Retrieving Stuck Anchor Question

posloke123

New Member
Dec 25, 2015
9
Missouri
Boat Info
1997 330 Sundancer
Engines
7.4L V-Drives
I know this is probably a dumb question, and I did search.

I just bought a 97 330 Sundancer. I'm on Table Rock Lake (Missouri) and the bottom of our lake is made of iron - so many anchors lost to submerged trees. It's not unusual at all to have to use the boat power to break a tree branch to get an anchor up (like every other time). Most of the time we anchor in about 40 of water. On my Cobalt 293, there is a cleat in front of the windlass and I loop the rode around that and give it the juice. 600 HP will break free from about anything and I've only lost 1 anchor in 4 years (though I did bend a couple of cheap ones into hairpins).

Last Friday I lost the anchor and 40' of chain on the 330. I was dumb. I tied off the rode to the front side cleat (where is the center cleat on this thing?) and when I hit the gas the bracket holding the rollers cut the rode and down she went. I know - predictable.

My question is this: How to you get an anchor unstuck on a Sea Ray? There is no cleat to relieve the pressure from the windlass to break it free with power. Am I missing something? I don't want to cut the line and replace the anchor a dozen times a year (and it will happen), and I'm afraid if I went all chain I'd but cutting chain too.
 
In general brute power won’t work, as you recently learned. You had been successful with that approach in the past probably because you were pulling against waterlogged and/or rotted trees. If you anchor where there are rocks for example, pulling back along the line the anchor was set at will only jamb it in tighter, and driving ahead will only bend the shank.

The only way to retrieve an anchor that is locked into the bottom (rocks, tree trunks, buried electrical or phone cables) is to pull it back in the opposite direction from the point of the hook. If you look at your anchor you will see a hole in the shank right about at the curve of the hook. If a line is attached at that point and pulled it will back the hook out of any spot where it is lodged. Obviously you need to attach this line before the anchor is deployed.

I used to do a lot of sailing in coastal Maine where rocky bottoms are very common. Having a retrieval line in those conditions is part of the typical anchor set up. With the additional line when you drive forward and take tension off of the anchor rode, the retrieval line will go into tension and pull the tip of the anchor out of whatever is binding it. I’ll try and find some pictures of this.
 
I use a fluke type anchor, as most boats on our lake do. It will often catch a branch of a submerged tree and get wedged in tightly. I've never gotten stuck on a rock before (though the bottom of our lake is rocky); it's always trees that people get hung up on here. Saturday night I brought up a small tree and when it got it high enough I was able to wrestle it off the anchor. I have had to go into the water a number of times to get a tree off. I've pulled up a couple of trees longer than 30' with the Cobalt. This is a common occurrence, and breaking the branch with power seems to be the most effective way to get loose (other than going into the water). I just don't know how to relieve the tension from the windlass on the 330.
 
Thanks. Changing anchor type might be a good solution. The fluke anchors dig the mud and hold to rock in our lake, but often get branches wedged into the flukes.

When Table Rock was built they sold off the timber rights but the lake came up too fast and they didn't get it all cut. I've been in 40' of water and bumped into 'stumps'. There is a lot to get snagged on. Mostly it's smaller trees - 30' or so with 6" trunks.
 
I have what is called a slip shank anchor where the rode attached to a ring that will slide along the anchor shank. Not pretty like a Delta, but it works. When my anchor get's stick (which it does sometimes), I can usually drive straight over the anchor from the direction I set it, the ring slides down the shank and pops the anchor out like a trip line would. Don't know how big these anchors come, but it was what came with my boat and has worked well for my little boat. The other trick short of rigging a trip line is instead of attaching the rode to the end of the shank, attach it where the trip line would go, then use heavy wire ties to tie the rod back to the end of the shank - anchor works normal except if it get's stuck, the force will break the zip ties and it will pull like a trip line. I actually pulled up an old mushroom anchor attached to a slimy rode yesterday. Sometimes when I drop it, I just know the anchor is going to get stuck!

https://www.wholesalemarine.com/hoo...JReR_v8M65u-vxNwRsm6skMi3JLVXHSEaAtegEALw_wcB
 
"Brute Force" I can only imagine the bow roller being ripped off the front of your boat if you just give it the beans.

I've had to run over my anchor a few times to get it dislodged but I just used no wake speed and it worked.
 
You can tie off to one of the side cleats - grab the line BEFORE it comes in through the anchor locker. If you have all chain, get a chain hook from a local hardware store and tie 15' or so to it and keep it on board.
 
"Brute Force" I can only imagine the bow roller being ripped off the front of your boat if you just give it the beans.

I've had to run over my anchor a few times to get it dislodged but I just used no wake speed and it worked.
Generally all it takes is to put it in gear and move at idle. With the Cobalt I've had to give it the beans a few times to break a limb. I've also drug trees across the cove for a hundred feet or so before they broke free. You're right about the roller though. The Cobalt anchor roller setup is a little different. Brute force is probably not the best option. I'll try the wire tie on the other end and see if that helps. Thanks.
 
