Which anchor?

[nojslokin]

I have a new SIB (Honwave T32) and BF6 outboard. Will be using on rivers, canals and sea but only ever within sight of the shore most likely. I understand that I need an anchor for emergencies but don't know what I need. I've done a bit of Googling and it looks like the most common anchor types are mushroom, plough or fluke. Which would suit my needs best? Also, what length of rope and chain would I need if I'm never more than a few hundred meters from shore?

[Fender]

I use this on my sib https://cooperanchors.com there brilliant, don't bother with the collapsable grapple style, waste of time

[Max...]

If you really don't go out in any bad stuff with dangerous lee shores then a folding grapnel is the most practical to store but they are not the best in terms of performance - some people rate them as usable others as total cr@p.

I use a 2kg Bruce with 3 or 4 metres of chain and 50m of warp with another 50m separate.

The Bruce is probably the best all round UK anchor but they are a PITA to store - I've just modified mine this last week to create - the 'Folding Bruce!'.

One of the most common questions though so lots to look back on over the years.

[Poly]

Not sure I have ever heard of anyone using a mushroom anchor on sibs/ribs. Designed for mud/silt.

[duggie12]

I asked my cousin (who is an experienced sailor) about this the other day and he recommended that for my sib a metre or 2 of chain and a kedging anchor would be my best bet.
Not sure what others think of that?
Cheers

[paintman]

Have a look at this: http://www.rib.net/forum/f8/what-siz...rib-75972.html

[Poly]

Originally Posted by duggie12

I asked my cousin (who is an experienced sailor) about this the other day and he recommended that for my sib a metre or 2 of chain and a kedging anchor would be my best bet.
Not sure what others think of that?
Cheers

It's only really a kedge if you have a bigger bower anchor too! A kedge for a 60ft yacht would likely be too big for even a 5m rib rib...

What he means though is a small anchor easy enough to handle by hand - but it's kind of stating the obvious for a SIB. Personally I would go with the same amount of chain as the boat length.

In an ideal world you'd have 3x the deepest water you will ever be in line. But that doesn't always make sense e.g. That would be far too much to handle on a sib on Loch Ness and you are only going to get blown to shallower water eventually anyway. Personally I'd rather sacrifice length of line (but still having 3x max depth I plan to anchor in (5x for longer stops or poor conditions on a lee shore)) than diameter as really narrow line is horrible to haul in.

[duggie12]

Yes after a quick Google I see what you mean :-)

Poly if the only time you'd be using the anchor is in an emergency situation does the thickness of the line matter? I could only see myself anchoring if things had gone wrong which is why I'm asking.

[Mikefule]

Will you never anchor for a picnic or a cup of tea/coffee from your flask; for fishing, diving, snorkelling, or swimming from the boat; or just soaking up the rays and reading a book in a quiet cove? Will you never want to to leave the boat a few metres out in a rocky cove on a falling tide, rather than beaching it and risking stranding? A good anchor is not just for emergencies; it makes your boat more versatile.

[duggie12]

Might sound a bit odd Mike but no i don't think i would. I just use my sib to explore or get places then when I do I pull it up the beach or whatever

[Max...]

Same here, in the last five years SIBing never used the anchor once. Still need a decent one though just in case as it has to work when you *really* need it.

[Poly]

Duggie, it maybe matters less if you see it only as an emergency tool. Useful to practice a few times though so you know what you are doing with it. Once you do you might discover it's actually a good thing and let's you have lunch, a cuppa, take some photos, or access a shore you wouldn't be confident doing without it. If it's a pita you decide not to, or to delay doing so.

[duggie12]

Cheers poly will bear in that I mind

I've still to buy an anchor and during my research I came across this post on another site aimed at fribs and sibs. I thought I was interesting and wondered if you or anyone else had a view :

*have learned a whole new approach to anchoring on a fishing kayak.*
Firstly, the anchor warp we use is 2 - 3mm dia so the resistance to tidal force is reduced dramatically compared to 5 - 9mm used on most boats. Now when you reduce drag by using lighter warp, you can also use lighter anchors and less chain.

Let me give you the set up I will use.

'A quality divers reel holding at least 100mt of 2mm braid, a .75kg - 1.5kg anchor with 1.5mt of 5mm chain. I use approx 4x warp to depth ratio on the Humber which is my local fishing ground. I clip a buoy to 10mt of floating rope which is fastened to the boat at the free end and the divers reel clipped to the buoy. The anchor warp/divers reel is then 10 mts away from the boat / kayak which means the pull on the boat is very light as there is no down force pulling on the boat which normally causes slap at the bow of the boat and a greater chance of the anchor pulling free.

