Ok folks, If you are planning on sailing any distance and then, maybe, camping out on the beach....what type of anchor would you be using, how much chain, how much rope?

TileMan5309

Ok folks, If you are planning on sailing any distance and then, maybe, camping out on the beach....what type of anchor would you be using, how much chain, how much rope?

Depends of the type of bottom where you are anchoring.
Hobie and west marine sell retractable grapple type anchors that weight 1.5-3 lbs. Unless there is a rocky bottom this will be useless.
Here is a good start: http://www.myboatsgear.com/newsletter/200788.asp

I would not bother with anchor chain (unless you have to), just make sure the anchor is set well. I believe the rule of thumb (for large vessels) is 5 times the depth of the water for length of line. If it is too short you will end up pulling the anchor out.

If you want to anchor to land, Home Depot sells plastic ground stakes for $3/each and are approx 12" long.

the 5 to 1 is for good weather conditions...
a chain is great IF you are in variable conditions.. and can help reduce the line needed.. but they add weight to your cat..

the Fortress anchor is all aluminum and weighs very little. so little that they don't sink fast, and if you are trying to anchor while backing up (moving).. they don't grab the bottom (often).

if you manually set your anchor.. they rock! (BUT I have seen there are times you need to anchore while moving.. like when you are upside down. headed towards a sea wall...)

I personally wouldn't trust any anchor that I could easily carry on the boat to hold over night. You may as well tie a length of line around a big rock and throw the rock overboard. It will probably hold as well as a 3 lb anchor and you don't have to carry it with you.

we camp on islands in the gulf most of the year (there are guys camping right now) most of us leave our cats anchored overnight. i am not saying its not possible for an anchor to break lose but it almost never happens and is usually associated with a large wind shift.

as long as you set the anchor well... you should be good. you can also run a second anchor to double your purchase and almost eliminate any chance of your cat getting away.

We moor our catamarans all summer in a bay of lake Michigan. The weight of one five gallon pail full of cement will hold a 16. I'd use ten gallons for anything bigger. You can make a portable anchor/mooring that's almost weightless if it's made out of nylon, just fill it with beach sand and make sure its closed off well so the sand can't get out. Digging a hole in the water to place the anchor in helps too. Tie a line to the forestay with no anchor aft. Catamarans (Hobie & Prindle) will always point into the wind. I also like to secure the mast from rocking back and forth so it doesn't wear out my mast disc. I haven't had any problens for three years, even in storms.

Cargo netting some rocks would work very nice too.

anyone have a special way of storing their anchor or do most just tie it down on the trampoline somewhere? And in terms of setting it...do you guys just drop and hope it sets or do you backwind the sails (in effect...sail in reverse) to set?

anchor storage is an issue. i used to carry a cloth carry on bag (came with my luggage set) that perfectly fit my anchor. It was clipped to my front beam. it worked .

I now have a front tramp with an anchor pocket sown into it.

As per setting... typically i can simply throw my anchor over (while backing up) and it will set... but i lost my regular anchor and am using my WalMart backup and it stinks. it wont set well (or at least i dont trust it) unless i use my hands to set it.

I need to get rid of it and buy a better one today.. its a safety issue to not have a good one i can trow over and trust it will set.. cats have a tendency to flip in heavy air (where you can get dragged into trouble)

Never throw an anchor. Always lower it. This prevents fowling the rode, and helps set the anchor better. It also give you a better idea of what the depth is, so you know how much rode to pay out. Allow the wind to back you up and set the anchor, or manually set it (especially with the grass/sand bottoms we have on the Gulf). 5:1 rode is fine for a cat which is light weight (7:1 to 10:1 for anything bigger, or rough conditions). Rode and anchor (danforth), with no chain is good enough for a cat, unless you have a rocky bottom, then use a graple. Chain is really needed for larger vessels as it increases the weight of the anchor, and holds the anchor more paralle and allows the anchor to set easier. It also eliminates chaffing your connection to the anchor. A typical danforth anchor is good for almost all cat anchoring. You dont need a very big anchor to keep a cat from going anywhere. Andrews isnt much bigger than a 7#, and I think mine was only a 5#.

Andrew has a nice set up with his pocket on his forward tramp, others around here put it in a bag (this is nice cause it also keeps the rode out of the way too. I have seen some hang it from a dolphin striker. Not on our beach, but I have also seen anchors lashed to the bridle wires (I dont think I would do this, but it was out of the way). On my H16 I had a pocket on the tramp, I could only shove the flukes of the anchor in there, but it kept them tangling up with the jib lines.

good info MC... (had to google "rode")
let me clarify.. when i say i "throw it over" i mean i lower it... actually i just drop it in the water and let it sink.

as for the chain.. if you have a lightweight aluminum anchor (Fortress) you must have a chain or your anchor will float/skim/not seat most of the time (unless you manually set it... but that doesn't help when your capsized and floating quickly into a breaker)

good info...thanks. Im thinking i'm going to make a simple bag that'll attach to the dolphin striker/front beam.