Anchoring without a Windlass

[Tug]

....Happy New Year Everyone...........Does anyone have any experience or tricks using the bow anchor without a windlass.I have a bow-roller on my C-Dory but no windlass..( yet )..,on my StarCraft Islander i allows just dropped a stern anchor. I would prefer dropping an anchor off the bow especially in a wind but wonder how difficult it would be retrieving the anchor. Thanks Tug

[dutch123]

You can buy or make an anchor puller which consists of a one way device and a float. The unit is secured to the anchor line and you drive away using the drag from the float to allow the rode to flow through the puller then simply retrieve your rode after the anchor reaches the surface. There are a few designs depending if you use rope or chain rode. Good luck.

[colobear]

We anchored without a windlass for years with very little trouble. Always off the bow, never off the stern except when we did a stern tie to a shore point. Pulling up the anchor was usually pretty easy, even for an old fogy like me. If you think the anchor is caught or is hard to get up try cleating it off on the bow cleat then move the boat so you can pull from another direction, that always worked for us. sometimes if it was really hard to get up, we cleated it off and drove the boat slowly forward using it to free the anchor.

We've never used the anchor puller Dutch is talking about but many people do and they seem to work.

[Sea Wolf]

Tug-

There are several threads on the anchor puller concept that Dutch describes in the Anchoring forum in the library.

Here's one: Pulling anchor w/ bouy

Cheap and Easy!

Joe.

[Tortuga]

Hi Tug,

I've never had a windlass on any of the boats I've owned -- most of which were bigger than the C-dory. The trick is patience. Always anchor off the bow -- setting is easy (of course). To retrieve, I just motor slowly over the anchor, and then slowly pull up the rode until it is taut. Then, tie off the rode on the bow cleat, and let the motion of the boat slowly disengage the anchor.

Depending on the wind and swell this can take a while. But, by letting the boat take the weight you save your back. Then, once it pulls loose, you can simply pull up the anchor and secure.

Sometimes, as Colobear suggested, you'll need to reposition the boat to get over the anchor. This all goes a lot easier if there is someone else at the helm, but I usually do it myself. And, I'm not a big guy.

Windlass would be a lot easier -- but the old fashioned way has never let me down. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

Matt

[T.R. Bauer]

[Tug]

Lots of good practical ideas..as i usually fish alone i was concerned about retrieving the anchor and falling off the bow of the boat.That bouy anchor retrieval system sounds promising and what Matt said makes alot of sense, tieing the anchor rope to a cleat and using the boats power or momentum to break the anchor.That should save some wear and tear on my back.Are there any concerns about the anchor hitting or scrapping the fibreglass and causing damage. Thanks Tug

[Jack in Alaska]

As TR Bauer does, we anchor in up to 300' of water using 600' of rode. We pull it with a buoy snapped onto the rode and use the boat to pull it up. The rode is always over the bow.
You NEVER....NEVER...NEVER..want to tie it off anywhere other than the bow cleat over the roller. NEVER..NEVER tie it to a rear cleat and try to pull it with the boat. That is a sure plan for sinking your boat and where we fish losing your life.
Do a vector diagram on that set-up and it will show you how the boat will go straight up in the air and then sink backwards into the water. Not a pretty picture in 45F water.

Be extra careful to not run over the rode when pulling as it will tangle in the prop. and if the anchor is still set now you will be anchored backward by the lower unit.

Boating/anchoring is a serious thing and your head must be clear and in gear when dealing with anchor pulling.

I have a dedicated razor sharp knife in a sheath very handy
to cut the line if things should go wrong. So far in 28 yrs I have never had to use it but it is there just in case.

[mjsiega]

[thataway]

I also anchored for 30 some years without a windlass with boats up to 45 feet (but for the most part they were sailboats which had some hefty winches which could be used on anchor rodes). One thing I learned early is to let the bouyancy of the boat pull out the anchor--even with a windlass.

As for actually pulling up over the roller--be sure and be sitting down and pulling straight back, rather than leaning over. I am sure that my bad back is related to years of pulling anchors without a windlass. Be careful with anchors.

[tsturm]

[Sea Wolf]

[breausaw]

If you’re fishing alone and in a tight windy area, the buoy pulling method is the way to go others have said. Use the buoy retrieval method than pull the anchors in from the cockpit, when you’re in a better location go forward and pull it in.

If you use ½” line it’s easy to pull, and you can store 600’ of ½” plus 30’ of ¼” chain in the bow.

On our 2 to 3 day summer cruises we just leave the line stacked on the bow with the 30 feet on chain on top, it never budges even in the rough stuff. Last pull of weekend we run it down through the pip or wait tell the boat is pulled out.

Sure going around to the bow can be risky, but if your alone there’s always the forward hatch access and you can actually pull in the anchor from there standing on the v-birth. Getting the anchor over and secured is the only time you need to lean over the bow, no getting around that unless you have a pivoting bow anchor roller....on my short list for next year.

BTY, have never used a buoy to pull anchor only for shrimp pots...maybe give it a try this year especially on the deep fishing sets.

[Robbi]

I often fish alone, and I anchor on most fishing trips. I don't anchor in 300 feet of water, even when cruising. It is usually 30 feet or less. I find that pulling the anchor from the hatch, standing on the V-berth works well. I don't worry about falling overboard, I have a good angle to pull from, and I am that much closer to the helm if I need to make make a correction. I first open the hatch, then start the engine and slowly take the pressure off of the rode. I put the engine in neutral and go forward and pull the anchor up into the roller.
I actually have two anchors on the bow. My main anchor in the roller, and a mushroom anchor in a plastic pail tied down behind the forward deck cleat. I use this anchor for most of my fishing. It is amazing how well this anchor holds as I usually anchor in current up to 4 knots, near shore, in water that is less than 20 feet deep.

Robbi

[Connie Fisher]

Since we live on the Mississippi River, my anchor line requirements usually do not exceed 30/50 feet.

There is not much problem walking around to the front of our 22’ Classic to pull the anchor, but pulling anchor on our 16’ Angler is something else.

I walked around to the front of the 16’ once and quickly realised this was not a safe thing to do.

That particular day being cold, windy with rollers and by myself, quickly convinced me to come up with some way to stay “in the boat” while pulling anchor.

The best arrangement I could come up with was to take an extra rope with an open loop tied in one end, the anchor line was fed through the open loop and tied to the bow cleat.

By pulling on this extra rope with a loop (which slides down the anchor rope as it comes back/up) pulls the anchor line safely back within reach.

Simple, maybe primitive but “safely” works for me.

Regards,

Ron Fisher