tips on mooring off of shore

[MattFX4]

Looking for tips and ideas on mooring your boat several feet off the shore. I was at the lake today visiting some friends at their camp site and attempted to anchor the boat in thigh deep water but had no luck. It was windy, probably 15-20 mph winds with chop. I tried to set two Danforth style anchors but it was very sandy bottom, and they would not hold. I will not beach the boat, and do not mind wading out to waste deep water to get to the boat. I started thinking about this and initially thought something very heavy would work. Well that's not practical because of carrying the weight on the boat. Well then I thought about beach umbrellas, and how they have spikes that screw in to the ground. I found an auger style anchor called the Sand Shark that screws in to the ground, but it is pricey. Anyone here have any other tips, or have experience with the Sand Shark? I found a youtube video of the Sand Shark and it seemed to be holding the boat pretty well.

http://sandsharkanchor.com/shop/boat sand anchor?gclid=CPjCtOv42swCFQiJaQodUNMO0w

 

[jawsf16]

Shore Spike by slide anchor is the way to go. One anchor out and a shore spike in. Consider adding a bungee anchor line too like the anchor buddy.

 

[robert843]

Box anchor is great the anchor buddy is nice as well it reduces the pull on the anchor

 

[Mainah]

@MattFX4 - not sure about the sand shark. You may also want to check out the anchor buddy whichever way you go. Helps relive sudden strain on the anchor line and works well when also using a slide spike for a shore anchor so you can pull the boat back to you. There are other anchors out there that hold well in sand. I think a mushroom style anchor is meant for sand.

 

[MattFX4]

Yeah I have seen those. Honestly though what I am looking for is a secure point to connect the boat to so it doesn't drift off. I don't mind it if spins or sways side to side, I just want to make sure it stays off shore in deep enough water to avoid hitting ground. I will probably explore an auger style device that will screw 3-4' in to the ground that I can attach the boat to.

 

[KyleWade14]

My cousin uses those screw in anchors that you use to stake your dogs out in the yard with a bouy on the end to mark it like a PWC anchor. One on each end of the boat. It holds very well. He gave me a couple extra he had last summer that I rigged up over the winter. Haven't had a chance to use them yet.

 

[MattFX4]

My cousin uses those screw in anchors that you use to stake your dogs out in the yard with a bouy on the end to mark it like a PWC anchor. One on each end of the boat. It holds very well. He gave me a couple extra he had last summer that I rigged up over the winter. Haven't had a chance to use them yet.

Exactly what I was thinking of.

 

[GiddYupJoe]

For the shallow sandy bottom I opted to make one my self...

https://jetboaters.net/threads/d-i-y-auger-anchor.4290/

 

[bronze_10]

I found last year I had the same problems anchoring.. we bought a second anchor and would use both at the front of the boat some times but it would still slowly work it's way inland. So over rhe winter I bought a box anchor.. the size chart said for my size boat I need a small... screw that I bought the medium. My boat no move no mo! Now it is a little heavy and you have to be carful with it dropping it over the side and not hitting the boat but once that sucker is in the water I have had no more issues with the boat moving at all! Even with other boats tied to me. The other down side is my wife can't handle it... it have to do it myself..

 

[Brent Gaidosh]

Sand Shark Ultimate - it is very pricey but works like a charm at our sand bar!

 

[Gym]

@MattFX4. How much chain do you have on your anchor line? You need enough to keep the anchor laying flat on the bottom so it will bite in. You also need enough scope (length of line payed out) which will depend on water depth, wind condo tins and bottom conditions. After throwing the anchor out do you go in reverse to set the anchor?

The Danforth is a good all around anchor. Are the flukes on your anchor real loose. If not they won't dig in very easily. I had to throw out the one that came with my boat as the flukes were very stiff and wouldn't bite in.

The screw in anchor you are considering would not be a good choice for several reasons. The boat would have a lot of leverage in pulling that anchor out of a sandy bottom, especially in windy and choppy conditions. That anchor would also be much more difficult to store on your boat, setting it usually requires getting wet and you run some risk of injuring your passengers or vinyl seats while handling a 5 foot anchor on a pitching deck. The box anchor is an option but storing and deploying are also issues. I would consider a properly working, properly set up Danforth as the best all around choice as far as ease of deployment, effecacy and storage with the box anchor as a good second choice or back up anchor.

