I have a 272 O'Day and the water in the lake is dropping to the point I have to move away from my dock. The lake officials are allowing boat owners to anchor their boats in front of their homes as long as the boat is lighted. I would like to double anchor the boat to restrict the movement, but I am lost! Is this possible? This will be my first time to anchor a boat out in the water. I would still like to tie onto my dock as a safety? Also, what is the best way to light the boat without draining the batteries. I can run a 120 volt line to the boat or keep a battery on the dock and run a line to the boat. I do need help! This is for a 45 day temporary anchoring according to the officials.
Double Anchoring a 27' Sailboat
- Thread starter RicVen43
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Hello RicVen43,
Wow! The water must be really shallow if a 272 needs to be moved.
Anchoring for an extended period of time requires checking the boat regularly, but that should be easy if the boat is in front of your home. Setting heavy anchors at a wide angle off the bow should hold the boat in a lake situation. A heavy mooring anchor would be a better choice, but involves cost and installation. In each case the bow should face the prevailing winds.
A 12 V temporary (day off/ night on) anchor light would use very little current and could be checked easily. Your boat's mast top anchor light would need to be turned on each evening and off each morning as though you were aboard the boat in a normal anchoring situation. The 120 V line to the boat from the dock is a BAD idea!
Best Wishes, Phil
Wow! The water must be really shallow if a 272 needs to be moved.
Anchoring for an extended period of time requires checking the boat regularly, but that should be easy if the boat is in front of your home. Setting heavy anchors at a wide angle off the bow should hold the boat in a lake situation. A heavy mooring anchor would be a better choice, but involves cost and installation. In each case the bow should face the prevailing winds.
A 12 V temporary (day off/ night on) anchor light would use very little current and could be checked easily. Your boat's mast top anchor light would need to be turned on each evening and off each morning as though you were aboard the boat in a normal anchoring situation. The 120 V line to the boat from the dock is a BAD idea!
Best Wishes, Phil
I have docks on each side of me that I could still tie off to in addition to the anchor. I am trying to limit the drift while keeping the boat afloat. Is this a good idea?
Could I anchor off the stern as well as the bow????
Could I anchor off the stern as well as the bow????
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I feel that is a very bad idea. High winds from the side can put a big load on ever thing. I found out the hard way.....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/MacgregorTrips-3-Powell09/09-10-9-Powell-09.html
If you have good anchors, we do then use a ...
... Bahamian moor if you want the boat to stay in the same place without swinging in an arc...
http://cruising.coastalboating.net/Seamanship/Anchoring/Two_Anchors/index.html
If you could come off of two docks with the lines only to the bow it would be similar but there again in a wind from the right direction the boat can be trapped against one of the lines if it is pulled taught above the waterline and put a large force on it.
If you don't have good anchors maybe now is the time to upgrade
.On the lighting put on a 2 watt LED light...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/outside-23.html
... and if you need to keep the batteries up still you could put on a 40 watt panel and a small charger for under $100....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/outside-22.html
Good luck,
Sum
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Approximately 50 feet. I have my dock as well a dock approx. 120 feet on my right and a dock approx. 90 feet on my left. I appears all three floating docks will be sitting on the bottom with no water for 3 - 5 feet. The water will be back up in January.
I believe tying off to the docks with any room between the boats and the docks would be considered a hindrance to navigation if say a Bass Boat wanted to fish in the shallows around the docks. I'd hate to pay for a new 200HP motor if someone wrapped your chain around their prop in this case.
The dual anchors from the bow seems like a good idea to me. Good luck with this!
The dual anchors from the bow seems like a good idea to me. Good luck with this!
Ric;
I am not sure which lake in South Carolina but will assume it is near Columbia, S.C.
I would advise against running any electrical 110 line over the water if the boat is docked out. If at a dock, that of course is ok. On most inland lakes, bass fishermen and other power boats look straight and not up. I would place a 260 degree rechargalbe light of some sorts attached to the boom.
If anchoring out in a lake, if you are not sure of the bottom whether there are rocks, stumps and so on, a good heavy Danforth that is heavier than what is called for the boat, remember for very foot of depth, there should be seven feet of line out. Make sure you dig that anchor in. One thing when I set out boats on the hook during hurricanes in the Pamlico, I used two anchors one thrown to the east and the other thrown to the south. MAKE SURE YOU USE CHAFE GEAR FOR THE LINE OR LINES COMING ACROSS THE EDGE OF THE BOATS. If you are not sure of the bottom, I use to tie a small line to the bottom of the anchor and tied off to a floater in the event it was caught on a stump for example and could pull on it pulling out backwards.