Don't get too carried away with what larger ribs and other boats do out there and be prepared to try lighter gear which also means lighter gear to store aboard'

[MartinG]

Originally Posted by duggie12

Cheers poly will bear in that I mind

I've still to buy an anchor and during my research I came across this post on another site aimed at fribs and sibs. I thought I was interesting and wondered if you or anyone else had a view :

*have learned a whole new approach to anchoring on a fishing kayak.*
Firstly, the anchor warp we use is 2 - 3mm dia so the resistance to tidal force is reduced dramatically compared to 5 - 9mm used on most boats. Now when you reduce drag by using lighter warp, you can also use lighter anchors and less chain.

Let me give you the set up I will use.

'A quality divers reel holding at least 100mt of 2mm braid, a .75kg - 1.5kg anchor with 1.5mt of 5mm chain. I use approx 4x warp to depth ratio on the Humber which is my local fishing ground. I clip a buoy to 10mt of floating rope which is fastened to the boat at the free end and the divers reel clipped to the buoy. The anchor warp/divers reel is then 10 mts away from the boat / kayak which means the pull on the boat is very light as there is no down force pulling on the boat which normally causes slap at the bow of the boat and a greater chance of the anchor pulling free.

Don't get too carried away with what larger ribs and other boats do out there and be prepared to try lighter gear which also means lighter gear to store aboard'

I was going to post, but this guy nails it! :-)
I would suggest a folding grapnel because they do the job and are really easy to store on a small inflatable. Don't forget a length of chain and also rig it for release with an electrical tie strap.

[Fender]

Originally Posted by MartinG

I was going to post, but this guy nails it! :-)
I would suggest a folding grapnel because they do the job and are really easy to store on a small inflatable. Don't forget a length of chain and also rig it for release with an electrical tie strap.

Grapple style are Poo!!
Last summer, my mate gave up with his anchor, whatever he did his grapple kept dragging, so he tied his sib to the back of mine and my little old anchor held both boats quite happily - I don't use a grapple.............

[duggie12]

From what I've read people either seem to think grapnels are fine for a sib, or are not to be trusted at all.

I've never used one so I don't know. Perhaps the varying opinions are down to folk using them in different seabed conditions?

[MartinG]

Originally Posted by Fender

Grapple style are Poo!!

Last summer, my mate gave up with his anchor, whatever he did his grapple kept dragging, so he tied his sib to the back of mine and my little old anchor held both boats quite happily - I don't use a grapple.............

I think a lot if folk expect an anchor to work straight off the warp. A decent length of chain has a startling effect on grip.
Main reason for the recommendation though us storage, the grapnel folds to nothing and with no sharp edges.

[Fender]

Originally Posted by MartinG

I think a lot if folk expect an anchor to work straight off the warp. A decent length of chain has a startling effect on grip.
Main reason for the recommendation though us storage, the grapnel folds to nothing and with no sharp edges.

There are other types of anchor that store fine - and also hold the bottom..................

[MartinG]

Originally Posted by Fender

There are other types of anchor that store fine - and also hold the bottom..................

Concedes..... :-)

[Poly]

Originally Posted by duggie12

... I came across this post on another site aimed at fribs and sibs. I thought I was interesting and wondered if you or anyone else had a view :

*have learned a whole new approach to anchoring on a fishing kayak.*
Firstly, the anchor warp we use is 2 - 3mm dia so the resistance to tidal force is reduced dramatically compared to 5 - 9mm used on most boats. Now when you reduce drag by using lighter warp, you can also use lighter anchors and less chain.

I don't really buy that. Most light boats at anchor lie to the wind rather than the tide, except in very low wind or very strong currents. Even if the tide is an appreciable factor on the anchor is its force not translated to a horizontal direction by the rope and cable so it really just helps the anchor set?
I suspect he isn't setting his anchor properly and is relying on it not dragging on the bottom (I'm not sure how easy it is to set an anchor on a Kayak).

The anchor warp/divers reel is then 10 mts away from the boat / kayak which means the pull on the boat is very light as there is no down force pulling on the boat which normally causes slap at the bow of the boat and a greater chance of the anchor pulling free.

I think I see what he is saying. I'm not convinced by it - or at least not with a size of bouy which is easy to store on a SIB. And beware 10m is far enough that another boar might not realise you are tied to that bouy and try to pass between it and you!

Don't get too carried away with what larger ribs and other boats do out there and be prepared to try lighter gear which also means lighter gear to store aboard'

Or don't get too obsessed with what Kayak fishermen do - because they rarely are fishing in horrible conditions, and aren't using an anchor as a safety device but rather as a brake to keep them in place!