Where do ya hang the anchor?

[Lubberdink]

Okay, this may reveal me to be the newbie I am, but where does one place the anchor? I've seen them in various configurations but not sure the best. When I bought my 77 O'Day 20 recently, the anchor was hanging by it's flukes on the bow pulpit. Seemed ok there but was staining the railing and looked like it might not stay there in rough weather. Thought about attaching it to a bracket to the deck but not sure what kind.

Right now, it's stowed in the the port side storage with the battery (not close enought to short out-I'm not THAT new) and other paraphernalia.

Gotta be a better plan.

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[Ross]

What manner of anchor?

 

[Lubberdink]

A Danforth I believe.

 

[thereisabelle]

any place that keeps it away from the toes. depending on the weight, i think a thick cover with some ties would keep it handy on deck maby vertical on the rail. any other points at the stern? jimbob

 

[Ross]

There are purpose made hangers or you can make a set of hardwood chocks for the several contact points and fasten those to the deck. just set the anchor down on a flat surface and mark the points where the anchor touches the surface. Then with saw and router make pads that will support and hold the anchor in place.

 

[Warren Milberg]

When I had a smaller boat without an anchor locker on the foredeck, I started off by hanging the Danforth off the bow pulpit in a bracket made for that purpose. I never liked that arrangement as (1) the flukes always seemed to snare something going in or out of the slip alone, and (2) the boat didn't have a hawse pipe or locker to keep the anchor chain and rode attached to the anchor. Latter meant having to connect it every time I used the anchor. Not a good idea or system. I eventually settled for keeping the anchor in a plastic crate, with chain and rode attached, in a lazarette. Hauled the whole thing forward when using it. The only really good part of that system was that I could just haul up the anchor (usually covered with bay mud and muck) and throw the whole thing in the crate without getting the boat filthy. All boats require compromises....

 

[sinnettc]

When I had a smaller boat without an anchor locker on the foredeck . . . I eventually settled for keeping the anchor in a plastic crate, with chain and rode attached, in a lazarette.

That's what I'm doing with my Capri 22. When we're on the lake the smaller claw with 11' of chain is in a tote in the bow and the danforth is in a burlap bag in the lazarette behind the port bunk. The only time that approach really sucks is when I've got the oversized claw with 30' of chain aboard. That sucker's not a lot of fun to manhandle around.

 

[RAD]

Around her neck
I couldn't help myself......any way when I had my 24 Bristol I had mine hanging from brackets mounted to the bow rail and secured with a bungee always ready to deploy with the rode attached and it was out of the way

 

[Lubberdink]

I would hang it around here neck but she's the crew and the rode gets tangled up in her feet. Plus, the real reason is she's making me a fresh cherry pie and she knows where I sleep. Oh, did I mention she can be vindictive when provoked?
:O)

 

[Anchor Down]

It's Only a Twenty Foot Boat

No anchor locker at the bow, and a 20' boat? The most practical answer is to put everything in a plastic milk crate and haul it out when you need it. I did it this way.

Securing the anchor to the deck or bow by itself doesn't do much, because you still have to stow the chain & rode somewhere else. That means you must attach one to the other, then separate them again, every time you deploy/retrieve your anchor.

Flake the rode in there so that it's ready to run. You might want to tie of the end to the crate first, just in case you ever deploy it all. Then, make hauling the crate out to the foredeck part of your "approaching the anchorage" ritual, checking a final time that it's free to run, so that it's there when you need to go up to use it before you make your final approach to your anchoring spot.

Anchor comes up dirty? A couple of bucketfuls of seawater cures it, and the crate is self-draining.

If the crate is awkward to stow in your cockpit locker, you can use a large, heavy-duty mesh bag, which puts the weight you're carrying to the bow lower and gives you a free hand for grabbing handholds on the way forward.