Beach Anchoring

Tpitch20

New Member
Jun 4, 2018
19
Bay Shore, NY
Boat Info
1997 Proline cutty fish 220 Garmin GPS
Engines
5.7 Mercruiser w Bravo I outdrive
Looking for suggestions and tips on how to successfully anchor at the beach. I’ve seen some boats bow in, others stern in. Benefits to both?
 
With my IO I was always bow in with anchor on the beach and one out the stern. Pull your drive up as high as you can.
 
It's one of the real benefits of having an IO - beach that sucker! I did it all the time with prior boats. You need to be mindful of what you're driving into if you care about your fiberglass but generally a soft landing can be found.

Just don't drive it too far up into the sand. Remember that you'll need to back her out eventually.

Stern-in can be less stressful and provides easier access to the boat but you'll need to anchor from both ends generally.

I think watching folks anchor at the beach has to be right up there with watching folks launch boats. At least around my area. Wind change, only having one anchor, not getting an anchor to set.....it can be quite entertaining. It's why I anchor 100 yards off the beach and dinghy in these days :)
 
Make sure to use Danforth type Anchors on each side and you will be good
 
I'd go bow in with a spike anchor in to the sand. Raise the I/O and coast in for a gentle landing. Drive the spike in the sand and be done with it unless it is a windy day and you feel the need for a stern anchor.
 
Make sure to consider the tide if you're going to beach the boat.
 
I owned a deck boat and would almost always go stern in. Anchor out front in deeper water, rear anchor on or near beach. Pros: boat is not banging on the sand and shore; as tide changes, just adjust anchors; when other boats go by, the bow faces the waves, so it handles them (stern to the wave can cause it to get swamped); when you are ready to leave, just pull up rear anchor, drive a bit forward and pull in bow anchor OR use bow anchor to pull stern to deeper water. Cons: need to make sure bow anchor is out 50’, as the waves come in, there is stress on the anchor as the bow goes up and down, that bit me once, and you do get wet going to/from boat, but that is a benefit in FL.
I basically do the same thing with my 320, just cannot get as close to the beach as I did with my deck boat!

I have provided quite a bit of enjoyment to the folks like stee6043 over the years! Just this past weekend I had to try 3 times, first anchoring attempt the bow anchor held, but the current turned me sideways, second attempt anchor did not hold. Finally, compensated for the current, got square with a good set on the front anchor. Still ended up swimming to the rear anchor, picked it up, and the pulled the boat back another 20 feet to get the stern in 5’ of water.
 
My friends and I have had to help several people push their boats of of the beach after a current or wind change started to turn their boats sideways on the beach. Hence I have been doing it like Todd says. Drop anchor off the beach and back up to the beach as far as possible and then walking my stem anchor in to the beach.
 
My friends and I have had to help several people push their boats of of the beach after a current or wind change started to turn their boats sideways on the beach. Hence I have been doing it like Todd says. Drop anchor off the beach and back up to the beach as far as possible and then walking my stem anchor in to the beach.
This happened to my deck boat and I had my stern in. 3 things I did wrong, first, my front anchor was not out far enough, I was too close to the breakers (causing my bow to rise and fall over and over), I did not have a chain, just rope + anchor. Front anchor line snapped, and Boat was on land in 10 seconds. After a call to sea tow, which we had cancelled 5 years earlier, they were going to charge us 750$, fortunately 10 guys came walking up and they moved it off by simply waiting for each wave to inch the bow out, then did the same thing for the rest until I could get my engine down and drive the rest of the way. I did 4 things wrong, forgot to keep up to date on sea tow!
 
I watched a little jet ski boat anchor using two anchors just off shore this past weekend. He was about 10ft from shore with one anchor in the water, and the other on shore. I knew the tide was going out and thought that was going to be problematic, but they disappeared into the woods on a hike before I could say anything. I watched from our boat as his boat slowly got beached on rocks no less. They came back an hour later and the boat was sitting 6 ft above the water line, about 20ft from the water. Oops. Fortunately he had a jet drive, otherwise there surely would have been more damage. Another boat spent the better part of an hour pulling him off the rocks back to the water, but significant damage was done to his bottom. It sounded horrible. Moral of the story ...check the tides.
 
