johnny_h
regular
Reged: 04/04/2008
Posts: 22
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It's probably a really daft question but I'm pretty new to boating, so please bear with me.
I have a small boat and am wondering about using the anchor while out at sea. How does it work in terms of depth? If I throw the anchor over and I'm in sea which is deeper than my anchor rope is, is there anything I can/should do? Is there any sense in it dangling there? Should I just get a longer rope? I've done this in a rib on my PB level 1 course, but I assume the instructor knew the depths etc. Whereas if I go somewhere I'm unsure about, what do I do if I'm in really deep water?
Thanks for your help on this.
For info I have a small 5.5 meter powerboat with a grappling anchor attached to an anchor chain and anchor rope bought from the people who supplied the boat. I've no idea how long the rope is though!
Thanks
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blueglass
regular
Reged: 27/04/2003
Posts: 744
Loc: Greece (boat) Shropshire (home...
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you need anchor line about 4 times the depth of the water. An anchor dangling over the side and not reaching the bottom is clearly not going to work. as regards anchoring in really deep water - you don't really want to be doing that. You will want to anchor inshore in sheltered water.
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damon
regular
Reged: 03/03/2005
Posts: 106
Loc: Lymington
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Looks like you need a bit of training. RYA powerboat 2 books are available, most of this stuff is in there. BAsically you'll need at least 3 time the depth in rope/chain.
Grapling anchors are great for scaling castle walls, not much good for anchoring. Danforth or similar is a good cheap solution, you can get them in a kit with chain and rope at the chandlers.
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sarabande
regular
Reged: 06/05/2005
Posts: 5378
Loc: Thames valley, or up on the mo...
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you can use a form of anchor, but they are known as sea anchors, or drogues.
All they do is slow the boat's drift down, by sitting deep in the water (which may be going in a different direction from the wind, under the influence of tidal streams.
steady boys, steady !
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Enlightenment is motor-sailing
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johnny_h
regular
Reged: 04/04/2008
Posts: 22
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So are grapling anchors not much use then? I was told in the shop it would be fine for my boat. Should I have been sold something else?
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sarabande
regular
Reged: 06/05/2005
Posts: 5378
Loc: Thames valley, or up on the mo...
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the four blade folding grapple is SOME use, but it does not dig in and hold as well as other anchors of similar mass such as CQR, Bruce, Rocna, Fortress, Bugel, and on, and on, and on.
If you are thinking of anchoring seriously, then leave the grapnel ashore.
Start with the Wiki article, here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchor
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Enlightenment is motor-sailing
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johnny_h
regular
Reged: 04/04/2008
Posts: 22
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So for my small boat (5.5 meters) what size/weight of anchor should I be looking at getting?
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Simon_
regular
Reged: 23/11/2004
Posts: 1414
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The grapnel is perfect for most anchoring you'll do on the beach - run out the chain, shove the grapnel in the sand/mud/pebbles. The boat won't float away when the tide comes in and you are all getting back on board. I doubt you'll be doing much anchoring at sea and coastal anchoring is usually in abut 3 to 5 meters of water cos you're fishing. Check you've got 10 meters of chain and 10 meters of rope. Then grab a book on powerboating and have a go - lets face it, 90% of anchoring is whilst you're stopped for lunch and you're not going to be spending a night at anchor.
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Heavenly Twins Catamaran Owners Forum
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johnny_h
regular
Reged: 04/04/2008
Posts: 22
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Yes, we've no intention of spending the night on the anchor. It's more as you say for coastal anchoring, so we can not drift while we turn the engine off and read, chat, or just relax.
My concern was about being just offshore and not knowing what the depth of the water was and chucking the anchor over and not really knowing what to expect from there, especially if the anchor didn't appear to hit the bottom.
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carlton
regular
Reged: 08/09/2005
Posts: 2757
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Fit a depth sounder to your boat.
Learn about tides/tidal range - especially in your chosen anchoring area.
Make sure you have plenty of 'scope' when you anchor, including a decent length of chain - not just rope. The weight of the chain helps keep the anchor in the correct position to get a good amount of purchase on the sea bed.
The anchor will prove useless unless it has a good grip on the sea bed. It's this grip that holds the boat in position against the tide/wind.
Read some online articles on anchoring - as already supplied on this thread.
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