How to anchor ?

[rockdog57]

How do you guys anchor your boat while fishing on the lake?
When we fish on the local lakes the wind is usually blowing. This turns the boat side to side or around. Tangling our fishing lines.
I've tried one anchor on the bow. Two anchors bow and stern. But the boat still turns.
On labor day we're fishing and I'm watching boats around us. They aren't turning and only have one line on the bow. What am I doing wrong?

 

[rockdog57]

Re: How to anchor ?

How do you guys anchor your boat while fishing on the lake?
When we fish on the local lakes the wind is usually blowing. This turns the boat side to side or around. Tangling our fishing lines.
I've tried one anchor on the bow. Two anchors bow and stern. But the boat still turns.
On labor day we're fishing and I'm watching boats around us. They aren't turning and only have one line on the bow. What am I doing wrong?

Mods, could you move this to the boat topics section? I put in the wrong section and can't figure out how to delete it.:redface:

 

[EricJRW]

Re: How to anchor ?

Could not find another post by you on this subject, so I'll add my 2 cents here.

Maybe the other boats are using a "sea anchor"? Basically designed to catch water and use current to keep the boat in the same direction. I have never used one, but I assume it's used at the stern with a "standard" anchor at the bow.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: How to anchor ?

Tie your anchor rode to the middle of the bow, not on one pontoon. For safety reasons, never put an anchor on the stern if the waves are more than a couple of feet. You may put two on the bow, one from each pontoon, but unless you set them right at wide angles and proper length, they won't do much good.

Also make sure you pay out enough rode, about 7' for ever 1' of water depth.

You must also realize that a pontoon will move much more than the smaller boats due to the wind surface area.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: How to anchor ?

I put an Eye bolt in the front center of the bow. I also use this when I'm putting the boat on the trailer. I hook a long strong line on it and as the boat is moving in I put tension on the line and the boat just comes on in. Some pontoon boater have a ski bar that fits between the motor and had a hook over the rear center of the motor. You can pull a raft or use it to hook up an anchor. Dn't leave your boat this way unattended. It could flip over in heavy waters.

 

[MLD]

Re: How to anchor ?

i usually drop my heaviest anchor first, drive a bit to get it to dig in. Next I throw out my 2nd anchor and slowly pull on the first anchor so the 2nd anchor has some length and time to dig in. Finally tie off the 1st anchor and try to keep the 2nd anchor somewhat right and tie it off.

 

[Vanover]

Re: How to anchor ?

I use a bow anchor and a homemade drift bucket out the back, works awesome. Was nice and cheap too.

 

[rwidman]

Re: How to anchor ?

I put an Eye bolt in the front center of the bow.

A cleat would work also.

To the OP - If the other boaters aren't having a problem and you are, examine how they are anchoring. If you can't tell, ask them.

But just in case you're doing this, you can't connect the rode to one side of the boat or one pontoon. The attachment point has to be centered at the bow. If you can't do this, make a bridle with line and connect the anchor rode to the center of the bridle.

 

[Mr Crabbs]

Re: How to anchor ?

I have to ask, why not tie off on one pontoon or the tie-off on the deck?

 

[sethjon]

Re: How to anchor ?

How do you guys anchor your boat while fishing on the lake?
When we fish on the local lakes the wind is usually blowing. This turns the boat side to side or around. Tangling our fishing lines.
I've tried one anchor on the bow. Two anchors bow and stern. But the boat still turns.
On labor day we're fishing and I'm watching boats around us. They aren't turning and only have one line on the bow. What am I doing wrong?

You can only solve your problem with 2 anchors.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: How to anchor ?

You can only solve your problem with 2 anchors.

But only with the proper scope and angle from the bow..

 

[Mr Crabbs]

Re: How to anchor ?

Anchoring for me has been one of those learning experiences.

First time out, on a lake with a mud bottom I didn't use enough rode and we drug anchor quite a bit. After a little bit of reading I realized I needed to put more anchor line out and that worked great. I only used one anchor, let the pontoon swing with the breeze (no one else was around) and it actually worked great for fishing off the bow.

Then we tried another lake with a gravel/rocky bottom. The first day out we had no problems. The next day out we anchored in deeper water and the anchor kept slowly dragging. We finally snagged a weed bed and the anchor took. I'll get another anchor and more line for them both next season.

 

[rwidman]

Re: How to anchor ?

I have to ask, why not tie off on one pontoon or the tie-off on the deck?

If you secure the anchor off center, the boat will move back and forth in the wind or current.

 

[PGFISHER]

Re: How to anchor ?

Search this section for "anchor cleat". That may solve some of your problem.

 

[EricJRW]

Re: How to anchor ?

If you secure the anchor off center, the boat will move back and forth in the wind or current.

Thinking about forces and moment-arms, that makes perfect sense.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: How to anchor ?

I'd like to find a skiers tow bar and put it over the engine, Then I could just lean over the back and hook the line to it.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: How to anchor ?

I'd like to find a skiers tow bar and put it over the engine, Then I could just lean over the back and hook the line to it.

Be very cautious of anchoring from the stern, especially at a point high above the COG.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: How to anchor ?

I'm not a toon guy and know little about them, but it seems to me that some folks are making this out to be harder than it needs to be.

How about this?

Make a bridle, so that the anchor line terminates at the boat in a "Y." Make the legs of the Y equal in length and fasten them to the boat at the pontoons. Make the Y portion long enough to be pulled back into the boat from one side, or via a short line attached to the middle, the other end of which remains on deck.



???

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: How to anchor ?

I'm not a toon guy and know little about them, but it seems to me that some folks are making this out to be harder than it needs to be.

You are right!!!

How about this?

Make a bridle, so that the anchor line terminates at the boat in a "Y." Make the legs of the Y equal in length and fasten them to the boat at the pontoons. Make the Y portion long enough to be pulled back into the boat from one side, or via a short line attached to the middle, the other end of which remains on deck.

This seems like an excellent option!





???

....

 

[rwidman]

Re: How to anchor ?

Make a bridle, ..................

Well, I already suggested that but it's good advice. The bridle is a little less convenient to use than a proper, centered anchor cleat or centered chocks with a cleat off to one side.

What I don't understand is why any boat builder would design and build a boat without any provision fo anchoring the boat.

Do they think people will never want to anchor the boat?

Do they think people will never have to anchor the boat?