Aft Anchor

[ddctimk]

I just bought a sundancer 240 after ten years in a bow rider.
Took our first family trip on lake Champlain in VT from Burlington over to Willsboro bay. Beautiful trip.
Sunday we anchored off north beach but kept getting blow from side to side. Luckily i had enought line to tie the aft to a stump on the beach to keep us straight so we could get on and off the beach and watch the kids.

I need to buy an aft anchor for next time. Do you think a mushroom anchor will work? What do you recommend?
I like the mushroom because it looks like it will do the least damage to the kids feet if they run over it.

 

[Molson]

I've always used a small danforth for my aft anchor. Easy to set and retrieve. I also tie a bright float on it so we can see where it is (it wont be the kids stubbing their toes, it will be ME!)

 

[SloBurn]

I also use a Danforth anchor for my stern. I find that mushrooms are pretty much worthless in even the slightest breeze. But there is also a trick to prevent wild swinging when anchored-tie off anchor line to a spring cleat! If winds are not shifting around a lot, this will hold you sideways to the breeze. Works like a charm every time!

 

[Alex F]

Stern anchor will definitely help in your case, but not the mushroom type (unless it's huge). Anything like Danforth, Fortress or Delta will work fine. Since storage is always a concern, I'd go with Danforth or Fortress. Just make sure to get proper size. Having 10-20' of chain on the line will also provide greater holding power.

 

[BigBoysToys]

I've used a fortress rear anchor for years and I love it. Super light weight, can be disassembled and stored in a bag, and it holds extremely well for its size and weight.

Sent from my RM-927_nam_vzw_100 using Tapatalk

 

[ZZ13]

I just bought a sundancer 240 after ten years in a bow rider.
Took our first family trip on lake Champlain in VT from Burlington over to Willsboro bay. Beautiful trip.
Sunday we anchored off north beach but kept getting blow from side to side. Luckily i had enought line to tie the aft to a stump on the beach to keep us straight so we could get on and off the beach and watch the kids.

I need to buy an aft anchor for next time. Do you think a mushroom anchor will work? What do you recommend?
I like the mushroom because it looks like it will do the least damage to the kids feet if they run over it.

I got married at The Cathedral in Burlington long, long ago during my 3 year run with IBM there.

Doesn't help you but you brought back a good memory for me.

 

[Molson]

Stern anchor will definitely help in your case, but not the mushroom type (unless it's huge). Anything like Danforth, Fortress or Delta will work fine. Since storage is always a concern, I'd go with Danforth or Fortress. Just make sure to get proper size. Having 10-20' of chain on the line will also provide greater holding power.

True, it will, but its a bit of overkill IMO. I make sure I get good solid set on my main anchor, and then back down to the depth I want to be at (typically 3 feet, with drives up). I'll then walk the 100' of stern anchor line out, and slight off angle to my stern (into the wind) and set the anchor, I typically pull it as tight as I can, but don't give myself a coronary. I'll then tie a float to it, or spare fender. once back in the boat I'll snug up and cleat the bow anchor. This has held 5 boats, with mine being the smallest (30') With his 24' a 6-8lb danforth with some 1/2" will be plenty.

The added chain will make it harder to store (I stick it under a seat).
'

 

[src]

True, it will, but its a bit of overkill IMO. I make sure I get good solid set on my main anchor, and then back down to the depth I want to be at (typically 3 feet, with drives up). I'll then walk the 100' of stern anchor line out, and slight off angle to my stern (into the wind) and set the anchor, I typically pull it as tight as I can, but don't give myself a coronary. I'll then tie a float to it, or spare fender. once back in the boat I'll snug up and cleat the bow anchor. This has held 5 boats, with mine being the smallest (30') With his 24' a 6-8lb danforth with some 1/2" will be plenty.

The added chain will make it harder to store (I stick it under a seat).
'

The good part about adding chain is that it means you have a decent secondary anchor if there is a problem with your main. I carry a fortress with about 10' of chain as my secondary, and have used it as my primary when my main anchor is wrong for the bottom conditions. And, yes, I've anchored where the plow just plows along, but the fortress digs in and holds. I bought a rope bag, and the 100' rode and 10' chain both go in it, so there's no real storage hassle involved.

 

[JV II]

A mushroom anchor might work if it were huge and weighed at least 50 pounds.

 

[Bucit]

I use a 18-20lb plow anchor just like my main anchor. Our tides along with the wind can be pretty stong. I have 8' of coated chain as well. Once it's set you can forget about it. Just don't try to swim it into the boat. You'll sink.

 

[Alex F]

True, it will, but its a bit of overkill IMO. I make sure I get good solid set on my main anchor, and then back down to the depth I want to be at (typically 3 feet, with drives up). I'll then walk the 100' of stern anchor line out, and slight off angle to my stern (into the wind) and set the anchor, I typically pull it as tight as I can, but don't give myself a coronary. I'll then tie a float to it, or spare fender. once back in the boat I'll snug up and cleat the bow anchor. This has held 5 boats, with mine being the smallest (30') With his 24' a 6-8lb danforth with some 1/2" will be plenty.

