An Obscure but Excellent Anchor Design

Fishhawk

All,

We are so happy with our new anchor that I felt compelled to share it with all the brats that might apreciate a really good anchor.

I made up a pattern and copied the design from a Wisconsin DNR net anchor when we (MNDNR) worked on a cooperative project with them a few years ago.

It is a very simple double claw design made of steel bent to some very exact angles. The anchor is easy to deploy and set and holds like nothing else I have ever used.

The first one I made was for my wifes pontoon boat. We always find the walleyes biting best when the wind blows and had been blown off the fish too many times to count using more conventional anchors. It was made of 1" steel rod and two small pieces of 1/4" steel plate. It worked so well that when "Osprey" came to live with us, I made a second more improved model from 3/4" and 5/8" stainless steel. Materials for the first one cost about $15.00. Around $50.00 for the stainless one. Anyway you look at it that's cheap for a good anchor!

They are 29" long, 22" wide and have a 17" "bite". I haven't weighed the first one but the stainless one weighs in at 18 lbs.

I machined a fastening clip from a block of hard black plastic by drilling a 3/4" hole in it and then cutting it off above center. The anchor just snaps in place when hard downward pressure is applied. The block was bolted into the factory anchor fairlead with two 1/4" stainless bolts.

I have updated Osprey's album with a number of pictures.

Capt Dan

Alyssa Jean · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:13 am Post subject:

What keeps it upright so it digs into the sea floor when you deploy it? Always amazed at the ingenuity and scope of talent of C-Brats.

Fishhawk · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:32 am Post subject:

David,

Thanks for the query, I was beginning to wonder how there could have been over 200 brat views so far and no comments or questions.

Because of the angles of the metal you just drop it and back away. Once it snugs up I bump it a couple times in reverse and it is SET. The chain helps the angled metal of the design unable to fall over backwards. It has even held well in cobble and small boulders though I would avoid spending the night over that kind of substrate.

By the way, I'm working on a helm hub. I don't think it's teak. I picked up this piece of wood at the launch in Bayfield Wi. It will match the teak real well, I think it's either cherry of some variety of mahogany.

Take Care,

Dan

Da Nag · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 11:34 am Post subject:

Fishhawk · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:55 pm Post subject:

Thanks Bill,

If ya'll look at pic #20 in my album where the anchor is kind of standing up, that is how it lands when it is dropped. If you can imagine the chain on it, you can see that it would be very hard to make it tip over backwards. Many deployments have proven to me that it might be impossible for that to occur. In fact it never has for me. Could a person make a backwards tip over happen? Maybe if you really tried to do it. It really is all about the angles of the metal relative to the mass of the unit. The anchor on the pontoon boat has been thrown from the boat many times into water up to 35' deep. It doesn't even have a chain, and sometimes forward progress is still happening. When you back away it always catches and sets even then.

I am not aware of any patent on this design. It has been in use for solidly holding large fish nets in current and in waves for many years. I would have to say that whoever developed it was an extremely competent waterman and is one of my unsung heros.

The top slider rod for disengagement on the stainless model is my own design and we like it very much.

I do have a pattern if anyone is interested.

Capt Dan