anchor troubles

TMAN

TMAN

Well-Known Member
I seem to be having trouble getting my anchor to hold. I have a 25lb anchor, 19' legend boat, 20' of chain to the anchor. I have tried to let out double the rope and still I seem to lose grip. Is there a trick to the anchoring thing I am not getting? I am using a Danforth anchor and it is rubber coated, I'm wondering if that is my trouble. I am fastening the rope to the bow cleat.
 
Every anchor is designed for certain bottoms. I use a navy anchor in rocky bottom and your anchor in sandy/mud bottom. My anchor is a Danforth otherwise known as a Fluke, it has sharp tangs that flip over to dig in. I'm supposed to use a chain but don't have a problem without one. If it grabs a rock I do have a problem sometimes. The weight of the anchor has to meet requirements of you weight of boat, too light?
 
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I would say that 25lbs is not enough weight to hold a boat in rollers on Erie. A danforth anchor with three time your depth in rope (150ft of rope on 50ft of water) is the way to go in the majority of cases. The anchors are light, easy to handle and really hold strong once set. Just MHO.
 
Rule of thumb they taught us in class was 7-1. Use about 3 feet of chain then rope. Most calm days 3-1 rule works. I let out enough rope until it goes slack. Then II reverse anchor to hook in the sandy mud bottom. Then I let out another bout of rope until it slackens . Don't have too many problems. The key is to have the chain lie flat on the bottom from the chain upwards to the boat. The rougher the water the longer the lead.
 
I have used both a Danforth and Bruce Plow... both work well. If yours is not holding then I would say the rubber coating is not allowing the fluke/tang to dig in and hold the bottom. 25# should be heavy enough and 20 ft of chain should be long enough so the only difference is that in your case the anchor is rubber coated.
 
I also had the same issue when I was out last year just east of burwell with my day forth anchor I changed out the rope added more rope and more rope and it would not grab. I know nothing about anchors and the boat next to me said its a clay bottom you will have a hell of a time using that anchor. Apparently it's a sand anchor???
 
If anyone has photos of proper anchors for clay vs sand vs rock bottom
Would be a great help

Regards
 
i use a fortress fx-7, its very light weight, have about 6 ft of chain on it. 23.5 ft boat

There are times i have a very difficult time trying to get it off the bottom, comes up with another 4lbs of clay stuck to it.

 
Make sure you are facing wind when dropping it. Then put boat in reverse. Once you feel anchor on bottom, you feel it wanting to grab then slowly let more rope and then cut engine. 3 to 1 is what I use. 50ft water equals 150 ft of rope.
Wish you luck!
 
Hey Tman Sometimes a little change can help, try connecting the rope to the front of the boat, instead of a cleat on the side of the deck.
 
I usually don't have a problem with the Danforth holding when setting it the same way @frenchy and I use no chain. The problem I have is getting it out of the clay bottom like @mick and @smokey 1 does. It's also very heavy to pull up with 20 extra lbs. of clay hanging on it, especially when you have to keep moving when perch fishing.

@jrr... You say the Delta holds well but does it come out without a ton of clay when using it in the lake? That's what I hate about the Danforth besides the weight. Thanks.
 
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If money isn't a problem put a Minnkota on the bow with spot

lock feature and you can anchor anywhere!
 
mick said:
@packrat now was that necessary...especially from a guy with years of experience like you...sorry if you were offended...anyway... I sea @Wave Runner confirms the difficulty with the danforth anchor embedded in clay and extremely hard to get it unstuck and get the heavy anchor back in the boat. I used an appropriate sized tote container to put the clayed anchor in..It was also difficult to remove the clay....
Click to expand...
wasn't offended mick----my reply really wasn't necessary:notworthy::oops:----didn't look funny after I hit the submit button so took the post down:cry:
 
Thanks Folks, I am going to make some changes and try these tips, I will update with the results... hopefully successful results
 
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