Disaster! Need Help ASAP!

[josepsaavedra]

What type of helix anchor?? how long is the shaft? and the diameter of the helix? How much scope did you have?
I have been using these anchors for several years and never had any problems. I use 3 anchors into a swivel and 30-40' chain and then two ropes. In West Palm Beach there are many boats using this system. Only a 65' steel house boat broke loose, but they used three small 5' shaft used in trailer homes and NO SCOPE!!!. The boat did fine for two years and on a very strong windy day it broke loose. The anchors most of us use are from the utility company. Very hard to get since they destroy them rather than selling them used. (lawyers). two people with scuba can install then fairly easy. If you have any questions in this anchoring system, call me or e-mail me. 561-309-6966 or josepsaavedra@hotmail.com.

[Alexei]

Originally Posted by josepsaavedra

What type of helix anchor?? how long is the shaft? and the diameter of the helix? How much scope did you have?
I have been using these anchors for several years and never had any problems. I use 3 anchors into a swivel and 30-40' chain and then two ropes. In West Palm Beach there are many boats using this system. Only a 65' steel house boat broke loose, but they used three small 5' shaft used in trailer homes and NO SCOPE!!!. The boat did fine for two years and on a very strong windy day it broke loose. The anchors most of us use are from the utility company. Very hard to get since they destroy them rather than selling them used. (lawyers). two people with scuba can install then fairly easy. If you have any questions in this anchoring system, call me or e-mail me. 561-309-6966 or josepsaavedra@hotmail.com.

I didn't install it myself: I bought it off the guy who did. It's just one anchor, on a fairly decent amount of scope. I guess: not sure what appropriate scope is for a mooring. At low tide, the mooring spot sounded at about 20 ft, and I was able to haul up a good 20 ft or so of line before reaching the end of the slack. The diameter is only a foot or so from the look of it. I posted some pics that the marina sent me on my blog, here. Looks like it wasn't dug very deeply into the riverbed, judging from where the seaweed is on the shaft. Methinks maybe the diver who installed it didn't do such a great job.

Oh well.

It's all resolved now, though. The towboat guy is just going to bill my BoatUS membership as a towing/ungrounding, and Icefire is up on the hard now. It cost $ to haul her, but not nearly as much as I feared. More details here. On the bright side, she won't run off from the boat yard. Plus, there are riggers and painters there who can do the bottom, redo the topside paint, and help with fixing/replacing the roller furling. Whenever I'm ready to do those things. For now, she's just gonna sit while I'm in NY for a couple years.

Hopefully, I'll get stationed down south again after this and I'll get to fix her up and use her some more before we trade up to the post-Navy catamaran. Regardless, I ought to fix her up before I really try selling her.

So that's where we stand. Another adventure completed, and another near disaster averted.

All's well that ends well.

[Intentional Drifter]

Those Sabres are great little boats and this one does seem quite attached to you.

"On the bright side, she won't run off from the boat yard."

Alexei, Icefire could very well perceive that as a dare! Machines do talk to each other, you know. Haven't you seen "Cars"? If we get a news video of a boat heading up the Interstate for NY, we'll know whose it is!

ID

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Alexei

... I posted some pics that the marina sent me on my blog, here. Looks like it wasn't dug very deeply into the riverbed, judging from where the seaweed is on the shaft. Methinks maybe the diver who installed it didn't do such a great job ...

It's all resolved now, though. The towboat guy is just going to bill my BoatUS membership as a towing/ungrounding, and Icefire is up on the hard now ...

All's well that ends well.

The “Uplift Factor” of a helical anchor is, mostly, a function of the installation torque. Hence, screw anchors installed “on the cheap”, without proper equipment (Anti-Torque Pneumatic Tools), will never achieve their potential holding power.

Methinks youy're absolutely right (on all 3 points)!