GV10 Sept 2018 “Offcuts" Splashed

[Jaysen]

scope of 7 to 1 ought to do it; but in 19 feet that's over 130 feet.

with some chain on the anchor end.

That last part seems to be the key for us "little boat" guys. I have a 3lb collapsable that won't hold Lil Bit with 10:1 if the breeze is more than a gnat's fart. add 3' of 3/8" chain and I sit still in 10knt winds on 4:1. I use 10:1 once the wind gets fresh. I think that my v12 w/ mast (rolled sail) might be less wind profile than the gv10 with biminey.

I use 150' of 3/8' braided poly for the rode.Never wanted to anchor in more than 3' but I figured "no one ever complains about having too much rode".

[terrulian]

The main disadvantage of too much rode occurs in crowded anchorages. You can't be swinging into people. Or boats. The other disadvantage is when a change in wind direction may put you too close to a lee shore.

The length of chain does two things besides the one you described, which in itself is a great benefit. The anchor is designed to dig in, but will do so much more effectively when the length of chain adds weight to the end of the rode with the effect that the anchor is being pulled more parallel to the bottom.
The second thing it does is, counter-intuitively, act as a shock absorber. When a gust of wind shoves your boat to leeward, it may straighten out the rode, causing the end of the anchor shank to be lifted. But the weight of the chain must be lifted first, and the additional force required to lift it will be removed from the force being applied to pushing the boat to leeward. The decrease in velocity when the rode comes up hard against the cleat on your bow will reduce the chances of the anchor becoming dislodged. This is actually a problem they give you in introductory calculus...not that I remember any of that. You solve for the weight required to straighten out the rode given a particular force of windage on the boat.
Thirdly and more obviously, rope will be chafed or severed by rocks or coral on the bottom, whereas chain will be much more resistant to wear.

[Jaysen]

I've seen a lot of the boats locally going to several lengths of chain (75-150') on an electric windlass here. When inshore they are literally riding on chain with heavy rubber snubbers. So far they are the ones that aren't moving in the storms. But they are creating havoc on the oyster beds. I wonder what the "magic length" is to be solid holding but not so destructive. I'm sure that's hilgy variable on boat length, wetted area, wind and current profile.

[terrulian]

There is no way to protect the bottom from an anchor, no matter what you use as rode. The least damage will be done by proper scope, or on a fixed mooring. You can get away with 5/1 with all chain unless the wind really pipes up, but as you say, if you're anchoring over a bottom you'd like to protect, then as the boat swings, an all-chain rode will perhaps do more damage. In San Francisco Bay they've experimented with screw-in type moorings, but this hasn't been successful in our soft mud bottom. It may work elsewhere. A related issue is that if you are anchoring near other boats, boats with all chain will swing differently from boats with rope/chain, so that should be taken into consideration.
The deeper you anchor with all chain, the more energy is taken up in the shock absorber or catenary effect. There were times when we put out 3/1 in an 80-foot anchorage and we stayed stuck even in heavy weather. Clearly, that would not be the case with rope and chain, since the leeward force on the boat would easily lift the rope portion.

[Fair WX Pilot]

Careful being a good guy. I gave some people a three hour tow the other day and ever since then my fishing has turned to crap

I was hoping that a good turn would help my fishing get better.

[Fair WX Pilot]

Actually I had a bit more luck with my cheap anchor this time. I noticed that it has so little weight that it would sometimes flip over and hang in the release position as soon as it was in the water if it was flowing at any pace. I put a cable tie around the top to hold the chain and slip ring in the correct place while it sets and it didn't slip. Its a 4lb Seachoice anchor with 4' of 3/16" chain. I also only had 50' of 3/8 rope in 18' of water so it wasn't exactly text book. Its the same rope I use on the mushroom anchor when I'm in lakes.



I really only use the anchor for fishing but now that I'm spending most of my time in tidal rivers I should probably upgrade a little. 10' is a good average depth along the Merrimack and around Plumb Island. For such a little boat, when the tide is pumping and the wind picks up, it takes quite a lot of holding back.

[terrulian]

You did right to use the zip tie. I don't know what the reasoning is behind that design. Actually, I do, but I don't think it is a good idea. I think another actual Danforth or West Marine knock-off of similar size may be a good investment.
I think your main problem was lack of scope, though. In eighteen feet you'd want at least 100' out to be secure.