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Anchoring Question

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brian_from_boston

Contributing Member
I know this doesn't pertai

I know this doesn't pertain to Crusaders but since my boat is powered by two of them and you guys seem like the most versed group I'll send it your way.
The wife and I like to fish off the coast new england in about 200-300 feet of water. This year I want to anchor when we start hitting the fish. My question is two part.

A) will 600 ft be sufficient? I know the recommended 7-1 or 5-1 but your crazy if you think I'm going to buy 2100 ft of anchor line.

B) Does anyone have any experience with an anchor ball and what depth are they good for? As a diver I know that as you go down pressure increases. at a certain depth the good old anchor ball will look like my 400 lb sister-n-law sat on it.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and for you North America guys the season is around the corner.
 
"Try a drift anchor (kind

"Try a drift anchor (kind of like an underwater parachute). It won't keep you stationary, but will slow you down. As to that deep of an anchorage, never tried it."
 
"600 feet of rode should be fi

"600 feet of rode should be fine. You also need about 30 feet of good galv. chain. I was a halibut fishing guide for 10 years and I almost exclusively anchored up when guiding. I fished Cook Inlet, AK with some of the most extreme tides, so I know alot about anchoring. One thing you didn't say is the size/weight of your boat. If 30' or under you can get away with 3/8" rope (buy the good fine woven nylon- not 3 strand braided). If your boat is larger/heavier you should go with 1/2" rope. Either way you need the chain to keep your anchor down.

I reccomend a "Bruce" type anchor (they come in different Kg weights- get one recommended for your size boat) or plow-style. They work well for most bottoms unless you are anchoring in rocks. Attach the chain nearest the 'hook' end, then run it down the shank. At the end of the shank secure it (leave a bit of slack in chain going back to 'hook' end) with about 2 or 3 wraps of nylon ganion or parachute cord type string. This is where the pressure/drag will be applied from the boat and it acts as a type of break-away if the anchor gets stuck. The small ganion will break under extreme pulling, allowing a different angle of attack on the stuck anchor.

Anyway, just some info for you. Also the ground tackle you decide upon depends on how you are going to pull it up. We always used a buoy system and ring to pull the anchor up, assisted by powering the boat around the rode- a bit different than a windlass. I do know that 600 feet was plenty for fishing in 250 feet of water, but if it starts to get rough, then you might need more scope.

Hope this helps, and am glad to contribute after reading so much great information here, and learning so much about Crusader engines. Thanks guys!"
 
"I've done a bunch of anc

"I've done a bunch of anchoring in 200 ft of water, since there is a great shipwreck dive very close to the house here. There are two pieces of info that will help with the recommendation. What is the current speed? and what type of bottom? Basically, I'd do just what Matthew indicates. And if it could be rocky, i believe i'd use a CHEAP grapnel, because you will loose it occasionally, even with the trip/string feature. You can find some of these with rebar that will bend out if pulled hard."
 
"Brian:

we used to anchor &

"Brian:

we used to anchor & fish routinely in 30-40 fathoms with 600' of line. Don't expect it to work with 20+ knots winds without much more line. We used 15' of heavy chain and a 'generic' heavy danforth styled anchor.

The anchor ball works wonderfully. We've never found any depth limit as it doesn't go to the bottom. The hardest part is finding a good loop/connection system. Wound up have the local welder make a few rings big enough to "catch" the heavy stuff more than once.

One other point to consider: This is much different than anchoring in 15' in a cove. You may want to practice a few times as the timeline is expanded. Same for the retrevial, too."
 
"Thanks guys, I knew I would g

"Thanks guys, I knew I would get a wealth of knowledge. The boat is a 29' Blackfin Flybridge. On the anchor ball I misunderstood the concept. I was thinking it slid to the bottom. I now understand that it acts similar to a pulley as you pull away at an angle. Will be interesting to try. I am not 100% sure of what the bottom is. If any of you have been to Stellwagon that is my plan. I just know the 40' charter boat would anchor and actually when we steamed from spot to spot it would strap the anchor line along the gunwale and pull it behind (nice rooster tail). Thanks -Brian"
 
"Anyone that has pulled up 600

"Anyone that has pulled up 600 ft of anchor line knows how much work it is. I had a anchor ball and then would slowly move the boat up current to break the hold. Then slowly move further upstream, when the anchor reaches the ball, it hooks itself into the ring. The ring is important, I had a 8 or 10 inch oval with a spring loaded piece that I would slip onto the the line. Then it would float there until I pulled all the line in. I got my ring at a commercial fish supply shop in NJ back then."
 
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