Liveaboard Anchoring .......

[Nomdaica]

Hello fellow liveaboards.

I have noticed my biggest stress in adjusting to on the hook liveaboards life in the pnw is when I leave my HOME I am always stressing if my hook is going to hold.

What are some ways you Test your anchor?

Any ground tackle set ups that make you feel very confident that you won't move?

Thanks every one.

[s/v Jedi]

Ah, finally another anchoring thread

Most important thing is to use a decent sized anchor. Only when people on the dock start making fun of your big anchor, you know you are on the right way.... buy one or two sizes bigger still and you should be good.

I would not go under a 66 pound anchor for boats 30' and up.

cheers,
Nick.

[noelex 77]

I have the best anchoring gear I can get with a big oversize Rocna. I always set / test the anchor with increasing amounts of reverse and finish with full throttle for 20s.
Most of the time I then snorkel or use the Bathiscope to check the set of the anchor. I usually look at other boat anchors as well, especially boats upwind. After a bit of practice you can predict at what windspeed boats are likely to drag.
This is more than most people do, but I anchor almost every day which increases my chances of getting a surprise. I am also interested in anchors, how they bury, what works and what does not.

[matauwhi]

G'day, Mate. Yup, the bigger the better, plenty of scope (even if it means getting away from other boats anchored and use your motor to back down and SET it. Best insurance money can buy. Cheers.

[motion30]

I have a manson 45lb and 3/8'' chain Never had a problem at all bigger bigger bigger

[Nomdaica]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Ah, finally another anchoring thread

Most important thing is to use a decent sized anchor. Only when people on the dock start making fun of your big anchor, you know you are on the right way.... buy one or two sizes bigger still and you should be good.

I would not go under a 66 pound anchor for boats 30' and up.

cheers,
Nick.

I know I'm "that" guy! Soon I will be the knowledgable old salt helping youngins with dreams!

[Nomdaica]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

I have the best anchoring gear I can get with a big oversize Rocna. I always set / test the anchor with increasing amounts of reverse and finish with full throttle for 20s.
Most of the time I then snorkel or use the Bathiscope to check the set of the anchor. I usually look at other boat anchors as well, especially boats upwind. After a bit of practice you can predict at what windspeed boats are likely to drag.
This is more than most people do, but I anchor almost every day which increases my chances of getting a surprise. I am also interested in anchors, how they bury, what works and what does not.

Wow! Full throttle for 20 seconds... Interesting!

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Nomdaica

Wow! Full throttle for 20 seconds... Interesting!

Most people only use 1/2 throttle. Interestingly despite the snubber going bar tight with full reverse, I still find that with any more than about 30Knots of wind the anchor will bury deeper than it does with reverse alone, which presumably means I am exerting less force with the motor than this strength wind.

[SS Little-Devil]

Is there some kind of GPS app that can broadcast a signal to a phone or something if you move to far from your point of origin?

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by Nomdaica

Wow! Full throttle for 20 seconds... Interesting!

While doing that check transit on both sides to ensure you are not moving. I also check the rode forward of the bow roller to ensure there is no vibration that would indicate the anchor is moving.

[motion30]

I think active captian was working on an app for anchor dragging

[s/v Jedi]

When I go full throttle in reverse, I break the whole seabed up. But if I do half power for a couple minutes and another day of time, the anchor works it's way in deeper and not even a cat5 hurricane got it out.

This means that for some boats full power is too much. A lot depend on how effective your prop is in reverse gear.

Anchor alarm? Standard thing in N2K network, but also lots of apps in app store. Just search the app store.

cheers,
Nick.

[bobofthenorth]

I have an anchor alarm that I bought from a guy in Wyoming of all places. It was a prototype and as far as I can tell he isn't building them anymore. (info@msc-lims.com if you want to try asking him) Its a little Radio Shack project box with a four line display and an attached GPS puck. You take the box and puck on the foredeck and push a button over the spot that you drop the anchor. Then you set it for the scope plus the distance aft to your cabin and put the puck out the cabin window. There is no way you will ever sleep through the alarm on this one if it happens to go off but more importantly the display tells you how far you are from the set point. I leave the display on the nightstand so that I can glance at it when I wake up to see how far I am from our anchoring point.

[four winds]

Originally Posted by SS Little-Devil

Is there some kind of GPS app that can broadcast a signal to a phone or something if you move to far from your point of origin?

Yes, anchor alarms on chartplotters and even Iphones.

[wingNwing]

Have a handheld Garmin GPS chartplotter; it has an anchor drag alarm you can use to start beeping when you're greater than a preset distance from wherever you set the datapoint for your anchor.