Boat anchor question

G

Gary Wolf

Member

I hunt the back bays of N.J. and need to find an anchor that will hold out in open water. I have tried a fluke type anchor that Cabela's sells (Chene) it was worthless. I'm considering a Richter type anchor hoping the spikes will dig into the mud/sandy bottom. FYI I have a 15' Duck Wrangler. Any suggestions?
 
Danforth-type anchors are the way to go when you have tough anchoring conditions. But anchor chain is the key to improving holdig power.
Use about 5-10' of heavy galvanized chain then tie in the rope. Chain hold the rope parralel to the bottom & greatly improves bottom holding power of the anchor.

When I had 20' offshore boat, I had 5' of very heavy chain plus 15' of medium chain. My anchor and chain together probably weighed close to 40 pounds.
I could anchor in 100' of water with 150' of rode in calm seas, 200' in rough seas.
 
Danforth-type anchors are the way to go when you have tough anchoring conditions. But anchor chain is the key to improving holdig power.
Use about 5-10' of heavy galvanized chain then tie in the rope. Chain hold the rope parralel to the bottom & greatly improves bottom holding power of the anchor.

When I had 20' offshore boat, I had 5' of very heavy chain plus 15' of medium chain. My anchor and chain together probably weighed close to 40 pounds.
I could anchor in 100' of water with 150' of rode in calm seas, 200' in rough seas.
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Yes, chain and you also have to "set it". Any anchor that gets its holding power from digging into the bottom needs to be set. Oftentimes they set themselves, which is fine, but if you want it set in one place then set it. Deploy anchor and chain and appropriate length of rode, cleat it off and power to set it into the bottom. Oftentimes in duck hunting situations, once the anchor is set using an appropriate amount of scope (4-5-6-7:1) you can pull in line and operate with much less scope then you needed to use to get the initial set.
 
I hunt the back bays and the ocean of new jersey

i only use a danforth with chain and have no problems setting the anchors

i use them for my 2-man layout and 18' starcraft and they set very well

good luck

Dave
 
I agree that Danforths hold well in mud and sand bottoms. I have had problems with them holding in cobble or small rock bottoms even with chain. In those cases I put a mushroom anchor on the leading shackle of the chain. The combined weight and drag are usually enough to fight current and tides. By that time my longlines are dragging under or away.
 
Problem with grapnel anchors is in soft bottoms, they WILL drag when the wind comes up.
Maybe your anchor is too small, take the recommendations and go up one size.
A 7# Danforth should hold up to a 20' mid weight boat no problem when set up with the chain, and use enough line,(scope) 7 to 1 ratio for starters.
 
The biggest anchor and heaviest chain for best purchase with least scope. Danforths have always worked for me, especially in the mud you're talking about.
 
Previously I thought no anchor could beat a Danforth, however now the Richter is the best anchor I have ever used. Not only does to a great job in mud and sand, but when weeds are to thick to get a Danforth to the bottom, a Richter will still hold.

Marine dealers from the Winnebago area lakes tell me they sell more Richter's than any other anchor
 
as said above Danforth style anchor rated for the right size boat 3 feet of chain and at least 3 times the water depth in scope and you should be able to hold in any current or blow
 
Previously I thought no anchor could beat a Danforth, however now the Richter is the best anchor I have ever used. Not only does to a great job in mud and sand, but when weeds are to thick to get a Danforth to the bottom, a Richter will still hold.

Marine dealers from the Winnebago area lakes tell me they sell more Richter's than any other anchor
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I didn't know what a Richter anchor was and I looked it up. Wow Mike! I'm a little disappointed, that thing looks like some sort of gizmo a young punk would use. What is next? an announcement that your suspenders are something other than plain red?

T
 
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Here are my anchoring tips.

1 as said above about chain, use 6' or so of it.
2 Use nylon rope (rode)
3 drop the anchor, don't throw it
4 let out a bunch of line and then pull tight on it then creep up on it
5 attach something to the end like an old decoy so you can let go of it and easily come back to it

Should have no problems in the coastal zone with a danforth type, not a slip ring anchor.
 
Gene, Your joking right???? The cheapiest is $137 dollars! At the rate I lose anchors I'd be getting Naked and going for a swim in some chilly water for that price.

GeneR.
 
Gene, Your joking right???? The cheapiest is $137 dollars! At the rate I lose anchors I'd be getting Naked and going for a swim in some chilly water for that price.

GeneR.
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I was thinking the same thing.
 
Heck, you got to tie the end of the line to the boat to stop losing anchors. lol

You'd be surprised how many anchors and line I find crab dredging that were obviously not cleated off. Probably have 2 doz. of all sizes hanging on the fence.
 
Heck, you got to tie the end of the line to the boat to stop losing anchors. lol

You'd be surprised how many anchors and line I find crab dredging that were obviously not cleated off. Probably have 2 doz. of all sizes hanging on the fence.
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It is amazing how many guys have no idea of the basics. The number of duck hunters that don't know how to use a cleat, it doesn't supprise me that you find anchors all the time.
 
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