anchoring techniques

[codprawn]

I have man handled more than my fair share of anchors over the years but never on a RIB until I did my powerboat level 2. It is pretty easy when you have a proper bow roller to haul over but when you don't want to mark the tubes of an inflatable it's not so easy.

For good holding you have got to have a fair bit of chain as well as rope. What I was wondering is if it would be ok to anchor without using the chain unless it's really needed. The chain could sit in a locker and be shackled onto the rope if the conditions get bad.

I think most people tend to anchor on nice calm days and hefty ground tackle isn't needed 90% of the time.

[The Jackeens]

We use a chain always. Keeps things where they should be!

Helpful to be prepared in emergencies I guess.

Probably recommended rather than compulsory but interested in everyone else's opinion.

missus

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by codprawn

... to anchor on nice calm days and hefty ground tackle isn't needed 90% of the time.

Agreed but it's all chain for me if I'm leaving it. It's very reassuring when you hear the wind getting up during the night.

[Richard B]

Depends on lots of variables!

Dave Mallett is your man for describing anchoring techniques. He's done some good posts here and/or a good article in RIB International.

I like having a short (~5m) bit of chain on the anchor at all times. I've been caught out on a calm day without the chain attached, you really do want to be prepared, as holding your position and attaching chain to shackles whilst bobbing around is not ideal. I do use a very small anchor for the boat size (for short stops aboard), so I really need the chain to keep it in place.

A couple of tips - keep an old towel handy for laying chain on the deck so it doesn't mark. This can be useful for padding where the warp goes over the tube if you need it. Also, you might like to consider tying off your bow painter to the anchor warp so that your D-ring takes the load, and the warp coming over the bow has no tension on it until you recover the anchor.

Wayne Rodgers has a handy strip of stainless steel in his rubber bow fairlead which helps lifting the anchor warp and chain without damaging the tubes.

We had a spectacular and amusing demo of a RIB anchored with rope only, back in September. In the wind-over tide, it was dragged one way, then blown the other, and did a complete circle of us. Or did we do a complete circle of the other RIB?

[boatster_sr4]

I thought chain was a manditory requirement for anchors to set properly. The chain is supposed to bring any tugging force from the boat horizontally across the seabed therefore allowing the anchor to snag. If the force had alot of vertical component the anchor would more likely lift out. I have ten feet of chain permanently attached to my anchor and then 125' of line. I haven't had any problems dragging anchor yet.

I don't know why you'd want an option of constantly attaching and dettaching chain to your anchor line. I think in this case simpler is better. And the peace of mind everytime outweighs any possible inconvenience.

I also always back up the boat and tug line to make sure its set. And probably lay 4-1 line vs depth. Something like that.

[codprawn]

On any boat other than a RIB I would never do without the chain. I plan on carrying 2 anchors - a danforth 18lb and a fisherman anchor of similar size.

What I was thinking of was relying on one of these hefty anchors for calm weather and chucking on 30' of heavy chain when the conditions arise.

I just don't fancy dragging 30' of chain over my bow!!! I also have a lot of hefty rope to go with it - 400 feet to be exact.

Anyone tried the alderney ring method or similar?

[Richard B]

Are you planning on doing some extreme anchoring or are you really taking the rise?

Danforths are great anchors, but they have two really nasty characteristics - Firstly, in ground where they hold well (mud or sand) they are real pigs to retrieve! And tripping lines won't help. Secondly, as they are two part anchors, it's very easy to get your fingers caught between the two parts. Ouch. Done that, used the swear words! So, would you like to buy my 12lb stainless steel danforth?

Fishermans anchor - never seen one used on a RIB! Don't know why you would ever use one. A folding grapnel would be more versatile and easier to stow.

Having 2x 18lb anchors and 30' heavy chain is a real lot of weight. And you will know about it when you're recovering that. All that gear will take up a lot of space and be difficult to get in and out of hatches. Make life easier for yourself, and use the lightest tackle you can get away with, unless you're planning on doing deep sea anchoring, or leaving the boat unattended, or anchoring in foul weather.

I have a 7.5kg (16.5lb) Bruce which I've never used. It now lives in the garage. Good, simple anchors. However, If anyone wants to swop it for a 5.5kg bruce, I would be very pleased to speak to them! I've never used it because it's so difficult to get out of the locker, depoy and recover. I would only use it for anchoring overnight, which I don't plan to do.

I use the folding grapnel on its short length of chain as it's much easier to use. Holds OK on most sea beds when helped by the chain. Easy to recover. Easy to stow.

Good luck practising the "Alderney Ring Method". Could be useful if you want to anchor in deep water often. But if you're out with a group, expect them to have recovered their boats onto their trailers and off to the pub by the time you've retrieved your anchor... KISS!

[Milan]

get a roller fittted to the transom then move the rope down the side of the rib to that and haul it in no problem somthing like this

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by Richard B

I use the folding grapnel on its short length of chain as it's much easier to use. Holds OK on most sea beds when helped by the chain. Easy to recover. Easy to stow.

I'm with Richard on this one.

I'd sooner use a 5Kg grapnel with 10m of chain than a bigger anchor and no chain. The chain doesn't need to be massively heavy as its main purpose is to ensure that the pull on the anchor is horizontal not vertical.

John

[Andy Moore]

You can anchor with only rope. You would need to let out a lot more scope though. (i.e. 5 x depth).

[Andy Gee]

Originally Posted by codprawn

On any boat other than a RIB I would never do without the chain. I plan on carrying 2 anchors - a danforth 18lb and a fisherman anchor of similar size.

