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Anchor or chunk of railroad track?

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Chuck 21SLX

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Is there a science (or art) to choosing an anchor or can I just tie a rope to a 15 lb. chunk of iron and toss it overboard?
 
That will work just fine. As long as there's no current. Or wind.

But if there's any wind or current, it'll just drag across the bottom of your lake. Anchors aren't just dead weight. They are also designed to bite into the bottom of the lake. You want one that is designed to work with whatever lake bottom you have.
 
So, how do I choose? I'll spend most of my time on lakes created by flooding hilly farmland... don't really know what's down there.
 
Its all a matter of preference. Like Kay said they're designed to grab the bottom regardless of what's down there......

A lot of members love the "Box" anchor. Google it and you can see a video of how it works.

Some members have regular "fluke" anchors.

I have had a Digger anchor for 10 yrs. now and have been very happy with it.

I'm sure other members will throw their 2 cents there. Just do a little research and you'll figure out what's best for your boating condition......
 
I have the box anchor and love it. I am not good at setting a fluke anchor, with the box you just throw it out and its done
 
The advantage to the box anchor is it needs much less rode to work. Most anchors need 4 to 1 to work properly. 40 feet deep needs 160 feet of rope to work correctly. Now your anchored boat can swing in a 320 ft circle. Nobody puts that much line out. We see boats anchored with the line hanging straight down and they cannot figure out why they are drifting. In Cumberland, most people anchor in coves or fingers off the channels. There might be 5/6 boats in a cove and it starts to get tight. With the box, i can anchor in 40 feet and I will put out about 60 ft of line and it will normally hold. If I want to stop the swinging, I throw the baby off the back and we are great.
 
Wow! Didn't realize the Fortress was that much........
 
I think I got mine on sale at west marine for about $120
 
Yianni said:
I cried when I had to cut the rope on mine. It was hopelessly caught in the top of an underwater tree.
After an hour of trying to get it free, the knife came out.
Click to expand...

With my Digger anchor.......I don't have to use a chain and if I get stuck or caught on something or just want to retrieve the anchor to leave........I pull the line until I'm directly over the anchor and give it a good tug. The flukes release and it comes right up. Very simple.
 
I had a fluke anchor but had trouble setting it, but I did not have a chain attached to it, which I understand is recommended, so that may have been the problem. Looking forward to trying the small box anchor I received for Christmas. That video showing how it works is pretty impressive, and I don't need to get a chain for it. A simple rope is supposed to work fine with it.
 
Somebody (Keithz?) was having problems with his box and talked to the company. He was using the wrong type of rope. Search back and you can find the thread.
 
Chuck 21SLX said:
What weight is good for a pontoon?
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I have a GCW 28' tri-toon and use the FX-7 (4 lbs) with just rope. Works like a charm and is obviously very light.
 
richter-anchor-5-prongs.jpg
I've had really good luck with the Richter anchors. They hold very well and are fairly compact for storage. Not exactly cheap but quite a bit cheaper than the box anchor or Fortress. I've used the 18lb on a 23' pontoon in a variety of different conditions and it's been great.
 
Renegade34 said:
View attachment 21504
I've had really good luck with the Richter anchors. They hold very well and are fairly compact for storage. Not exactly cheap but quite a bit cheaper than the box anchor or Fortress. I've used the 18lb on a 23' pontoon in a variety of different conditions and it's been great.
Click to expand...
I like this! Am I correct in presuming that this type would not require a chain? And how much line?
 
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