Oversized Anchor for Long Term Anchoring

[hpeer]

When I go to consignment shops I see all kinds of big old cheap anchors. For a small boat, such as the OP has, one or two or three of these would do fine. IF Ahe was looking for a mooring.

[Zach]

Town Creek is puffy mud bottom. It isn't so much that you are anchoring for you, but for who ever comes up and gets snagged up on you when they drag down everybody on the row. Don't be first row to the oyster rock.

In puffy mud you don't want a plow anchor, they don't hold well in what amounts to wheel bearing grease. Danforths do the best, because they have surface area.

After every hurricane or decent blow out of the south, there are a few boats that end up on the north east shore. We get wind out of the south if a hurricane eye passes west of us. You are pretty well protected against everything but that.

The trouble with Beaufort and hurricanes, is that we have the Labrador current coming south that hits at Hatteras and if the storm comes in East of Wilmington but West of Cape Lookout then it makes for some local area effects for the storm system. GPS track of the eye looks like a drunk seagull flying around.

The eye comes over, and they can go east of cape lookout, hit the labrador current cool off, hit the hot water in the pamlico sound and come back south, and run us down a second time... The eye likes to come in the inlet and take a look around, even if it passed us earlier. End up with a 35-45mph advancing storm with hurricane force wind that decides not to leave for 12-14 hours.

If I wanted to "keep" a boat anchored there, I would go over to Barbours marine supply and buy a 70 to 110lb super hooker danforth so that it is big enough that once set, the anchor doesn't care if you are pulling it the wrong direction. Stalk isn't going to bend for your boat, and you aren't going to trip it unless somebody drags down on you, and with any luck that'll be in a few months and it'll be sunk in 10 feet by then.

The last time I was looking, Barbours didn't stock Crosby shackles. Go over to Ace Hardware in Morehead and get a couple crosby shackles, and pony up for as big of an American made swivel, or none at all, as you dare.

Put a shot of 3/8 chain to get to the waterline plus 10 feet or so, and a polyball fender to use as a float, so that you get a few years worth of use before corrosion is an issue. Keep a spare dinghy so nobody else ties off on it if you go day sailing.

Your bow cleat probably can't take a 50 knot blow and a boat snagged beside you, but if you put a 12 inch stainless Seadog cleat on, and put in a 2x2 foot 3/4 plywood backer, with 1/4 aluminum under that it will. The catch 22 about anchoring small boats is the size line that they accept doesn't give much room for chafe. The second you can make a 3/4 poly-dacron or nylon pendant fit, the world pretty much has to end for an 8,000lb boat to chafe through it.

[bruc]

Originally Posted by Scotty Kiwi

Have seen it done. Dunno how you carry them from the wreckers to the right spot in the harbour though, without truck, and barge, and crane? Heavier expense.

Scotti you're right, it would be a expensive that way. What I witnessed: junk yard craned motor into pickup bed. Drive to beach and five guys offload directly onto large inner-tube with plywood deck on top, and some pvc pipes underneath. Inner tube with motor atop rolled into water and slowly dinghyed to desired location and sunk. Personally, I think one sunken engine would be sufficient.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Guys, concrete doesn't "weigh" much when it's in the water, since a huge percentage of it IS water. So unless you use a piece of it the size of the QE II, it does not a good mooring make.

[goincruisin]

We have a 20' open motorboat (dinghy) we use as our launch. We used an 80 lb CQR (in good condition) as a mooring - which was well set in semi-hard mud. During one of our frequent gales the boat took the anchor for a walk and would up on shore. Scope at the time (high tide) was about 7-1.

So cheap anchors are what the adjective implies.

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by goincruisin

We have a 20' open motorboat (dinghy) we use as our launch. We used an 80 lb CQR (in good condition) as a mooring - which was well set in semi-hard mud. During one of our frequent gales the boat took the anchor for a walk and would up on shore. Scope at the time (high tide) was about 7-1.

So cheap anchors are what the adjective implies.

Interesting story. Especially since CQR was once the go to cruisers anchor. I've replaced mine.

Frankly I was thinking more of a Danforth, say about 50 lb.

[Dymaxion]

Originally Posted by bruc

Scotti you're right, it would be a expensive that way. What I witnessed: junk yard craned motor into pickup bed. Drive to beach and five guys offload directly onto large inner-tube with plywood deck on top, and some pvc pipes underneath. Inner tube with motor atop rolled into water and slowly dinghyed to desired location and sunk. Personally, I think one sunken engine would be sufficient.

In the land of annually frozen water we tow out a stripped V8 block on a sled behind a snowmobile, heavy chain looped through two cylinders, lighter chain etc up. Then you place bets on what day in the spring the ice weakens enough for the block to drop through. Simple amusement for simple folk...

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Dymaxion

In the land of annually frozen water we tow out a stripped V8 block on a sled behind a snowmobile, heavy chain looped through two cylinders, lighter chain etc up. Then you place bets on what day in the spring the ice weakens enough for the block to drop through. Simple amusement for simple folk...

When I was a kid and we would see someone dragging. The standard quip was, " I what type of engine block they used. ".

[bruc]

Originally Posted by Dymaxion

In the land of annually frozen water we tow out a stripped V8 block on a sled behind a snowmobile, heavy chain looped through two cylinders, lighter chain etc up. Then you place bets on what day in the spring the ice weakens enough for the block to drop through. Simple amusement for simple folk...

HA! That's hilarious. I see you icicles know how to have fun in the winter. Good work. Ciao