 

[2nazt]

I need to get a second anchor, chain, and line for my boat as well. I don't like to beach the boat either but I've had good luck with sandy bottoms and setting my anchor from the front and then using this other thing called a sand docker we received with our jet ski out to the beach. Looks like a footprint with an aluminum tube you put a line on and stand into the ground. I also want the anchor buddy as well.

 

[96Pirate]

I 2nd the box anchor. I have had no issues setting the box anchor in water and tying the stern off to a mushroom anchor on land or a rope to a tree. Boat has never drifted closer to land then when I set it. But you still need to let out some line for the proper leverage. The box anchor is a pain to use so I use my mushroom anchor mostly off of land. I keep the box anchor in the ski locker right now but would like to rig up a bracket to store it in the anchor locker someday.

 

[Chillypilot]

Last year I purchased a Fortress FX-7. It's a great danforth style. However, even the best anchor won't work if you don't set it up properly. I agree with @Gym a danforth anchor works well in the sand but it needs 5 ft of chain and enough scope or it won't set.

 

[Julian]

@Gym is right on! You need chain and plenty of scope to set an anchor well. I moved to a box anchor and love it! It is one of the items I didn't throw in with the sale of my boat. For the situation you describe, an Anchor Buddy would work well - I've never used one, but have considered them in the past.

 

[Gym]

I do use the large Anchor Buddy but it won't help @MattFX4's issue with setting the anchor. What it's great for, especially if you have to contend with tides, is allowing you to tether the stern to shore with a 20 foot line and pull the boat to shore to on/off load people and gear. When you release the stern line the Anchor Buddy pulls your boat back into deeper water.

 

[Bruce]

I was looking to replace my Danforth anchor until I bought an elastic anchor buddy. I found that the anchor buddy takes the snap out of the line and allows the Danforth anchor to hold in conditions where it previously would have pulled out. My box anchor sits in the garage. Our Danforth anchor has 5' of 3/8" chain directly attached to it then the anchor buddy and a 3/8" anchor rope attached to the chain. It holds well on muddy, sandy and rocky bottoms.

Our standard procedure is to throw the anchor off the bow when backing toward the shore then when we get to knee deep water I jump off the back with a 100' anchor rope which I either tie to a tree or a river anchor that I keep under a rear seat. After everyone unloads I loosen the stern rope and allow the boat to float back into deeper water. When we want something from the boat we pull her back to us.

 

[Matt Phillips]

My dad used danforth style anchors as a kid and they were always a pain to set and pray they will set, you need to worry about chain length, and setting enough rode (line) to make sure that chain doesn't raise in the waves....

For this boat I went with a box anchor. Throw it over and it sets every time (especially in sand). Scope length is about twice the water depth. When I set that anchor, I have confidence it'll stay set.

For the shore, I've used a shore spike for the past couPle of summers. It works great. When anchoring, I drop the Bo's anchor away from shore, then back into shore to a water depth that I'm comfortable with, then hop out and drive the shore spike in the shore. Run line to the shore spike, and the boat won't move all day.

 

[jawsf16]

My dad used danforth style anchors as a kid and they were always a pain to set and pray they will set, you need to worry about chain length, and setting enough rode (line) to make sure that chain doesn't raise in the waves....

For this boat I went with a box anchor. Throw it over and it sets every time (especially in sand). Scope length is about twice the water depth. When I set that anchor, I have confidence it'll stay set.

For the shore, I've used a shore spike for the past couPle of summers. It works great. When anchoring, I drop the Bo's anchor away from shore, then back into shore to a water depth that I'm comfortable with, then hop out and drive the shore spike in the shore. Run line to the shore spike, and the boat won't move all day.

Couldn't agree more. This is my procedure exactly with a box anchor and shore spike.

 

[Bruce]

I highly recommend trying an anchor buddy and a little chain before switching to a heavy box anchor. The only time my Danforth + 5 feet of chain + anchor combination has not held is when we were trying to anchor at the Sapona in the open ocean in perhaps 25 mph wind last year.