain. It keeps the rode down at the right angle to make the Danforth dig in. When a Danforth is pulled sideways, it digs in hard. To retrieve, bring the boat over the anchor and pull straight up.

Be sure you have rode (line) between 7 to 10 times the depth of the water you are anchoring in. Short rode will let the boat drift. At 10 times the depth and a long chain, you should stay put even in rough weather. When in really stormy weather, put out two anchors about 20* apart.

 

[votrechien]

Re: Best Anchor for the buck

[insert possible bias from the anchor sales man]

Danforths are probably the best bang for the buck for muddy and sandy bottoms. If you'll be in any other bottom, you may want to consider other types of anchors such as bruce/claw type.

If you're concerned about wake more than anything, there's probably no need for 2 anchors. Just set the thing real good, and you should be good to go. As Mark said, scope is your friend, so the more the better.

we've put together a bunch of information regarding anchoring on our website here: http://www.northstar-marinesupplies.com/selection/index.html

likewise, i'm sure you can find a bunch of info by searching the iboats forum

 

[votrechien]

Re: Best Anchor for the buck

And to add, the general rule of thumb when selecting an anchor is 1 lbs of weight for every 1 to 1.5 feet of boat. For smaller boats, you can probably get away with the higher end of the spectrum (i.e. 1 lbs to 1.5 feet).

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: Best Anchor for the buck

I think the Danforth type anchor is best. I use mine primarily on a clay bottom river .... The Ohio. Works like a charm every time. You can get them from Wal-Mart for around $10 or $15 depending on what size you want. Also, I like the slip ring type of Danforth since it helps me retrieve the anchor after I'm finished. If you don't have the slip ring on it you can throw a shoulder easily trying to get it back in the boat.

 

[dvan1901]

Re: Best Anchor for the buck

Sounds like Danforth is the way to go; I do like the slip ring idea too. When setting these anchors, is it required to drop the anchor and back the boat up to set the anchor?

 

[MikDee]

Re: Best Anchor for the buck

How do you know how much chain to put on an anchor? All my life, every boat I ever had came with an anchor already set up, chain, & all. This latest boat, had none, so I'm starting from scratch, I picked up an adequate anchor from Walmart, tied on a nylon anchor rope, and quickly realized it didn't work to well without some weight on the top of the anchor.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Best Anchor for the buck

Sounds like Danforth is the way to go; I do like the slip ring idea too. When setting these anchors, is it required to drop the anchor and back the boat up to set the anchor?

Yes. Thats the way to do it.

How do you know how much chain to put on an anchor? All my life, every boat I ever had came with an anchor already set up, chain, & all. This latest boat, had none, so I'm starting from scratch, I picked up an adequate anchor from Walmart, tied on a nylon anchor rope, and quickly realized it didn't work to well without some weight on the top of the anchor.

For your 19' boat, start with about 6 - 10 feet of chain and see how it does. 10' may be too much, but chain is cheap and too much does not hurt.

 

[pgdignan]

Re: Best Anchor for the buck

I know there are a lot of fans of the Danforth but I personally think the plow type or CQR (by brand name) is the best holding anchor ever made. I used a 15 lb. plow on my 27' sailboat and it held me through some pretty hairy weather.

 

[dvan1901]

Re: Best Anchor for the buck

Yeah, I looked at those, but two things stick out to me. First, it seems like it would be hard to store because of the fixed hooked angle. Second, boy are they expensive! $150 here on iBoats...

 

[luckyinkentucky]

Re: Best Anchor for the buck

I just use an anchor rope rated for 2 tons that I picked up from Wal-Mart. If you use chain, depending on where you are anchoring, you can easily get into 200 lbs. of chain in no time. I sometimes anchor in the Ohio at 32ft. When I anchor in I throw it upstream as far as I can, and when it hits bottom I tug really hard to get it to dig in. On a clay bottom, I still say Danforth is the best. I have brought up spades full of clay 3 inches deep before when I brought it out. Of course, all you have to do is slosh it around in the water a few times over the boat, and the clay fall off.

I've tried the old mushroom shape, a spade, and the CQR type. I about took the end of my finger off with the CQR. The Spade never came off the bottom since I had to cut the rope after 30 minutes of pulling, and the mushroom shape I still use if I'm going to be in a rocky area. So, from my using them on my 20 ft. boat I think the Danforth is the most economical and best all around anchor for a boat.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Best Anchor for the buck

I like the Frotress FX-7 4 pound anchor rated for up to 27 foot boat. I use it on a 21 foot boat and it digs in faster and deeper than any anchor I have ever had. I keep two anchor on board but since I got the Frotress FX-7 have not used any of the others. Light enough the wife can pull with no Problem.

It not a cheap anchor but for me Worth Every Penny. It is Aluminum Light weight but has sharpened Flutes and the shank is tapered so it will go down deep. It does not rust or tarnish at all.

The Danforth with slip rings I have used in the past and one problem with them is you must lower the anchor slowly like you should do anyway, but if you throw it in it will sometimes go down backwards and not hold at all.