What do you use for anchor line reel for smaller boats?

[pdxsearay]

For those of you with a boat like mine (185) what do you use for a combo anchor line storage/reel? For those of us who dont use an anchor often enough to warrant a permanent peice of hardware on the bow but often enough where manually gathering the rope is a pain in the ass, is there some kind of reel that you've used that can both store the line and help let it out or reel it in?

 

[Little Ducky]

When I had my 180 I just kept everything in the front under the cushion and just pulled it in and let the rope pile up in the storage compartment. It stayed for the most part tangle free.

 

[Chris-380]

When I had my 180 I just kept everything in the front under the cushion and just pulled it in and let the rope pile up in the storage compartment. It stayed for the most part tangle free.

I did the same for 20 years, not perfect, but usually worked good

 

[BillK2632]

I think you have an anchor locker? My 185 does - I just coil the rode, lay it in the bottom of the anchor locker and set the anchor in on top of it.

 

[CNYBoater]

No anchor locker, my anchor is stored under my bench seat. For line storage I purchased a plastic reel at the hardware store meant for extension cords. Keeps it tangle free and neat. The downside is I have to unreel the full 100' to tie anchor line off.

 

[SantaCruzin]

My 180BR has a small compartment under the front cushion (3 pieces, left, right, and front). This is what provides access to the back of the bow hook. While it's a tight fit, it has enough space for a short rode, a mushroom anchor, and 50' of line.

 

[pdxsearay]

I think you have an anchor locker? My 185 does - I just coil the rode, lay it in the bottom of the anchor locker and set the anchor in on top of it.

I do have an anchor locker at the front of the bow. I'm just interested in organizing it a little better & being able to keep other things in there along with the line without tangling it.

 

[SantaCruzin]

I do have an anchor locker at the front of the bow. I'm just interested in organizing it a little better & being able to keep other things in there along with the line without tangling it.

I don't know how much larger your locker is than mine, but I don't think adding a coil of any sort in there would be feasible just by virtue of the fact that it takes up additional space. Don't take this as being anything other than a helpful suggestion, but have you tried messing with how you roll up the line? I started doing this to all of my lines (ski, tube, anchor, dock, etc.) and it's been super helpful in keeping it all organized:

Alternatively, I've had luck with elastic velcro straps. I use two (one on each half of the coil) and it keeps lines from becoming tangled.

 

[pdxsearay]

Don't take this as being anything other than a helpful suggestion, but have you tried messing with how you roll up the line?

Appreciate the tip! This is how we've been doing it except for that last part where the loop goes around the coil. Nice.

 

[CNYBoater]

I used the daisy chain knot with the sailboat lines. Don't really take the time now with the power boat, but it could be helpful if your locker is small. See below for instructions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_sinnet

Don't know the last time I saw Flemish'd docklines either...

 

[Stingrayaxe]

I have 150' of rope anchor rode. I rarely use more than about 50'. I use a very heavy Velcro strap to keep the other 100' neat in the anchor locker. It might work well for you instead of a reel. Something like this:
https://www.staples.com/velcro-bran...7zACh2WfwrXEAQYAyABEgJfB_D_BwE&akamai-feo=off

 

[JMG]

I'm pretty low budget. I use one of those rectangular plastic frames you roll up an extension cord on. Once I have enough played out, I tie to the cleat and use a ratcheting clamp to keep the rest together.

 

[Thornton69]

We have a couple anchor lines. The main 3/4 100' is just tossed in the locker and used for overnight anchoring. Easy on hands for pulling. We also have a 450' 1/2" line on a spool that we use for bottom fishing. Just clip it to the chain and anchor and retrieve it with a ball. Made a frame up out of plywood about 6 years ago to try it out. Pretty happy with it and will be making the next one out of aluminum and collapsible. We also have several spools we use for prawning with 5/16 lines from 550-1000'. We use a trap puller for retrieving those lines and store them on similar spools. The spools we got from a local hydraulic hose supply company and made up handles for them.