How to anchor solo?

[Arc]

Sorry for the bad upload. Hope this works

 

[Simi 60]

Pulling ours solo is no different to having 2 on board.
We very rarely use engine unless the windlass shows signs of struggle.
Clutch /cones adjusted to slip before anything bad happens

Pulse up with winch at helm pulling catenary until chain is straight down.
Let weight of boat loosen anchor out and lift.

The only difference is with mud.
I have the $20ebay winch remote in one hand to pulse up and hose in the other to blast mud.

 

[cool beans]

Honestly, past boat and current so far...I haul up by hand 100% of the way. Engines are idling and ready to go before I even think of pulling in the anchor. i leave everything on deck and wash it down before I get to the home dock. Then I feed it back into the anchor locker by hand.

Question, since I plan to go all chain...what is the thought of spraying the chain and anchor down with silicone to help keep it clean?

 

[Simi 60]

Question, since I plan to go all chain...what is the thought of spraying the chain and anchor down with silicone to help keep it clean?

If you never want to paint the boat again spray away but really, why try and reinvent the wheel.
Just get a decent deck wash like everyone else.

 

[Seevee]

Janice,

Thx for starting this thread, lots of great ideas, that I'm going to capitalize on!

I think we can all agree if there's no current and no wind, it's pretty simple and can take all the time needed.

The wash down ideas are GREAT, but plumbing one can be a project in itself for us that don't have a wash down up there. Just washing down in the chain locker is pretty easy and effective, if there's a good drain. And can be done easily at leisure at the dock.

The BIG issue is dealing with wind and current so thanks for the tips on that. I've had a few times, that the current was enough to where is was nearly impossible to do it solo, so glad the Admiral was with me then.

Also, I'm rarely on the hook by myself, if ever, as I need an able body on board to help with other duties and items that need servicing, including the captain. I still pull the anchor up most of the time, but nice to have a backup if needed.

GREAT THREAD!

 

[JustBob]

What a Yacht Controller be practical on your vessel? If you have a bow thruster, you can use it to "steer" the boat.

I have a friend that built an auto wash down. Works better in theory than practice. I.e. it is always shooting the same amount of water no matter how much mud is packed into the chain. And it is always shooting the same direction although the chain yaws back and forth upon retrieval.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Seevee wrote;
“I think we can all agree if there's no current and no wind, it's pretty simple and can take all the time needed”

The wind or current can be a big help laying out the rode. Piling the chain on top of the anchor can present problems.

 

[foreverunderway]

I would never, ever operate a windlass to pick up my anchor from anyplace other than where I could see the gear coming up! Even if it was raining, snowing or sleeting.
The picture below is of a grapnel of about 250# fouled in the chain about halfway between the anchor and the boat's bow. Had we not been watching, can you imagine the damage this would have done to the boat?

 

[BCC]

solo anchoring

Or you can get a length of hose with a hose threaded fitting secure it to your bow Pulpit or roller which will be about an inch away from your chain and Road hook, it up to you wash down, turn the water on, go inside and operate your engines and The Windlass from inside and your chain and Road will be clean. you may have to hose off the anchor when that process is complete

 

[Simi 60]

Or you can get a length of hose with a hose threaded fitting secure it to your bow Pulpit or roller which will be about an inch away from your chain and Road hook, it up to you wash down, turn the water on, go inside and operate your engines and The Windlass from inside and your chain and Road will be clean. you may have to hose off the anchor when that process is complete

Unless you have a monster pump pushing out firehose pressure water reality will be somewhat different

 

[dhays]

Unless you have a monster pump pushing out firehose pressure water reality will be somewhat different

I think you are right. With the very sticky mud we encounter here, I often have to stop the windlass every 6-10 feet to be able to get the mud off the chain. Even then I end up with mud on the deck that I rinse off after the anchor is secured.

 

[ben2go]

If you guys have a window that opens close to the helm, and you can reach the controls through it, you can control the boat's position without having to run side decks or scurry around the house. This is one of the things I am looking for, or I can add to, my next boat. I will do 99% of my anchoring alone.

 

[Airstream345]

A friend of mine has a chain/anchor washer integrated into the bow of his boat. Imagine my slack-jawed, wide-eyed expression the first time I watched him pull up anchor off a muddy BC bottom.

#boatgoals

 

[Southx10]

JHance
Go back through and find the reply from ghost. Easy does it with the windlass don't pull the boat just the road till it's tight. Boat and rode will take care of it's self. When rode is straight up and down, stop, check your surroundings make your final plan and break it out.

 

[Mako]

Question, since I plan to go all chain...what is the thought of spraying the chain and anchor down with silicone to help keep it clean?

Give your anchor and chain a smooth finish and that will help greatly with mud sliding off. As you know, hot dipped galvanized finishes are very rough. You can have your anchor powder coated or just use an epoxy paint on it and your chain. I painted mine and it helped a lot.

