Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

[MXHalofan]

I'm curious about how long my anchor ropes should be and where to locate them on the boat.

Boat came with a 20lb anchor about 15' foot long on the back of the boat (corner of toon playpen).

I tied another 15lb anchor about 15' long to the middle of the playpen fencing on the same side as the other anchor.

They seem to hold pretty well when the water is calm. I was wondering if I should extend them or what others recommend. I am mainly on Lake Jacomo which has a lot of 15-20' deep coves.

Temped to take the boat to bigger lakes like Truman or the Ozarks, not familiar with those lakes. Thanks forum!

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

Ya should have 4 to 6 foot of anchor chain for a fluke style anchor. This helps in setting it. Plan on playing out 2 to 3 times the water depth of anchor rode. So, for 20 foot depth, put out 40 feet of line; 60 foot if windy.

Anchor from the front cleats. I would not tie-off an anchor from the side of the fence.

LOTO - 24 foot toon will do okay. Better if it is a triple tube. But there are a ton of the 24 footers down there.

 

[MXHalofan]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

OK awesome thanks for the info. I'm still very green when it comes to boats, could you explain LOTO? And how to install the anchor 4-6' of anchor chain?

My boat has no cleats, how should I position those? Thanks alot

EDIT: My anchors are the mushroom style up front and the 20lb one is like the mushroom only it has 3 cutouts.

 

[trumanlake]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

LOTO- Lake of the Ozarks

 

[lamac]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

A good rule of thumb is use a 7 to 1 ratio when anchoring your boat. That is for every 1' of water use 7' of line and you should be fine provided you use the proper anchor for the type of bottom you have. In your case in 20' of water, I would suggest carrying at least 140' of line. Most of the time with no wind, current or sea's less than half that amount will hold the boat, but if things get rough and you want to be safe have the extra line to stop the boat. You have to have enough line for the flukes to grab the bottom, the longer the rope the more the flukes grab. And chain does help the anchor dig in. This system has worked for me on all size boats from sail boats, large offshore workboats to my small 21' pontoon.
Be safe and have fun.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

I'm sure someone will take issue with this advice, but for the waters you plan to frequent you'll be okay tying to the playpen rails. However, I have better luck tying to the lift eyes. The lower center of gravity really seems to help the anchors stay put. It's also more convenient for people getting in and out of the boat to swim, etc. To add your chain, which I also recommend, use a shackle to join the chain and anchor. Chain sections custom cut to your desired length as well as the shackles to attach them can be found at any hardware or big box home improvement store.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

+1 for lamac and incoop. Chapman's suggests 7 to 1 ratio with chain. A mushroom anchor is good for sandy and muddy bottoms, but not grassy or rocky bottoms.

 

[Micahhaase]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

Has anyone installed those electric anchor rope thing??? I saw one at bass pro this weekend but couldnt for the life of me know where i could put it.. my playpen goes around almost the entire deck space with very few inches for lights..etc..

 

[MXHalofan]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

Love the info fellas thanks. Curious what the purpose of the chain is? In case I hit some tree with the anchor? Also how do you store that much rope on the boat? Any pics of the anchor setups would be helpful.

Thanks again.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

The purpose of the chain is to keep your anchor horizontal, rather than vertical, to the bottom so the flukes can do their job. Without the chain, wakes and currents can cause your anchor to stand up, at which point it may turn loose of whatever it was holding onto and allow you to drift. The added weight of the chain is intended to prevent that. Doesn't always work, but it does most of the time. Regarding rode length, unless you plan on anchoring in deep water you won't really need that much rope. As long as you have enough rode to allow the anchor to settle horizontally on the bottom without being dragged you'll be in good shape. FWIW I keep a hundred or so feet of extra rope coiled up under one of the couches just in case. I've never had to use it, but it's there if I ever do.

 

[EricJRW]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

In my case I think my rope is long enough for the depth, that once played out, the anchor line is "horizontal enough" for my conditions and a chain is not strictly required (though not a bad idea). I think that's one reason for the 7 to 1 ratio, so that under tension, the angle is such that the flukes can do their job. I always thought the chain was to protect the rope from rocks, and maybe it does, but that it also helps keep the anchor horizontal was very interesting as I never knew that.

Anyway, I found this URL which seems to be the "everything you ever wanted to know" site for anchoring:

http://www.boatus.org/onlinecourse/ReviewPages/BoatUSF/Project/info5e.htm

PS. The site name suggest there is more good reading there.

 

[Mr Crabbs]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

The next time you're out, look at boats that have successfully anchored. The anchor rope will be out at a fairly shallow angle away from the boat.

The first time I tried was in a fairly strong breeze parallel to shore. I have 100' of anchor rope and had half of it out in 10' of water and was still dragging. I was OK with that since I was fishing!

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

Love the info fellas thanks. Curious what the purpose of the chain is? In case I hit some tree with the anchor? Also how do you store that much rope on the boat? Any pics of the anchor setups would be helpful.

Thanks again.

My neighbor has a bucket with another smaller one inside. The anchor line is coiled in between the buckets and the anchor sits inside the smaller bucket. Everything is stored under a couch.

 

[EricJRW]

Re: Anchors, help me set them up 24' toon

My neighbor has a bucket with another smaller one inside. The anchor line is coiled in between the buckets and the anchor sits inside the smaller bucket. Everything is stored under a couch.

Nice idea.