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.

[D4V33]

Many thanks guys

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by D4V33

Many thanks guys

I see you are in Scotland. It is important to remember in some areas you will need a lot of rope to reach bottom so thickness is very important in this regard so as not to carry too much bulk

[The Gurnard]

Its also worth noting that some places..like Loch Etive where I live have numerous hazards floating hidden on the water surface..

They are there because folks whose anchors have stuck on the rocky bottom have cut their polypropylene anchor ropes as they cant get the anchor back..

Polypropylene rope floats and is why the ends floating on the surface sometimes mangle folks propellers

Worth Googling "can I use floating rope for the anchor rope" and find most folks advise against it.

Top of goole list is

"No, you should not use a floating rope for an anchor. For safety, you should use a rope that sinks. Floating ropes, like those made of polypropylene, should be avoided.

[D4V33]

Good point regarding floating lines. I fish between North Berwick and Dunbar and have snagged my prop on floating creel pot lines several times. The place is littered with them.

I have 40m of nylon rope on order for now, will get more if needed.

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by D4V33

Good point regarding floating lines. I fish between North Berwick and Dunbar and have snagged my prop on floating creel pot lines several times. The place is littered with them.

I have 40m of nylon rope on order for now, will get more if needed.

I think the worst offenders are the commercial fishermen & the occasional "hobby" potters for leaving floating lines or discarding gear. I've never lost an anchor in 50 years, & I suspect the incidents of lost anchors & full lines are fairly rare, the north east coast & upwards is littered with poorly marked pots. The fishermen themselves dont help the situation either, I had a pal ran a small prawn creel boat here on the west coast & he would only lay fleets of creels over weekends cos the larger prawn trawler guys would just trawl through his pots mid week & discard them wherever they landed with no thought for the impact on another fisherman's livelihood nor the environment damage caused by discarded gear. Fortunately they took the weekends off which allowed him to actually get out & fish

[The Gurnard]

[QUOTE=beamishken;880265 I've never lost an anchor in 50 years, & I suspect the incidents of lost anchors & full lines are fairly rare,[/QUOTE]

LOL.. there are lots of folk snag and loose anchors beamer so you are either lucky or dont anchor that often on rocky ground...


Another tip for you D4V43 .. in the photo of your anchor there is a ring on the fluke end as well as where the chain is shackled.

Most fisher guys up my way who do anchor regularly.... including myself ... know why that ring is there.

Its because we know anchors snag regularly over rocky ground. The anchor manufacturer put these rings there for that very reason. It allows us to shackle the chain there instead of the shaft end as in your photo.. we then run the chain along the shaft and cable tie it to the shaft at that end ring. This means that when the anchor snags and cant be freed by pulling direct.. a couple of fast heavy pulls will break the cable ties and the anchor can then be pulled out backwards and hopefully come free.

Beamerman . if anchors don't snag ..perhaps you can enlighten us all why anchors have these rings or holes at the fluke end. ?

Have a look at this link..its just the first one I googled for a photo..but proves even anchor manufacturers realise anchors snag regularly.

https://hbanchors.com/pages/breakaway-release

[beamishken]

The reason folk loose anchors is either using the wrong kind of anchor for the situation or the wrong technique there is usually a way to avoid a snag in most circumstances with the correct equipment. Even floating ropes that cant be broken free dont stay floating for very long as they fairly quickly sink due to the marine growth after a few weeks hence most of the floating rope traps tend to be discarded or lost lines nor lost anchors.
Fyi I spend many nights aboard at anchor I also cut my teeth anchoring to fish off the north east coast not far from where the opp boats usually over rocks & rough ground, I've anchored to fish for skate in 200m + of water on the west coast, of scotland. I know how to anchor & not loose one it's called skill.

[The Gurnard]

Originally Posted by beamishken

Even floating ropes that cant be broken free dont stay floating for very long as they fairly quickly sink due to the marine growth after a few weeks

The muscle frams left loch etive in 2011.. they cut their floating anchor lines on there farms back then when the rafts were recovered. Anyone who goes to Loch Etive regular will know not to go close into the bays between BonAwe Quarry and Cadderslie bay because these lines are still floating there. green algae and all. Thats 13 years later.

[smallribber]

We can certainly attest to the floating ropes on etive from the old muscle farm. We hit one in our little Honwave scared her indoors big time. Thanks for telling us the location Donny we can hopefully avoid them next year