 

[BruceK]

I would never, ever operate a windlass to pick up my anchor from anyplace other than where I could see the gear coming up! Even if it was raining, snowing or sleeting.
The picture below is of a grapnel of about 250# fouled in the chain about halfway between the anchor and the boat's bow. Had we not been watching, can you imagine the damage this would have done to the boat?

Might draw the line at snow and sleet(which we don`t get),but yes,there should be someone at the windlass during retrieve.

 

[sunvale1]

Hoping to get some advice from those experienced anchoring by themselves. I have controls inside at the helm and also foot buttons and washdown on the bow. Setting the anchor from inside at the helm is straight forward. I guess I prefer being inside when setting because I can control the boat and I can see the rode well enough at the bow. But what is the secret to retrieving the anchor by yourself? I have gone through many different scenarios about where I should be during the retrieval process, but I am always left with a not ideal situation.

I need to 1. Keep the boat positioned and moving forward against the wind, 2. pull in the rode, and 3. Wash off the chain and anchor as it's coming in.

Can't operate from inside because I want to wash the rode and anchor. Being at the bow means I don't have engine directional control over the boat.

The best scenario I have come up with, and it works OK, is that I am at the bow and I pull the boat up to the anchor, by hand, as the windlass is retrieving the slack rode. This works OK but harder to do in gusty winds, and when I get to my 50' of chain it becomes a bit awkward.

How do you all do it solo?

I only had to do it one time when my thermal protection for the windlass fried. Hand over hand all 175 ft of chain. Had the tow boat not taken the wind drift of my boat it would never have been done. Now I rebuild the windlass but still have no thermal protection relays. They had been made in New Zeeland and are no longer to be had. Like to find a replacement for the old one, but have not had much luck

 

[MiltonP]

How about a Reel Type Winch

I have been thinking about putting a reel type winch on my Camano and converting my chain locker to storage for winter jackets, blankets, etc... Reel/spool winches also look easy to maintain and repair if needed.

 

[Nomad Willy]

They are expensive MiltonP,
I have one available but I’m on the wrong coast.

One of the most valuable assets of the reel is that you can put as many different kinds of rode as you want on the reel and as far as I know it’s the only way. One can have very heavy chain next to the anchor, heavy chain next (at whatever length), some normal chain next to that and finally nylon line. The fishermen do that in SE Alaska. It usually looks like all chain because chain is all that’s visable but usually much nylon is under the chain. This has enormous control over the effects of catenary. And these TF members are very keen on catenary. That’s usually the biggest argument for chain .. or/and all chain.

It has been found that the best place for weight in an anchor rode is about 20% of the way up the rode from the anchor shank. And the reel winch is, as far as I know, the only unit or system that has that benefit. All chain is a colossal waste of excess weight as the upper half of the rode never (or almost never) affects the catenary by it’s weight. It just drives the bow of the boat deeper into a headsea. All chain is popular mostly due to it’s convenience. Also it’s viewed as more like what ships and larger boats employ for their rodes. What the “big boys do” is almost always popular.

But re this thread solo anchoring could be great w the reel winch. However it would be best if the reel winch was equipped w the “level wind” feature .. commonly seel on fishing pole reels.
We have a fairly new member here in the PNW that has a reel winch. Perhaps he will post here.

 

[psneeld]

Read lots on anchoring as there are many proliferated myths on "pleasure boating" forums.

Ship anchoring had little to do with the way pleasure boaters anchor ...tackle included...

 

[Nomad Willy]

“Bigger is better” is a myth depending on what anchors you compare.
And what is myth now may be fact tomorrow. The earth is round you know.

And ship anchoring involves lots of dragging. But yes even the components are different ... but noticeably similar.

 

[Henning]

I have a large, locally controlled hydraulic winch, and never hesitate to pull the boat up to the anchor. The over pressure valve provides a smooth 300kg (?) chain pull limiter that takes care of any spikes related to wave action.


For washing down, dumping large amounts of water down the hawse pipe works wonders, and clears heavy clay without issue. You don't need a fire pump, a 1500-2000W low pressure pump works great. If you don't have a serious wash pump installed, consider hanging a submersible off the bow.


EDIT: Also, big boat anchoring manuals provide fascinating reading and breadth of insight, but are indeed quite useless for us. I highly doubt you will have injuries due to hydraulic motors exploding from back pressure created by heave acting on a tight rode...

 

[Nomad Willy]

I have been thinking about putting a reel type winch on my Camano and converting my chain locker to storage for winter jackets, blankets, etc... Reel/spool winches also look easy to maintain and repair if needed.

There are some here that have reel winches or experience with them.
Sabre602 has one quite visable on the bow in his avatar.

