What is the best way to anchor beach cat on trailer?

Here's what I'd do: go to tractor supply and pick up a couple of their earth anchors @ $10 each.

Space them a few inches narrower than your tires and put them in flush with the ground (if you can - far easier on the toes when the trailer is moved). Then get some really stout rope or tie-down straps, and tie your axle to the anchors with as little slack as possible. I assume your boat is securely strapped down to the trailer.

If you know a big storm is eminent, I've seen guys take their trap wires and tie them off out to the sides either to earth anchors or big trees - something that isn't going anywhere. The mast is the biggest leverage point in the wind. Securing its movement using the trap wires is one of the most effective ways to guarantee its not going anywhere.

Edited by rehmbo on Mar 14, 2014 - 09:03 AM.

Jeff's advice is precisely what you're looking for, and his point about the security offered by tying off the trap wires is spot on.

dave

Our club has about 30 cats all tied down that way. We have been using mobile home anchors for 25 years. We had 70 mph sustained winds for several hours during Hurricane Katrina and lost no boats, most had mast up, a few had dropped their mast. The only times we have lost any were loose straps or dry rotted straps.

I knew there would be a relatively simple answer. Thanks for advice. Will head to Tractor Supply this weekend.

Nearest tractor supply is 20 miles away. Found this set of 4 anchors at Home Depot for $20. Intended for anchoring storage sheds. Thanks again for the help.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/ShelterLogic-ShelterAuger-30-in-Earth-Anchors-Set-4-Piece-10075-0/202719050#specifications

ready4h2o wrote: Nearest tractor supply is 20 miles away. Found this set of 4 anchors at Home Depot for $20. Intended for anchoring storage sheds.

Those things are harder to set into the ground than you would think, unless your ground is extremely soft like garden soil you probably won't be able to just screw them in.

Bring a post hole digger or shovel to dig most of the hole then back fill.

~~ Duct tape, rolls and rolls of Duct tape, ya go around & around & around.... Oh sorry must be ''cabin fever''.. ice sailin sucked this year in the Northeast 🙄 Go with what thoes guys said 😉

Those things are harder to set into the ground than you would think, unless your ground is extremely soft like garden soil you probably won't be able to just screw them in.

Wise words. Check your soil first.
I bought that exact set, with the intention of screwing them into the sand/mud beside the seadoo lift my cats sit on. They did go in OK, but the bottom was soft enough that I could wrap a line around a bar & with some grunting, pull them loose.
I didn't think it was skookum enough to hold in a blow, & returned them.
Will you ever have to move your setup?
There is a thread somewhere regarding this tie down topic. IIRC the original poster went with tires filled with concrete, it made them easy to move. He put some photos in an album, here
http://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures/?g2_itemId=102388&g2_GALLERYSID=19fe340d38c37838263fba9e62b94541
I think he did it this way so a piece of rebar could be inserted to lever the tire up, then roll it away, yet not leave anything sticking up to trip over.

I set mine with a 6 ft pry bar. Have someone stand on the dirt on either side to get them started. The cheap easy option is just bury a 2 ft piece of rebar(2 by 4, 3" pvc) about 2 ' in the ground(horizontal) with a pice of stong line tied to it.

Found this set of 4 anchors at Home Depot for $20. Intended for anchoring storage sheds. Thanks again for the help.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/ShelterLogic-ShelterAuger-30-in-Earth-Anchors-Set-4-Piece-10075-0/202719050#specifications/blockquote >

we use these 30" earth anchors for all of our cats and monohulls...some of them are 30' in length. they hold well in clay soils and aren't too hard to screw in if you stick a 30" long piece of pipe thru them to turn them. it would take a lot of pressure to pull these out of the ground...your line/strap would probably break first.

i tie my trailer crossbars to the anchor then strap the cat to the trailer so the pressure from the anchor isn't pulling down on the cat hulls.

i have had trouble backing them out if they've been in the ground a couple of years 'cause the screw won't bite coming back up unless you 'pull' upward really hard.
j

 

- the method on the beach at OSYC is the 30 inch earth anchors.
- one centered for the front crossbar, and another at the rear.
- each is screwed down so the TIP is about a foot below ground level.
- typically the hole is a little wide, because we dig with a shovel or PHD.
- THEN, we drop a 40lb (or 80lb) bag of quik-crete laid flat so the anchor spears through the bag
- ground mositure soaks the bag, and you have a deeply set 40lb anchor.
- secure a length of chain to the top of the anchor.
- backfill the sand
- tie on a nice 5/8 or more piece of mainsheet line... long enough to tie down the boat.
- going DEEP allows for some erosion, and hopefully better holding power
- done this way post-katrina... no issue so far... biggest concern is folks haphazardly tying thier boats...

- one concern I have at this point is rusting of the anchors... but they're not too exposed to air I don't think, buried like that... so will they rust away or not? stuff rusts in water, so probably? ideas on this?

- I don't care if you don't care about your boat... but not securing your boat endangers mine!

the trap line note is vital when on the trailer... just keep asking myself "what's the weakest link connecting the mast to the boat and the boat to the trailer and the trailer to the ground..?" and beef that link up.

Edited by robpatt on Mar 19, 2014 - 08:29 AM.