Sib anchor

[D4V33]

Hi all, I got this anchor years ago, with one of my old fletcher or dory’s. I’ve always kept it to hand, but never actually tried to use it. No idea what type it is other than a Plough. It says 5lb plough 8wmp on the side of it and has 4m of chain.

Is this any use to me on my 4m sib? Is it too light/heavy ext. or not a good design?

I have no experience with anchors, but plan to test it out next time I’m on the water.

Let me know if it’s worth keeping or if I should buy a better alternative.

Many thanks
Dave

[beamishken]

Probably about the right size for your boat quite an old design, still popular & reasonable holding, not quite as good as more modern designs like Rocna but still adequate

[Fenlander]

As Ken says if buying new you might choose something else but as you already have it then no need to replace.

[D4V33]

Perfect, many thanks guys. I’ll test it out once this weather calms down

[smallribber]

Should work fine just find a nice bag to put it in

[Peter_C]

I would give it a try. Unless you are leaving the boat unattended at anchor it is better than most anchors.

My preference is to bungee mount a milk crate in the bow and put the anchor and rode into it, that way it can breathe to dry out.

You also need a bridle attached to the bow to tie the anchor line off too. There should be a couple of D-rings close to the bow with a handle at the bow. If you use knots on the D-rings large enough that they don't fit thru the bow handle it gives you three points of contact before failure.

[D4V33]

Originally Posted by Peter_C

I would give it a try. Unless you are leaving the boat unattended at anchor it is better than most anchors.

My preference is to bungee mount a milk crate in the bow and put the anchor and rode into it, that way it can breathe to dry out.

You also need a bridle attached to the bow to tie the anchor line off too. There should be a couple of D-rings close to the bow with a handle at the bow. If you use knots on the D-rings large enough that they don't fit thru the bow handle it gives you three points of contact before failure.

Thanks Peter, top tips. How to tie it on was going to be my next question.

[Peter_C]

https://www.101knots.com/figure-8-on-a-bight.html

I used a carabiner to attach the bridle to the anchor line.

Always tie the bitter end of the anchor line off inside the boat or to something like a crate that is mounted.

[D4V33]

What thickness and type of rope do you use for your anchor?

See people recommend 3 strand nylon, yet see lots of people just using cheap poly prop like you get from builders suppliers.

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by D4V33

What thickness and type of rope do you use for your anchor?

See people recommend 3 strand nylon, yet see lots of people just using cheap poly prop like you get from builders suppliers.

No hard & fast rules if your budget suits blue polyprop then just use it, it will work just fine, a softer rope will flake into a tray or bucket easier & feel nicer though. some folk like a soft 3 strand others prefer a multi plait purely personal choice & budget. One thing to consider with small boats is the thickness for recovery, whilst 6mm might be strong enough it will be a bitch on your hands trying to pull it in, 10mm would be far more comfortable but takes up more space & probably way over rated strength wise too.

[Fenlander]

As Ken says above really.

To solve the 6mm vs 10mm dilemma my anchor rope is 8mm. I prefer a half decent rope for all boat purposes even if it costs a bit more than blue poly. Mine is a braided type, in the image below. There's 35m plus a few m of chain on there which is fine for my local area. I have a second identical rope I could add on if required. My anchor is only for emergencies, I don't stop and camp anywhere or fish with the sib anchored.

There are a few things when boating that are hard on older saltwater soaked hands so I carry sailing gloves.