What I was thinking of was relying on one of these hefty anchors for calm weather and chucking on 30' of heavy chain when the conditions arise.

I just don't fancy dragging 30' of chain over my bow!!! I also have a lot of hefty rope to go with it - 400 feet to be exact.

Anyone tried the alderney ring method or similar?

I used to anchor the Redbay with a small 5kg bruce with about 5m chain on it for short periods and use the large 15kg plough with 15m of chain for over nighters. The wee anchor would hold her in upto a F3-4 and only twice have I put both anchors out for overnighting.
I was always taught that the chain does all the work so the more the better, also found an "Angel" to be very good.
The Alderney ring work very well and I have used it to lift over 120m of rope no problem.
I know a guy that uses over 1000ft of rope to anchor his rib when fishing in the North Channel , however I only ever carry about 300ft.....better looking at it than for it!!
Andy

[Hugh Jardon]

how about still using chain but use a shorter length so you still get some horizontal pull but not the extreme weight of a decent amount of chain. not using any chain might be a bit risky or problematic at some stage

[Andy Gee]

Originally Posted by Hugh Jardon

how about still using chain but use a shorter length so you still get some horizontal pull but not the extreme weight of a decent amount of chain. not using any chain might be a bit risky or problematic at some stage

The idea of the chain is take the "snatch" out of the boat movement to allow the anchor to remain on the bottom. It would really depend on the sea conditions but why skimp on what you may need to use in a dirty day to prevent your boat heading up the rocks
Andy

[DGR]

I carry more than one anchor - I've got 3.

The 10kg Bruce (main anchor for coding), the 10m of 8mm chain (I think) and 30m of 12mm rope is soooo bloody heavy, it is a real pain in the arse. It's rigged ready to go, and was used once, but for for the last 18 months, has been doing sterling service as ballast in the anchor locker.

The 6kg Grapnel (secondary anchor or kedge for coding), the 10m of 6mm chain and the 30m of 10mm rope is still heavy but easier to handle than No 1 above. I use it if there is a swell or stiff breeze.

But, when I got my tender, I got a free 3.5kg grapnel, 30m of 8mm rope, and had some 5mm chain lying around. It's fantastic, has held whenever I've used it (in light conditions) - and it is easy to recover.

HOWEVER - I don't leave the RIB on the anchor unattended - would rather pick up a mooring. If I was leaving it anywhere, I'd use the big one, and put up with the back breaking haul the next morning.

Oh, and I always tie it through the painter so the D-ring takes the strain, and so that the tube doesn't get rubbing damage.



D...

[The Garfish]

Originally Posted by Richard B

This can be useful for padding where the warp goes over the tube if you need it

dats fkin gud addvise.

s.p. wy av yorr toobs gott worp chayfe onn dem

gArf

[wavelength]

We had to mayday relay a rib last month who was being pounded in the surf on a bank with a flooding tide out in Morecambe Bay. If he had anchored quickly he would have saved a lot of damage to the boat, not to mention a few cracked ribs and a lot of bruising. For this reason I would never run without an anchor/warp/chain ready to deploy if the unexpected happens.
To save chafe on the tubes- anchor up and then tie your painter from the bow eye into the anchor warp. Let out some more warp and bingo-you are anchored by the bow eye with no pressure on the warp that comes over the tube-this is now your "lazy line" which you can use to bring the main anchor warp back to hand when it is time to leave.
As for the Alderney ring technique I have used it in the past on our fishing boats but it is a technique with the potential to bite you big style. No matter how good at it you may be it only needs one mistake and the anchor warp is around the engine leg and you could be anchored by the stern in a strong tide-there are various known instances of this happening and the potential is there to lose your boat(and your life!). So dangerous can it be that my instructors in the national assn of boat angling clubs flatly refused to teach it!

[jellis]

I have a combined anchor roller and cleat on the bow and then keep the anchor, chain and rope in a plastic storwage box.

I use a lightweight Fortress FX7 anchor, 30 feet of chain, 150 feet of anchor rope.

It's Danforh style, but about half the weight

Experience so far is it seems to hold well and not too bad to handle

ATB

Jon

[codprawn]

Loads of good advice there!!!

On a normal boat I would go for a Bruce with loads of rope and chain but on a RIB it is limited.

An anchor is probably THE most important safety device there is which is why I want to carry hefty stuff - even if you never use it you need to have it as a last resort.

For day to day stuff probably a folding grapnel will be the best - obviously only on calm days and never if I am leaving the boat!!!

A lot of people probably don't realise that the weight of an anchor doesn't make any difference - it is down to the surface area of the flukes. This is why a Fortress always does so well in the tests - a 7kg fortress is probably 2x the size of a 7kg Danforth.

The Fortress is probably the ultimate for a RIB but there is no way I would spend that sort of money on something you may have to leave on the seabed!!!

I will also be carrying a Sea Anchor - ended up buying the biggest size they had designed for 45' yachts - it was only a little more expensive and still rolls up small.

[The Jackeens]

Originally Posted by codprawn

I will also be carrying a Sea Anchor

Anyone use these on a RIB ? How effective are they?

missus

[Scary Des]

Originally Posted by The Jackeens

Anyone use these on a RIB ? How effective are they?

missus

Yep very effective at keeping you head to wind, but don’t forget the tripping rope cos they’ve got quite a pull
Did try a 1ton dumpy sack but it was a pig to handle and control. Now have a little something from Compass Des