Bow in or stern in isn't a decision that should be made based on the type of boat or drive system you have. The most important consideration is the seas or wakes your boat is subjected to. In our area the Gulf of Mexico can have 2-4 ft swells on a good day. Bow in and before the day is over, a wave will break over the transom of your boat. We also have a lot of tourist traffic and their associated wakes as well as generally being stupid about managing said wakes, so even on the bay side of an island or sand bar, a bow to the beach can get you a swamped boat.

My boat draws 42" of water but the slope of the beach here is such that I can nearly always position the boat where the back of the swim platform is between knee and waist deep and the props have 12-15" of water under them. I start with 100' of anchor line out on the front anchor (Fortress FX-37) in 10 ft or less of water. then set 1 Fortress FX-11 on the stern (or 2 FX-11's the stern corners on windy or crowded days. I never anchor with the stern to the sea or the direction of wakes from passing boats….always bow out.
 
It's one of the real benefits of having an IO - beach that sucker! I did it all the time with prior boats. You need to be mindful of what you're driving into if you care about your fiberglass but generally a soft landing can be found.

Just don't drive it too far up into the sand. Remember that you'll need to back her out eventually.

Stern-in can be less stressful and provides easier access to the boat but you'll need to anchor from both ends generally.

I think watching folks anchor at the beach has to be right up there with watching folks launch boats. At least around my area. Wind change, only having one anchor, not getting an anchor to set.....it can be quite entertaining. It's why I anchor 100 yards off the beach and dinghy in these days :)
Lol Being a New boater, I think I have entertained quite a few folks with my techniques! Thanks
 
This happened to my deck boat and I had my stern in. 3 things I did wrong, first, my front anchor was not out far enough, I was too close to the breakers (causing my bow to rise and fall over and over), I did not have a chain, just rope + anchor. Front anchor line snapped, and Boat was on land in 10 seconds. After a call to sea tow, which we had cancelled 5 years earlier, they were going to charge us 750$, fortunately 10 guys came walking up and they moved it off by simply waiting for each wave to inch the bow out, then did the same thing for the rest until I could get my engine down and drive the rest of the way. I did 4 things wrong, forgot to keep up to date on sea tow!
This past weekend I had what I considered a text book stern in anchoring at the beach. Approx 50’ line of front anchor with2 1/2’ water at stern platform. I walked my rear anchor to the shore line unloaded the boat sat in my beach chair.
Then... the tide went out! Thank you Boat Us! My new aviator shows my boat just after I set the rear anchor. I have one of it sitting on the sand!
 
There are a few beaches around us that I anchor off, but its not ocean. Even with my last I/O boat and with my V-drive now, I always drop the bow anchor and then back towards the beach to a depth I am comfortable with, then place a stern anchor. Both mine are Bruce/claw style that works well in sand/mud.
 
Bow in or stern in isn't a decision that should be made based on the type of boat or drive system you have. The most important consideration is the seas or wakes your boat is subjected to. In our area the Gulf of Mexico can have 2-4 ft swells on a good day. Bow in and before the day is over, a wave will break over the transom of your boat. We also have a lot of tourist traffic and their associated wakes as well as generally being stupid about managing said wakes, so even on the bay side of an island or sand bar, a bow to the beach can get you a swamped boat.

My boat draws 42" of water but the slope of the beach here is such that I can nearly always position the boat where the back of the swim platform is between knee and waist deep and the props have 12-15" of water under them. I start with 100' of anchor line out on the front anchor (Fortress FX-37) in 10 ft or less of water. then set 1 Fortress FX-11 on the stern (or 2 FX-11's the stern corners on windy or crowded days. I never anchor with the stern to the sea or the direction of wakes from passing boats….always bow out.
Hello Frank. We have the same boat/anchor. This is a newer anchor for me, and it always seems to pull up lopsided. Do you have the same problem. I could almost always pull the old anchor straight in without having to handle it.
 

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