Hope this helps
I am not sure which lake in South Carolina but will assume it is near Columbia, S.C.
I would advise against running any electrical 110 line over the water if the boat is docked out. If at a dock, that of course is ok. On most inland lakes, bass fishermen and other power boats look straight and not up. I would place a 260 degree rechargalbe light of some sorts attached to the boom.
If anchoring out in a lake, if you are not sure of the bottom whether there are rocks, stumps and so on, a good heavy Danforth that is heavier than what is called for the boat, remember for very foot of depth, there should be seven feet of line out. Make sure you dig that anchor in. One thing when I set out boats on the hook during hurricanes in the Pamlico, I used two anchors one thrown to the east and the other thrown to the south. MAKE SURE YOU USE CHAFE GEAR FOR THE LINE OR LINES COMING ACROSS THE EDGE OF THE BOATS. If you are not sure of the bottom, I use to tie a small line to the bottom of the anchor and tied off to a floater in the event it was caught on a stump for example and could pull on it pulling out backwards.
Hope this helps
A different approach......
If your boat will only be 50 feet off your dock, here is possibly a different approach. Mount a yard light on your dock. Probably you would need to construct a pole on your dock so that the light is well off the surface of the water. I have a yard light mounted on my garage that lights up far past 100 feet and it was not that expensive. If you do it right, it would be safe. (safer than trying to run an electric line out to your boat anyway) Also, it might come in handy when your boat is back on the dock. You could have a switch inside your house. Check your local covenants, etc. to see if this is allowed. If this becomes a reality, it would also make lines to your docks safer. Put reflecting tape on floats at 5 ft intervals.... the lines would be clearly seen to any boaters. Here in Pacific northwest, I've seen lot's of boats with a couple of lines from the stern to land and one well set anchor 180 degrees opposite from the front.
Other alternatives: You could still put solar lights on your boat. (I'd put 5 or 6 hanging fore and aft) Or you could get a good led anchor light and a good solar charger.
If your boat will only be 50 feet off your dock, here is possibly a different approach. Mount a yard light on your dock. Probably you would need to construct a pole on your dock so that the light is well off the surface of the water. I have a yard light mounted on my garage that lights up far past 100 feet and it was not that expensive. If you do it right, it would be safe. (safer than trying to run an electric line out to your boat anyway) Also, it might come in handy when your boat is back on the dock. You could have a switch inside your house. Check your local covenants, etc. to see if this is allowed. If this becomes a reality, it would also make lines to your docks safer. Put reflecting tape on floats at 5 ft intervals.... the lines would be clearly seen to any boaters. Here in Pacific northwest, I've seen lot's of boats with a couple of lines from the stern to land and one well set anchor 180 degrees opposite from the front.
Other alternatives: You could still put solar lights on your boat. (I'd put 5 or 6 hanging fore and aft) Or you could get a good led anchor light and a good solar charger.
Since you (admittedly) have absolutely no experience anchoring, I would suggest you haul the boat for the winter. There are so many things that could go wrong, chafe not being the least of them, that if you like this boat and want to keep her; haul her out!
The only other thing which I could suggest is to hire a professional captain to help you anchor the boat, but after that, you will still have to keep a close watch that things do not go wrong.
Do not even consider a Bahamian moor; it can twist the anchor lines up like a braid and eventually break one or both anchors free, if they don't chafe through underwater first.
The only other thing which I could suggest is to hire a professional captain to help you anchor the boat, but after that, you will still have to keep a close watch that things do not go wrong.
Do not even consider a Bahamian moor; it can twist the anchor lines up like a braid and eventually break one or both anchors free, if they don't chafe through underwater first.
I agree that the lines can twist with wind changes but it doesn't look like he has current changes like with tidal currents so that would help. If a person is going to anchor a boat (not to a ball) and has to limit the swing I'd still do the Bahamian moor and not run a bow and a stern anchor. But it would have to be checked and the lines un-twisted as needed.
Also if you are going to anchor the boat in a limited area where you can't let it swing on a single anchor it is not 'a do it and forget it situation' so there is no easy non-maintenace way to anchor. Even on a single good anchor with chain I'd want to check the boat every few days.
You also have a good point that if they don't have experience anchoring then this might not be the best option,
Sum
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How much will you use it over next several months?
for 45 days I think solar lights and 3 strand line w/ chain will be ok,
but anything longer, like over the Winter, I'd do a huge weight or screwed in type of mooring with chain..
or just pull it for the winter. and not worry about it.
for 45 days I think solar lights and 3 strand line w/ chain will be ok,
but anything longer, like over the Winter, I'd do a huge weight or screwed in type of mooring with chain..
or just pull it for the winter. and not worry about it.
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