Anchoring question - 42 gb

I am a less than a year owner of a 42 Grand Banks. I recently returned from an offshore trip 80 miles from shore where we tied to a mooring. Planning next trip farther out and want to anchor in sand at a depth of 140 ft. using a Danforth fluke anchor.
Question: I need to buy 800-1000 ft of anchor line (boat only has 130 ft of chain and equal length line), what spec line should I use? 1/2" or 5/8"? stranded nylon? Is 900 ft enough for 140 ft?
I will not go out or try to anchor unless weather is ideal, meaning no more than 10-15 mph.

JESSEDIVER49 said:

I am a less than a year owner of a 42 Grand Banks. I recently returned from an offshore trip 80 miles from shore where we tied to a mooring. Planning next trip farther out and want to anchor in sand at a depth of 140 ft. using a Danforth fluke anchor.
Question: I need to buy 800-1000 ft of anchor line (boat only has 130 ft of chain and equal length line), what spec line should I use? 1/2" or 5/8"? stranded nylon? Is 900 ft enough for 140 ft?
I will not go out or try to anchor unless weather is ideal, meaning no more than 10-15 mph.

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Most sportfish guys I know who anchor up in those depths and mild conditions say 3:1 is usually adequate (even if you drag...one no dig deal if you are just fishing and the nearest obstruction is 80 miles away). They also use much smaller line so storage is no big deal either.

Check with some of the guys here that have doe it lot...I think Archie, "High Wire" may be a good source of offshore anchoring info.

I notice that you are a diver. Presumably that is why you need to anchor so far off shore. If that is indeed the case, will somebody always be left aboard?? Provided the boat is managed at all times, then your solution (7x scope) seems perfectly reasonable. Your choice of line thickness depends on your chain size. Do not make the line the weak point by under sizing and make sure the shackle connection is good. On the other hand, if you intend to leave the vessel unattended while diving, then I would seriously up-size your anchor weight, length of chain and then allow for 10x scope. The last thing you want is to surface to no boat in sight!!!

Are you going to be anchoring just say for the afternoon or overnight? Must people short scope it if they are just going to be anchored for part of the day in that deep of water, so you may not need as much line.

If anchoring for a longer length of time in calm conditions you probably can get away with 5-1 scope. 5/8" would be the minimum size line to use if you are going to be anchored out for more than say a day. Otherwise you could go smaller, just watch for chafing. I would also consider the size anchor you have. If it is just the minimum recommended size for your size boat I would strongly consider getting a larger one.

Check with the sportfish guys...this is not anchorage, long term stuff, possible heavy weather, close to danger stuff...just hoping to stay put for 6-8 hours of sleep I'm guessing.

I do agree that I would leave a live watch aboard with divers in the water, or another boat nearby...but isn't that standard practice anyway?

And line size can almost be tiny with that much stretch out...most just add it to their regular tackle or have a secondary on made up for use with an anchor ball....most charter guys I know that do this for a living never seem to use the same size as their normal tackle.

Again...not my expertise...just passing along what many regulars do in the Jersey Coast Canyon fishery if they aren't tying off to lobster pots.

When overnight canyon fishing in 200+ of water we had 1000' of line in a basket, 20' of chain, we used a large anchor retrieval ball to assist with lifting, too much to explain with that system here, but youtube link below shows it, pretty neat way of retrieving an anchor at greater depth without the use of a windless.

Yes a ball is the easiest way to pull the anchor from those depths for sure.

If this is just to go fishing over a sand bottom in good weather, 3:1 nylon and a dozen ft of chain is enough. Sleep in good weather with no one awake, maybe 20 ft of 3/8" chain and an anchor alarm.
Divers want to tie the anchor into something but at 140 ft, they will use up their downtime just tying/untying the anchor.
The anchor ball or windlass is the way to go! Two things you have to do right with the ball. On retrieval, head towards the anchor on a 30-45 degree angle and dont run over the line! It will be just under the surface out of sight damn close to the props. Whoever is on the bow better know what they are doing.

The answer to your question is 5/8.... A GB 42 should use 5/8 line at a minimum according to line manufactured specs (3-strand nylon).

For a storm anchor or a light weather, overnight stay in one place hopefully on a short scope, temp anchor setup? Like the fishing guys do....

Anchoring for night in 140 ft

Her guys,
Really appreciate the info!
psneeld - yes, just for the night to get 6-8 hrs sleep
Chrisjs - YES, I am a diver and NEVER leave boat unattended. Two dive teams of 2. One team in and one team out.
Capt.Bill11 - thanks
Archie - great info, BTW - I live in Houston but am former summer resident in Cape May. Love Cape May! May cruise there from Galveston next summer and will B looking for place to keep boat for a month.

re: Anchor ball. Great idea, however, plan is, after dropping anchor, send diver down to secure firmly in sand and make sure no damage being done to reef. After last dive, diver will release anchor and bring to surface with lift bag. Will do drift deco.

Based on what I now know, I'm thinking 500 ft of 1/2" line with 12 ft chain on Danforth. Probably pick up a release ball and hardware just in case.
Any other info - tips, pls do!

JESSEDIVER49 said:

Her guys,
Really appreciate the info!
psneeld - yes, just for the night to get 6-8 hrs sleep
Chrisjs - YES, I am a diver and NEVER leave boat unattended. Two dive teams of 2. One team in and one team out.
Capt.Bill11 - thanks
Archie - great info, BTW - I live in Houston but am former summer resident in Cape May. Love Cape May! May cruise there from Galveston next summer and will B looking for place to keep boat for a month.

re: Anchor ball. Great idea, however, plan is, after dropping anchor, send diver down to secure firmly in sand and make sure no damage being done to reef. After last dive, diver will release anchor and bring to surface with lift bag. Will do drift deco.

Based on what I now know, I'm thinking 500 ft of 1/2" line with 12 ft chain on Danforth. Probably pick up a release ball and hardware just in case.
Any other info - tips, pls do!

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Sounds good...you have to develop your technique just like any other anchoring situation to find out what works and doesn't....try with observation is the only absolute way to tell what really works for you.

Mat take a couple of tries and failures (how much learning is accomplished)...but your basic plan/proposed setup is no different than what many use all summer long around here for night chunking.

I would go with 50 feet of chain. You're shooting it up with a bag so the weights not a problem. And the extra weight should help keep the anchor set.

Amsteel.

Xsbank said:

Amsteel.

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Yes that's not a bad idea. You could go with say 5/16". But it doesn't have much stretch to absorb shock. And you'd have to chafe protect it since it would be thin.

But it would be a dollar or so a foot and you can get 600 feet of 1/2 twisted nylon for under $200 or 5/8 for under $350.