Slim Jim Android Anchor Alarm

[RECESS]

We have a drift alarm that works well, but running the Chartplotter all night does use some power. I looked to see if a reliable smart phone app had been developed that runs solely on the smartphone's GPS. I found several but the Slim Jim Anchor Alarm has the best reviews. Going to give it a try on a little cruise we are doing this week. I have a USB port on my boat that charges my cell phone all night with no noticeable battery drain.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.slimjimsoftware.anchoralert

 

[Stu Jackson]

Anchor alarms

I have always been completely puzzled by the idea of these things.

We set our anchor, check ranges, check the weather, and go below, checking often.

Then we head in and go to sleep.

Please help me understand this seemingly endless obsession with 24/7 anchor alarms.

I can understand it in unsettled weather, but then, if I can help it, I'm not gonna be in those conditions.

Perhaps we're "old school" since we've been doing this since before even Loran...

We anchor, set the hook, we check, we relax.

 

[RECESS]

Depends on where you set. There have been more than a few boats break free with damn good ground tackle in Florida waters. Usually when you get a wind change at night. The anchor gets free when the boat is suddenly pushed in the opposite direction and never resets. I have had my drift alarm go off twice. A good friend has went to sleep recently and woke up the next morning and looked out the window and panic set in because it looked nothing like when he set anchor the afternoon before. His boat had completely crossed the ICW through the night and reset on the other side.

Gunk holing down here can be fun.

 

[zeehag]

i dont use alarms for anchoring.i dump my 66 pound bruce, thankyou, ray, and i dump my 160 ft 5/16 chain and i watch for 24 hours. wind..no problem. wind shift..no problem..i am here. others drag, but i stick well.... hope that this bragging doesnt loosen my tackle from the bottom of this poor holding lagoon--we spozed to hit 30 kts winds here today....spozedly......my rig has held thru 37 sin problema last year....we see this year.
..btw..summer changes are coming here early....

 

[Bill Roosa]

The ultimate high tech anchor watcher is a 9 lb anchor, rode and fry pan. After setting the anchor throw the 9 lb over the side even with the doghouse slider, run the rope over the gunnel to the doghouse and into the salon, shorten up the rope so the fry pan attached to the end sits on the sole. If you drag the fry pan will come off the sole and start banging around.

 

[RECESS]

How do I plug the fry pan into my USB port?

 

[Bill Roosa]

You just need to buy the CCC size batteries and install them in the handle. ;-)
Personally, I'm with Stu in the old school, I seek snug anchorages where dragging is not much of an issue. Quite, peaceful, no waves......bugs banging on the outside of the bug screen is about the only noise.

 

[Gunni]

I have always been completely puzzled by the idea of these things. We set our anchor, check ranges, check the weather, and go below, checking often. Then we head in and go to sleep. Please help me understand this seemingly endless obsession with 24/7 anchor alarms. I can understand it in unsettled weather, but then, if I can help it, I'm not gonna be in those conditions. Perhaps we're "old school" since we've been doing this since before even Loran... We anchor, set the hook, we check, we relax.

Consider it a sleep aid. Like when you are on the hook with 3,000 miles of open ocean, a reversing tide, and an adjacent shipping channel on a dark and stormy night and you really don't want to be stepping on deck to take a bearing on...nothing. You set your anchor on 75feet of trusty rode, set your anchor alarm at 200 ft and if it squawks you know you have drug a boat length - time to get dressed.

The times I have tried the smartphone apps I have awoken content in the knowledge that the alarm didn't go off, only to find that the device battery had died. Toys.

 

[RECESS]

This app has a low battery alarm on it as well to notify you if your phone is getting a low battery. It will also send text messages for any alarm to three other phones if you set it to do so. It has more reduncy built in than my chart plotter does. Of course you pay $15 for those features versus the free apps that are toys.

 

[Head Sail]

I don't want to be on edge all night wondering if I'm dragging. If your anchored in a calm lagoon that you know well I can understand not using an anchor alarm, but when in unfamiliar waters, I want anchor alarms. Battery power is an issue if your battery(s) are low so check your batteries and no problem. I use a handheld gps, and an iPad app called "iSailor" and sleep well.

 

[Ron20324]

If you drag the fry pan will come off the sole and start banging around.

Yeah, but what about when you swing? How many times will THAT happen to trigger the pan overnight?

 

[Gunni]

This app has a low battery alarm on it as well to notify you if your phone is getting a low battery. It will also send text messages for any alarm to three other phones if you set it to do so. It has more reduncy built in than my chart plotter does. Of course you pay $15 for those features versus the free apps that are toys.

Yes! I loaded the free app. Guess I got what I paid for

 

[Brian D]

At $15.99 for that app, it better use the frying pan to make breakfast, lunch, and supper. Then, it better wash those dishes.

 

[Lost Parent]

How does it work swinging with the tide ?

 

[RECESS]

Lay it with the top of the phone facing the front of the boat and it orients to the direction of the boat and reacts to the boat swinging. It also was a feature to block out part of the circle so you can be alarmed if the boat swings to an area you do not desire.

 

[StinkBug]

$15 for a simple GPS app? you got robbed. I downloaded a speedo widget for my phone that happened to also have an anchor alarm built in. Works awesome as long as the phone has power (I plug it in at night) and it was free. Pretty sure the name is just "Android Speedometer"

 

[Bill Roosa]

hey Ron and Lost Parent
If you swing a lot then just add more line till the fry pan stays on the ground. And yes it will probably sound off when the tide turns but that is exactly when the anchor normally breaks free and stops holding.......
and lest you think I'm a smart person be it known that I stole this idea from a cruising book.
One guy used a cow bell instead of a fry pan

 

[RECESS]

Ran it last night. Did what it was supposed to do. I am going to test it today by stopping the boat, setting it, and letting it drift out of the zone. At some point last night my son's dog knocked it of the radio. my phone was on the cabin sole and unplugged. Battery was at 90% so it must have happened recently. It must run efficiently, my turn by turn navigation app drains the battery faster that it can charge. It would seem the battery charges well with this so running all night.

 

[RECESS]

Tested it. The alarm went off on my phone and it sent a message to my wife's phone that said "Boat out of safe zone". She really likes the idea of us going ashore for dinner out shopping knowing we will get a text if the boat moved. That is worth $15 right there. Happy Wife, Happy Life.

 

[justsomeguy]

Tested it. The alarm went off on my phone and it sent a message to my wife's phone that said "Boat out of safe zone". She really likes the idea of us going ashore for dinner out shopping knowing we will get a text if the boat moved. That is worth $15 right there. Happy Wife, Happy Life.

Nice feature.