Sea Anchors, most complicated simple thing ever

[Russian007]

So I got a 53" Sea Anchor. I wanted it because in event of a mechanical failure in rough water-- getting bombed across my beam, It would be impossible to fix anything. So, engine stops, I'm getting slammed, how would I use the sea anchor to reduce rolling and getting trashed in my 30 ft motor sailer? It's hard doing engine work in the slip let alone nasty weather.


I've seen a lot of posts here on Sea Anchors but seems to be too many conflicting opinions. Tried Youtube but all the guys are from florida trying to make fishing easier in their Center Consoles.

[Tupaia]

That is a supermassive sea anchor for a 30ft boat. A typical size for a 30ft boat would be 12ft. Handling the sheer volume of a 53ft sea anchor would be pretty daunting.

[HeinSdL]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

That is a supermassive sea anchor for a 30ft boat. A typical size for a 30ft boat would be 12ft. Handling the sheer volume of a 53ft sea anchor would be pretty daunting.

I think he said 53 inches?

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by HeinSdL

I think he said 53 inches?

My mistake. 53inches is the other extreme more akin to a drogue. Is this a parachute or a conical drogue? Either way rigging it with a bridle to bow and a midships cleat would probably provide some stability to work but it is a lot to ask of something so small.

[Jim Cate]

^^^^^
It might be enough to keep the bow pointed into the wind and reduce rolling... the effect the OP seems to desire. Not enough to stop drift,but if sea room is adequate, that issn't important for engine work.

For the OP: why not give it a try under moderate conditions and see if it helps?

Jim

[Kettlewell]

I'm pretty sure that small of an anchor won't keep your bow into the wind except in light conditions. You might be able to deploy it off the stern, using a bridle, to keep the boat pointed dead downwind. Won't stop all the rolling, but will make repairs much easier. On a 32-foot cat I found an 8-foot parachute sea anchor would not hold the bow up into the wind, but it did work excellently as a drogue off the stern. The hardest part is retrieving the darn thing. It will take a lot of winching to get it in. Some people do use trip lines, but I think that is just another thing to tangle up in bad weather.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

I'm pretty sure that small of an anchor won't keep your bow into the wind except in light conditions. You might be able to deploy it off the stern, using a bridle, to keep the boat pointed dead downwind. Won't stop all the rolling, but will make repairs much easier. On a 32-foot cat I found an 8-foot parachute sea anchor would not hold the bow up into the wind, but it did work excellently as a drogue off the stern. The hardest part is retrieving the darn thing. It will take a lot of winching to get it in. Some people do use trip lines, but I think that is just another thing to tangle up in bad weather.

^^This. Try it off the stern. The boat want to go that way anyway, so a smaller anchor will work.

[Russian007]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

My mistake. 53inches is the other extreme more akin to a drogue. Is this a parachute or a conical drogue? Either way rigging it with a bridle to bow and a midships cleat would probably provide some stability to work but it is a lot to ask of something so small.

It's the recommended size from several manufacturers.

[Russian007]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

On a 32-foot cat I found an 8-foot parachute sea anchor would not hold the bow up into the wind, but it did work excellently as a drogue off the stern.

Manufacturers and users seem to use the two terms interchangeably.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by Russian007

Manufacturers and users seem to use the two terms interchangeably.

They are not interchangeable. A sea anchor is deployed from the bow, and is large enough to stop the boat. A drogue is deployed from the stern, and slows the boat when it would otherwise be surfing down the face of a swell.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by wholybee

They are not interchangeable. A sea anchor is deployed from the bow, and is large enough to stop the boat. A drogue is deployed from the stern, and slows the boat when it would otherwise be surfing down the face of a swell.

So then, what do you call a small parachute deployed on a bridle from the bow as an aid to heaving to... as recommended by the Pardeys?

They claimed (IIRC) that such would keep the bow up and take the way off, even in a fin keeled and modern boat in storm conditions.

I've never tried it, but they were pretty convinced that it would work on most any vessel.

Jim

[aqfishing]

Would highly recommend you rig it with a thinner trip line to the head of the chute. You could also attach a buoy to stop it going straight down should the wind drop. We fish with 2m (skiboat) to 18m (75ft commercial freezer vessel) chutes, and they not that complicated at all.

[merrydolphin]

Size matters! ……….. I carry a 18’ Paratech. I have used it twice, both quite successfully. I used a partial retrival line in about 4-5 meter seas. First time was an experiment. On my Tartan 37 CB. Use with board UP. Second time was due to fatigue and illness on my K Peterson 44’

Use the size charts from either Fiorno or Paratech, for their brands. Not much over 4 ‘ seems small. Too small will not work and your bow will blow off. Another error is not enough rode. It’s good to use a few # of weight/ chain to keep it sunk in breaking seas. You must have at least 10X your boat length. This is a minimum. More is better. Another mistake, never set on short scope. On a heaving boat, being short and beneath you can apply damaging forces on your boat. Either setting or retrieving. Also set it off of the WINDWARD side, preferably with a deployment bag. And if you do have a center board or dagger boards, pull them all the way up.

Your 4 footer might make for a heavy drogue, but definitely too small for a sea anchor.

I like sea anchors, but they MUST be done correctly. Most bad results and complaints come from doing it wrong.

[merrydolphin]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

^^^^^
It might be enough to keep the bow pointed into the wind and reduce rolling... the effect the OP seems to desire. Not enough to stop drift,but if sea room is adequate, that issn't important for engine work.

For the OP: why not give it a try under moderate conditions and see if it helps?

Jim

You could give it a try if you want but it is too small and will NOT keep your bow up. Better set as a drogue.

[LifePart2]

53 inches is more the size of a drogue and is way too small for a sea anchor - you will be unable to keep the bow into the wind, and you will just drift backwards rapidly.

On the other hand, as a drogue (with a bridle) it will help to keep the stern into the wind, and will slow the boat down (not stop it), which will certainly help with subduing the motion. That might be enough to allow you to work on the engine.

The Pardeys used a 9ft buord, which is a somewhat permeable canopy, arranged at an angle off the bow. This is on a very small yacht (Serafyn was 26ft and Taleisin was, IIRC, 32 feet.) It's purpose was to allow the boat to drift sideways to create a slick to windward to cut down the waves hitting the boat. They tried a 12ft one but decided for their tactic that it was too big, as they wanted the drift Even so, it is way bigger than 53 inches.

If you have not already done so, have a look at the Drag Device Database for more info on how to use sea anchors and drogues with different types of boats.

Then take your boat out in moderate conditions and try it out!