Three downsides as I see it.
1. Very little support among users for for electric. Perhaps they require too much current. Sorta like bow thrusters only much more so. Having said that one will almost certianly need to install a hydraulic pump and clutch .. ect.
2. Expense. They start at about $3000 but most are more than that. One needs to buy one w a large reel to get anything but a short rode on the reel. Think less than 200’ subject to rode dia. Ideally a level wind feature adds considerable expense and increases size.
3. Most don’t think the reel winch looks yachty enough. Anyone would be hard pressed to say they don’t look very industrial and most pleasure boaters think that would be an understatement. They are basically all aluminum so anodizing may be an option. Colors are limited and in my opinion only black, gold and clear look good. Comom other colors are blue, green and red.

Being mostly aluminum they are not heavy.

 

[psneeld]

I have a large, locally controlled hydraulic winch, and never hesitate to pull the boat up to the anchor. The over pressure valve provides a smooth 300kg (?) chain pull limiter that takes care of any spikes related to wave action.


For washing down, dumping large amounts of water down the hawse pipe works wonders, and clears heavy clay without issue. You don't need a fire pump, a 1500-2000W low pressure pump works great. If you don't have a serious wash pump installed, consider hanging a submersible off the bow.


EDIT: Also, big boat anchoring manuals provide fascinating reading and breadth of insight, but are indeed quite useless for us. I highly doubt you will have injuries due to hydraulic motors exploding from back pressure created by heave acting on a tight rode...

Thank you...posting how ships anchor and the completely different concept from small boat anchoring keeps getting brought up.

Its like the constant comparisons about aviation or road motor vehicles to boats.

Having sufficient experience with all three...It's entertaining to see the constant stretch imade by people with obviously not much experience to see the real differences. Even the difference in ships versus boats is entertaining.

 

[sunvale1]

Might draw the line at snow and sleet(which we don`t get),but yes,there should be someone at the windlass during retrieve.

PSNEELD
I'm in need for some parts (Thermal Protection Box) for 89 Island Gypsy. Since the entire thing is made in Aus.New Zeeland I was wondering if you ever stumbled across one
Peter

 

[Peter B]

Operate from inside and wash the fore deck after you get home.

See I don't really want to do that because I don't want my rode and chain locker all full of crud and smelling feet away from where I sleep. I want to wash all that stuff off as the windlass is retrieving the rode.

I was thinking there has to be some way to "auto wash" the rode. I haven't seen anything out there, but it would be cool if one could position the raw water spray onto the bow roller so it cleans the rode on the way up. Maybe I'll rig something up. Then operating from inside would be a lot more appealing.

As some others have already said, in your inexperience, you are overthinking all this quite a bit. Take for example the bogey you fear of the build-up and smell might permeate into your front cabin. My boat was set up like that. I never washed down except on return, as Menzies suggested, and with a decently snug-fitting closure this was never a problem. Admittedly all chain rode. I was amazed how little does build up in most anchor lockers, but rope rode sections may make a bit more likely. However, giving the anchor some movement through the water on lifting off the bottom can help a lot.

Try to stick to the KISS principle, or it'll kill your fun. Unless you enjoy spending up large solving quite small issues. Just sayin'...

 

[BruceK]

PSNEELD
I'm in need for some parts (Thermal Protection Box) for 89 Island Gypsy. Since the entire thing is made in Aus.New Zealand I was wondering if you ever stumbled across one
Peter

Not sure where your query was directed, but being a windlass component,best to ask the mfr. Is it a Muir (based in Aust),if so go to their website and email them, they do respond.

 

[Conrad]

There are some here that have reel winches or experience with them.
Sabre602 has one quite visable on the bow in his avatar.

Three downsides as I see it.
1. Very little support among users for for electric. Perhaps they require too much current. Sorta like bow thrusters only much more so. Having said that one will almost certianly need to install a hydraulic pump and clutch .. ect.
2. Expense. They start at about $3000 but most are more than that. One needs to buy one w a large reel to get anything but a short rode on the reel. Think less than 200’ subject to rode dia. Ideally a level wind feature adds considerable expense and increases size.
3. Most don’t think the reel winch looks yachty enough. Anyone would be hard pressed to say they don’t look very industrial and most pleasure boaters think that would be an understatement. They are basically all aluminum so anodizing may be an option. Colors are limited and in my opinion only black, gold and clear look good. Comom other colors are blue, green and red.

Being mostly aluminum they are not heavy.

I've always thought they would be a good option on the right style of boat; your listing of their drawbacks covers any concern I've thought of except for:

1) Can you attach counters on them?

2) Can you control them remotely?

 

[Nomad Willy]

Conrad,
Anchoring somewhere other than on the bow hadn’t occured to me.

With a level wind I’m sure you could control them remotely. If I was still in Alaska I’d Go down to the harbour and ask a fisherman.
It’s a machine and a counter could be installed I’m sure. A Willard owner made his own counter some years ago. He was a physics professor I think.

 

[Conrad]

Conrad,
Anchoring somewhere other than on the bow hadn’t occured to me.

When we upgraded our bow roller system to accommodate our new Rocna we went with a self launching system which is so nice when running solo or anchoring in inclement weather, as you can drop the anchor from the pilothouse.

Yup, kinda spoiled.