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How much anchor line do you guys carry?

8K views 42 replies 32 participants last post by  Jim Lenfest 
#1 ·
I’m curious to hear various anchoring setups for both fishing and emergency use. Generally, when anchoring on a flat, edge of a channel, or bridge, I can’t remember ever using more than about 40’ of line.

I bought 100’ and was thinking of cutting it into a 40’ piece attached to the anchor for normal situations, with the other 60’ kept to clip on in deeper water or bad conditions. The max depths I plan to run this boat in are around 30’ for the time being. The old standard of 7:1 or 8:1 anchor scope just seems absurd in most cases. I get it if you’re leaving a heavy boat unattended, but I’m not going to carry and deal with 300’ of line. At the same time, I don’t want to be foolish and unprepared for an emergency situation.
 
#8 ·
...I don’t want to be foolish and unprepared for an emergency situation.
For normal fishing conditions all you need is 5:1 scope with a bungee to keep from pulling your anchor loose or unexpectedly throwing you or your passengers on their ass oceanside. Around 25' is what I carry, and sometimes that's too short for anchoring in 12' calm water with a strong current.

You'll need a much longer rope in your boat to anchor if you find you can't get to safe harbor or shallow water in bad weather conditions, and you'll want a longer rope for towing if needed.

I suggest cutting off what you need for normal anchoring from the 100' you have, and store the rest for emergency purposes.
 
#17 ·
50' plus chain on the anchor with a spliced loop on the bitter end, plus 100' of 1/4" double-braid polyester with a clip on one end for miscellaneous unexpected stuff — extending anchor rode, towing, etc.

The 100' of poly takes up less than the volume of a shoebox and weighs maybe a pound and a half. I don't know — I just don't get running a boat — regardless of size and typical use — without a real anchor and a decent amount of good line on board.

If you lose power and the wind is pushing you into the surf, the rocks, bridge feet, or even a busy channel, a Power Pole probably isn't going to stop you. Neither is a dinky anchor with 25 feet of line. Not everywhere you operate a skiff — or at least not everywhere I operate mine — is shallower than 6'.

One night maybe 15 years ago, I was hoop-netting for lobster around the Mission Bay jetties in San Diego. I always kept the engine running, but it was an old Optimax and sometimes just spontaneously cut off. It would scare the shit out of you every time when it did that 50 miles offshore, but it almost always started right back up. This night, it didn't. For lobstering around kelp, rocks, and jetties, I always kept my anchor and rode ready to go in a milk crate loose on deck so I wouldn't have to dig for it if I needed it in a hurry. Sure enough, it saved my boat and probably at least some injuries. Got it down and set quick enough to stay off the rocks, fiddled around with main battery switch for a couple minutes, got the engine fired, and got back to pulling nets.

I guess the bottom line is I just don't see why you wouldn't have a decent anchor and 100' of line on any boat. I'm just as conscious of weight and space as the next guy, but an anchor doesn't seem optional.
 
#18 ·
I keep a small Claw anchor with 25' on the boat at all times. If I know I am going to be anchoring in the islands or anchoring bow out a certain beach or restaurant that requires you to pull your boat up on the beach bow out, then I have a 5 gallon bucket on my dock that has a 50' of line and 6' of chain, I grab that bucket and throw it on the boat.
 
#22 ·
The ground tackle you carry really depends on the conditions where you operate. If you never go into water much deeper that 4', and you're not in a situation where you could be blown into hazards if your motor quits, then a stick pin or nothing at all is probably all you need. If you venture into deeper water and an engine failure could result in disaster on the rocks, then best to have a good anchor, sufficient chain and adequate rode for the depth of water. 8 times the depth of water is the typical recommendation.

I once saw a 30' sailboat at anchor get dragged onto rocks after a nasty storm. Within 15 minutes, the biggest piece left would fit thru a basket ball hoop.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Not a great comparison.

Anchor and 100' of good 1/4" line = maybe $100 for an extra margin of safety with almost no downside (except the cost I guess)

Difference between a single-engine 21' CC and a twin-engine 23-25' CC of similar quality and age = who knows, but at least $10,000 or $20,000, which could easily make the difference between being able to afford a boat and not being able to.

Contrary to popular belief, there's nothing foolhardy about fishing offshore on a seaworthy boat with a single modern, well-maintained outboard and a bit of common sense and discretion.

Would I go 50+ off San Diego/Baja tuna fishing in a 21 with a single today? Probably not now that I have a family and a few more years on me. But I go bottom fishing and trolling a few times a year with my dad and son 35 to 60 out of Ponce in a 23' Action Craft with a single Yam 4-stroke. The weekend days it's safe to do it are few and far between, but I can tell you, it's not the possibility of losing the engine that keeps me from going the rest of the time.

It's also worth remembering that a lot of the stuff that leaves you without power offshore isn't limited to just one engine. Fuel tank/line issues, running out of fuel, hitting a log, wreck, etc., all kinds of electrical issues, steering problems, and so on and so on. I buy that in 1985 going way offshore with a single, carbed 2-stroke Johnson meant you were taking a significant risk of breaking down. But that's not the case anymore.

However, regardless of whether I did something risky 15 years ago or not, yes, I think it's hard to make a good argument against carrying an anchor and 100' of line on any boat, anywhere. Makes no difference to me if anybody else does or not, but I do.
 
#27 ·
50 feet and 10 feet of chain. I only use it for cobia fishing on deep flats or nearshore reefs. Considering I am almost never in water deeper than I could drop the powerpole in its just sort of for emergencies the majority of the time. The gulf is shallow even fairly far from shore.
 
#30 ·
No anchor, rope or chain. 8' power pole, 8' stick it pin, 24' push pole or anchor mode on my iPilot. I have considered getting the Guardian anchor package from Fortress Anchors but I just don't fish water deeper than my power pole can hold or I'm using the iPilot to hold us.
 
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