The added chain will make it harder to store (I stick it under a seat).
'

I don't know which part of what I said is an overkill. If you're referring to the chain, then the only way to compensate is by having more scope. Questions like the OP posted belong to the "It all depends" category. So, when you're anchoring in 3' of water there are tons of room for error and various options. Try doing the same in 15-20' and you'll know what I mean. Then, do the same when the wind blows at nice 20-25kts. There's no need for a storm to have an "OMG" reality check moment.

A good example of chain on the stern anchor was our last raft at Zach's bay (South Shore Long Island). We had 14 boats raft. Main anchors deployed on every other boat and then we deployed 3 stern anchors (1 monster fortress with about 30' of chain, 1 smaller fortress with 15-20' of chain, 1 delta with no chain). We were in 15' of water. Eventually the wind shifted 180deg and our 3 stern anchors became the primary holding power. If you take a look at the thread for the Zach's Bay Rendezvous you'll see some pix showing how pack the place was. Clearly ZERO room for error. To make long story short and make a point on the holding power, I'll just say that the delta anchor with no chain and shorter scope became useless. The wind was changing often enough to make the mid size fortress do all the work. That line was like a guitar string, but the anchor did fantastic job and it took some effort to free the line when we proceeded with repositioning the raft (all boats as one raft) to be properly placed in to the wind.

My point is simple, if you want maximum holding power and have a reliable backup anchor, have properly sized anchor with some chain and a lot of scope.

 

[Molson]

I don't know which part of what I said is an overkill. If you're referring to the chain, then the only way to compensate is by having more scope. Questions like the OP posted belong to the "It all depends" category. So, when you're anchoring in 3' of water there are tons of room for error and various options. Try doing the same in 15-20' and you'll know what I mean. Then, do the same when the wind blows at nice 20-25kts. There's no need for a storm to have an "OMG" reality check moment.

A good example of chain on the stern anchor was our last raft at Zach's bay (South Shore Long Island). We had 14 boats raft. Main anchors deployed on every other boat and then we deployed 3 stern anchors (1 monster fortress with about 30' of chain, 1 smaller fortress with 15-20' of chain, 1 delta with no chain). We were in 15' of water. Eventually the wind shifted 180deg and our 3 stern anchors became the primary holding power. If you take a look at the thread for the Zach's Bay Rendezvous you'll see some pix showing how pack the place was. Clearly ZERO room for error. To make long story short and make a point on the holding power, I'll just say that the delta anchor with no chain and shorter scope became useless. The wind was changing often enough to make the mid size fortress do all the work. That line was like a guitar string, but the anchor did fantastic job and it took some effort to free the line when we proceeded with repositioning the raft (all boats as one raft) to be properly placed in to the wind.

My point is simple, if you want maximum holding power and have a reliable backup anchor, have properly sized anchor with some chain and a lot of scope.

No argument from me. I'm not unfamiliar to rafting. If I'm setting a stern anchor, I'm in 3' of water, with approx 100' of stern rode out, and approx 75-100' of bow rode. I am also in non tidal areas, and typically well protected. If we find ourselves in deeper water requiring a stern hold, we're usually in an area that supports a stern tie to shore, which is usually in an area known as Port Rawson, and it has specific tie points installed on shore, quite convenient. Anything deeper than 10' and no stern tie options, we'll just swing on the hook.

Please don't take my previous reply as an argument, just stating my opinion.

 

[roostrs]

Keep a sand spike on board for anchoring close to the beach as well.

 

[Alex F]

No argument from me. I'm not unfamiliar to rafting. If I'm setting a stern anchor, I'm in 3' of water, with approx 100' of stern rode out, and approx 75-100' of bow rode. I am also in non tidal areas, and typically well protected. If we find ourselves in deeper water requiring a stern hold, we're usually in an area that supports a stern tie to shore, which is usually in an area known as Port Rawson, and it has specific tie points installed on shore, quite convenient. Anything deeper than 10' and no stern tie options, we'll just swing on the hook.

Please don't take my previous reply as an argument, just stating my opinion.

Same here. It's just goes to show you that use of stern anchors depends on many variables. I don't use my stern anchor too often, mostly in the larger rafts. Since we have dinghy always in use, I don't care if I'm 50' or 250' from the beach. As long as I have enough water under the boat. I prefer swinging with the wind and other boats anchored near me. But, there are times when this anchor can really save the day.

Here's interesting and slightly different situation. We're on a mooring in one of the harbors which is exposed to the boating traffic. The mooring field is quite a distance form the main channel, but with the wrong wind you're feeling every tiny wake. As we settled for the night, the wind shifted and positioned the boat parallel to the main channel. After couple of boats went by (good distance away) we still got waked and I knew for sure that if I don't do something about it it'll be a bad night. So, here comes the stern anchor to the rescue. Even being in about 20' of water on the mooring, with enough scope I was able to position the boat bow in to the wake coming from the main channel. It was like a night and day difference comfort wise.

So, you just never know when that stern/backup anchor will be needed. It's always a good idea to have it.

 

[ddctimk]

cool i have been here 3 years now love it.

 

[ddctimk]

thanks everyone

 

[Blown284]

I use a small fluke anchor to keep from swinging all over the place. That is, if it's crowded. If it's not, I'll swing all over the place and don't care