There are PLENTY of anchors on the bottom of TRL! One could probably go magnet fishing or dive in Coombs Ferry, Cow Creek, Mill Creek, etc and start a refurbished anchor business. The zip tie method is a good route to go. I’ve always found it best to drive right up to where my anchor went down as I haul it in, keeping the anchor line free of strain. If she doesn’t want to give, I’ll give a few clicks astern with a hard left or right rudder to situate myself 180 degrees from where I set the anchor. From there, often a click or two astern is all I need to release my Danforth anchor.
 
Also, if you don’t have a centerline cleat available, you can take a piece of line and make a bridle that you can attach to your chain, which attaches to the port and starboard cleats. Once securely attached to the chain, you let out a touch or two of chain from the windlass and the cleats/bridle are now taking the anchor strain and not the windlass. This is a good all-around practice if you are going to be spending more than just a little bit of time at anchor.

This video shows a great example of it at the 3:30 mark:
 
If I am anchoring for a few days, I use an extra line tied to the other end of the anchor to be able to pull it backwards if it snags or buries too deep to easily retrieve. On that line I tie a small round float that marks where the anchor is and tie it about 15 ft more than the depth of water so it stays close to the anchor position.

That makes retrieval easier if needed. It also keeps the "obliviouts" from running over my anchor chain or anchoring over my anchor. Really important if you are swinging on the hook with no stern anchor or stern tie to shore.

You need to watch the line when you are leaving so you don't tangle in the props. Floating line helps, but is not as strong as nylon, which sinks. You will need someone on the bow to pull the line in as you retrieve the anchor, so they can be watchful.

I try to avoid powering out the anchor. Anchors are cheaper than repairing a windlass. pulpit, or pulled out cleat.
 
Also, if you don’t have a centerline cleat available, you can take a piece of line and make a bridle that you can attach to your chain, which attaches to the port and starboard cleats. Once securely attached to the chain, you let out a touch or two of chain from the windlass and the cleats/bridle are now taking the anchor strain and not the windlass. This is a good all-around practice if you are going to be spending more than just a little bit of time at anchor.

This video shows a great example of it at the 3:30 mark:

Good advice. I set up a bridle if I know we are having a lot of wind. Our generation 330's don't have a centerline cleat. If not a lot of wind, I just use a single line tied to the chain and run to one of the forward cleats. (I have 175ft of chain)
 
I think that if I knew I was going to possibly snag my anchor regularly I would buy some cheap rope and a cinder block. If there are that many snags in the area that you love to anchor, drop one down with a Clorox bottle on the end and use it as a mooring the next time if you can't retrieve it. Using brut force to unset the hook regularly is begging for disaster eventually. People underestimate the forces at work when pulling on line or chain.
Be safe out there
Carpe Diem
 
I think that if I knew I was going to possibly snag my anchor regularly I would buy some cheap rope and a cinder block. If there are that many snags in the area that you love to anchor, drop one down with a Clorox bottle on the end and use it as a mooring the next time if you can't retrieve it. Using brut force to unset the hook regularly is begging for disaster eventually. People underestimate the forces at work when pulling on line or chain.
Be safe out there
Carpe Diem

Unless the cinder block weighed 500lbs it won't hold a boat. Maybe leaving the stuck anchor on the bottom and using it as the mooring would work though.

My cottage neighbor made up a mooring to tie his boat to using concrete filling of two worn truck tires. Not sure what it weighed, but it was a lot. His boat was a 20ft bowrider. We got a storm and the boat washed up on shore, still tied to the mooring. The wave action slowly inched that heavy mooring 50 feet towards shore until the boat was on the beach.
 
Unless the cinder block weighed 500lbs it won't hold a boat. Maybe leaving the stuck anchor on the bottom and using it as the mooring would work though.

My cottage neighbor made up a mooring to tie his boat to using concrete filling of two worn truck tires. Not sure what it weighed, but it was a lot. His boat was a 20ft bowrider. We got a storm and the boat washed up on shore, still tied to the mooring. The wave action slowly inched that heavy mooring 50 feet towards shore until the boat was on the beach.
True, a cinderblock won’t hold the boat on a sand bottom but it will certainly hold when caught on a snag. Point is any large readily available item at the end of a line will work in a calm lake setting instead of risking the loss of an expensive anchor, chain and rode, let alone the exposure of damage or injury using the boat power to force an anchor loose. Just a great way to ruin a perfectly good boating weekend.
 
Here is an example of why it is a horrible idea to use "brute force" to try and free your anchor. As there are no witnesses, we can't be for certain but basic physics helps one come to the conclusion that there is only one way this could happen: he was giving it a lot of throttle in reverse trying to free his anchor - perhaps even getting a running start...

https://www.ky3.com/2020/08/06/man-hit-and-killed-by-an-anchor-at-lake-of-the-ozarks/
 
Here is an example of why it is a horrible idea to use "brute force" to try and free your anchor. As there are no witnesses, we can't be for certain but basic physics helps one come to the conclusion that there is only one way this could happen: he was giving it a lot of throttle in reverse trying to free his anchor - perhaps even getting a running start...

https://www.ky3.com/2020/08/06/man-hit-and-killed-by-an-anchor-at-lake-of-the-ozarks/

Sounds like it could make a good nomination for a 2020 Darwin Award...
https://darwinawards.com/
 

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