Anchoring sailboat offshore

[gulfbreez]

I think 3-4 waves coming from abeam on any 28 footer would be uncomfortable. So maybe anchoring in the waves is the best solution. By the way, if the seas are 3-4 foot ill probably stay at the mooring. Thats just a worse case situation, well im sure it could get even rougher, but here in the UK in the summer time we can have some days where the sea is slight, maybe 1 foot seas a couple of miles offshore. Those are the days we all look forward to

[Don C L]

Sorry can't link any sites now but Google " rocker stopper" and " flopper stopper." Fwiw I too sail in area where you could be 4 miles offshore and it is 40 feet deep, and people do anchor out to fish and in the afternoons the chop can get fairly steep. Those fishermen are a more dedicated (and sea-sickness resistant) lot than I! Actually with the flopper stoppers the motion is mostly pitching and at least for me that is less likely to upset the stmoach.

[gulfbreez]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Sorry can't link any sites now but Google " rocker stopper" and " flopper stopper." Fwiw I too sail in area where you could be 4 miles offshore and it is 40 feet deep, and people do anchor out to fish and in the afternoons the chop can get fairly steep. Those fishermen are a more dedicated (and sea-sickness resistant) lot than I! Actually with the flopper stoppers the motion is mostly pitching and at least for me that is less likely to upset the stmoach.

Im thinking about a sea anchor too.., will they allow the bow to be pointed directly into the waves at all times no matter the wind direction or current/tides

[StuM]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

First thing is, get yourself a thousand or so feet of anchor rode. And maybe three times that much, because three miles offshore? Really, do you have any idea how deep that can be?


You're nowhere near needing to know that, much less to think about taking a boat of any kind out there yet.

Do you have any idea how shallow that can be?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Fifty feet of water, three miles offshore and still well up on the continental shelf? Kinda the exception the rule. And when it is shallow offshore, there are often killer waves, as they come in across the Atlantic and then get really frisky as the water shoals.

Why do you assume a geographic location?

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by gulfbreez

Im thinking about a sea anchor too.., will they allow the bow to be pointed directly into the waves at all times no matter the wind direction or current/tides

The principle of the sea anchor is to hold the boat into the wind and hopefully that will also hold the boat into the waves... Currents may complicate that.

[Reefmagnet]

If fishing, just do what fishing boats do. Either drift over the grounds or anchor conventionally. You can control drift rate in reference to the former and position to the waves in reference to the latter with a suitable sea anchor which could be as simple as a sturdy bucket on a line.

Sent from my SGP521 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[gulfbreez]

Originally Posted by Don C L

There are probably 4 or 5 different kinds available and they work very well especially if deployed off both sides out on either boom and or whisker or spinnaker poles. Since there can be quite a bit of stress on them repeatedly I have a dedicated pole and fitting for them.

What about these? (Rocker stoppers)

ROCKER - STOPPER BOAT STABILIZER - Mooring / Rod Buoys - Discount Marine Chandlery and Sailing Equipment. Bargain Boat Spares and Clothing

http://www.amazon.com/Davis-Instrume.../dp/B002IVEH8K (reviews)

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by gulfbreez

What about these? (Rocker stoppers)

ROCKER - STOPPER BOAT STABILIZER - Mooring / Rod Buoys - Discount Marine Chandlery and Sailing Equipment. Bargain Boat Spares and Clothing

http://www.amazon.com/Davis-Instrume.../dp/B002IVEH8K (reviews)

Those are the ones I use. They work well for me in my 29 foot boat.

I've heard this style works well:
Boat Roll Stabilizers, Flopper Stoppers, At Anchor Roll Stabilizers, Marine Stabilizers

Here is a home-made design:
Flopper Stopper

and:
How To Reduce Boat Roll with Flopper-Stoppers | Cruising World

[gulfbreez]

Only concern I have is the strain they would have on the boom.

Do you use them as is, or did you make any modifications to them to work better

[thomm225]

It would probably be best to go out on a reasonably nice day and just anchor as you usually would on your fishing boat and enjoy. If there were 3'-4' waves, it probably wouldn't be fun anyway unless they were widely spaced ocean waves.

I've been anchored near shore in a heavy onshore breeze with those size waves overnight several times and it wasn't good. My boat is 27'

Also, with a sea anchor, you'd just drift off your fishin' hole!


A day like this perhaps. 8 miles offshore, depth around 25'-35'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy8UAU-Qw0Q

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by gulfbreez

Only concern I have is the strain they would have on the boom.

Do you use them as is, or did you make any modifications to them to work better

The boom can handle the strain no problem. I just didn't like using a halyard to hold up the boom, like a topping lift, off at an angle like that. So what I do is I tie a bowline in a line around the mast and use the halyard to hoist it up to just below the spreaders. That line goes out to the end of an aluminum pole I have that goes on a fitting near the gooseneck of the boom. I have two lighter lines that go fore and aft to keep it in place. It sounds complicated but it only takes a few minutes to get it set. I have a heavy weight for the line holding the six rocker stoppers (I am just putting them on one side because I only need to dampen a kind of harmonic motion in otherwise fairly calm anchorages.) If I had them out on both sides it would be as stable as a catamaran I bet. BTW that outboard pole is also a good place to tie off the dinghy so it doesn't bang against your boat at night.

[RaymondR]

Rolling is a resonance phenomenon and sometimes just de-resonating the boat by changing the mass distribution will damp out the roll.


I have hung a spare anchor on a pole braced outboard to dampen roll very successfully. The anchor needs to remain below the water surface otherwise it becomes a swinging menace.


Flopper stoppers are just mass dampers anyway, the dampening effect comes from acceleration a mass of water from one side to the other.

[Don C L]

And another thing, the flopper stoppers that rely on flaps opening or closing have a moment of lag time depending on the size of the flap, whereas the pink plastic hats are resisting motion immediately. I have often wondered if they might work also as a drogue but never tried it; might not be tough enough for that...Anyone out there tried using them for that?

[Hydra]

In fact, flopper stoppers and cones do not just increase the moving mass. They dissipate energy in the water through eddies, too. This is the actual *damping* effect. Increasing the mass is just "detuning", to go away from resonance.

Alain