Emergency Anchor Question

This topic has 9 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 7 months ago by Wizard.

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November 15, 2014 at 2:38 pm #353573

In2Deep
Participant

For my performance boat, Ive always used a Box Anchor. When I purchased my Puma, I re-purposed a small Box Anchor I had hanging around, and have been keeping it on board my bass boat — only for use in the event I go dead in the water and need to keep the boat off the shore. Ive decided that even though its a small Box Anchor, its overkill and weighs too much,, and takes up just a bit too much space. Since Ive never used any other anchor other than a Box, I have no experience with the other styles — which from a recent visit to Academy seems to be pretty wide variety; Mushroom, fluke style, etc.So my question; will a regular “mushroom” style anchor be sufficient for any emergency anchoring needs? Do they grab reasonably well (and hold up in a moderate wind if thats happens to be the conditions)? Thanks for any advice.

November 15, 2014 at 3:07 pm #353576

Bass Cat Boats
Keymaster

No anchor in my boat. If the outboard craps out, use the trollingmotor to get you back or at least get you out of the wind until you can get a tow. I doubt a mushroom anchor would hold you in any type of moderate wind unless it was very heavy.

November 15, 2014 at 3:31 pm #353580

Bass Cat Boats
Keymaster

Mushroom anchors work alright and are easy to deploy and release. They store simple and are usually covered in rubber or vinyl. Other styles are better grabbing and harder to release as they dig in, though they are a B_____ to store. If you are concerned with legality for the regulations in your area a mushroom will suffice, otherwise you just have to use your judgement.

November 15, 2014 at 4:18 pm #353584

Bass Cat Boats
Keymaster

For the last 15 – 18 years I have carried a “PWC” anchor that comes in a small pouch with 25 ft of rope attached (also carry 100 ft of nylon rope). It is a small danforth type anchor that comes in 3 and 5 pound weights. This is mostly for legal reasons, but with more reliable trolling motors and now power poles I have never had to use it in an emergency. In the early 90s I tried both the mushroom and folding anchors. The mushroom was easier to store, but the folding danforth type held better but was a PITA to remove and store (I use to put them in a dishpan to keep them from sliding all over the place).Your Signature …

November 15, 2014 at 4:46 pm #353588

Bass Cat Boats
Keymaster

Danforths are known to be the best anchors.

November 15, 2014 at 4:52 pm #353592

In2Deep
Participant

This is great info and perspective, so thanks everyone for taking the time to respond. Funny, but Id never considered NOT having an anchor on a boat — for peace of mind at least. I have thought that I could trolling motor my way to wherever I might need to get to in the event of an outboard failure (had to do that for a couple of miles in a friends boat once). Im all for saving space and weight, so I may just suck it up and get over my motor failure phobia — and leave the anchor on the dock. Thanks again, and tight lines. I2D.

November 15, 2014 at 10:00 pm #353594

champion jon
Participant

I keep mine in the back of my truck and pull it out if I plan to use it for fishing for some reason…..which is almost never.

November 16, 2014 at 1:18 pm #353598

psj706
Participant

champion jon wrote:I keep mine in the back of my truck and pull it out if I plan to use it for fishing for some reason…..which is almost never.For whatever reason I do the same thing…

November 16, 2014 at 8:49 pm #353603

Hooter
Participant

For safety reasons, I think it is a good idea to have an anchor and plenty of line in your boat. If your motor quits, and the wind is blowing and the waves are rolling, you need to keep the bow pointing into the wind. I carry a Danforth anchor. Years ago I heard of a bass boat getting stood up on its stern by waves. The incident occurred on Currituck Sound, NC. I talked to friends of the guys involved in the accident. I feel any anchor that will hold the bow into the wind is ok.

November 16, 2014 at 9:41 pm #353607

Wizard
Participant

I keep a fluke anchor in the boat. A severe storm came up and my motor blew running to the ramp. I dropped anchor with plenty of slack line at the mouth of a cove. I was almost at the back of the cove when the storm passed. The boat moved about 150 yrds but the anchor kept slipping and digging in enough to keep me off the rocks and probably saved my life. I now have an anchor where the flukes fold up for easier storage.
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