Anchor

[stickleback]

Well, I have an anchor. With loads of chain and rope. But I've never used it (no need on the canals I've been on!) Where is the best place to fasten it? I remember reading somewhere that the T stud at the front is too weak and could pull away - this seems unlikely to me?

 

In the event of having to use it - I assume it is best to throw it off the front of the boat? (57 foot narrow boat)? And getting it back on board - is this a problem? Of course, much the best is not to have to use it - but you never know! I'm probably going for a few days on the Thames and want to know what to do in an emergency!

 

Stickleback

 

Edited for spelling errors!

Edited March 16, 2009 by stickleback

[alan_fincher]

My very limited understanding is that you need to have it stowed at the back of the boat if going downriver, or at the front if going up river.

 

Then if you have to deploy it, the boat will stay pointed in broadly your original direction of travel.

 

If you were to use if from the "downhill" end of the boat, in the case of (for example) engine failure, the flow of the river is going to try and turn you right round, or end up wedging you sideways.

 

With a "trad" style boat when going down river, I couldn't see anything I could do with the anchor other than put it on a mat on the rear hatch.

 

I have seen T-studs and mooring dollies pulled off of boats, but not often.

[RobinJ]

My very limited understanding is that you need to have it stowed at the back of the boat if going downriver, or at the front if going up river.

 

Then if you have to deploy it, the boat will stay pointed in broadly your original direction of travel.

 

If you were to use if from the "downhill" end of the boat, in the case of (for example) engine failure, the flow of the river is going to try and turn you right round, or end up wedging you sideways.

Fine in theory, but a right pain in the !$%& when your trying to get a towrope on (from experiences on the Trent - it was the fact that we were turned round that saved both us and the boat)!

[dave_2A_]

I'd have thought that with only one anchor, it's better at the front, whichever direction you're travelling in. The flow might (would) turn you around, but the bow will then be pointing into the current, which offers a lot less resistance, and hence a lot less pull on the anchor.

[John Orentas]

I have never been convinced by the argument for deploying anchors at the stern, seems very messy to me.. The best fixing is a 5/8 or 3/4" eye bolt at a convenient place near the stud, you can then leave it permanently in place using a 'D' shackle when on a river, (this is another one of those things which was compulsory at one time)..

 

Don't take those tables of anchor/ boat length too seriously, you need an anchor you can readily handle, to retrieve the thing when it gets stuck, the idea is to 'run over it', that will usually shift it.. Mind you in 25+ years mine never got wet..

[Keeping Up]

I'd have thought that with only one anchor, it's better at the front, whichever direction you're travelling in. The flow might (would) turn you around, but the bow will then be pointing into the current, which offers a lot less resistance, and hence a lot less pull on the anchor.

Bit of a problem if you're in a 65ft wide river with a 70ft boat though - at least that was I was thinking to myself as we travelled downstream towards Gloucester Lock with my anchor at the bow.

[WJM]

I usually put the anchor on the upstream end of the boat, that is, on the stern when I am travelling downstream. This will prevent the boat having to rotate before it stops which might be the difference between going broadside onto a bridge or not. By deploying from the upstream end you also reduce your stopping distance by the length of your boat, which could be the difference between getting swept onto a weir or not. It seems a simple decision to me.

 

If a narrowboat weighs between 15 and 20 tonnes and is travelling at say 4mph then I think there is enough energy in there to rip the T-Stud off. I go with a kind of crumple-zone strategy. I fix the anchor to a number of points on the boat so the failure of the first one absorbs a lot of energy. I might end up with some mangled metalwork but hopefully I will stop. The T-stud is the last in my chain of fixing points.

[GUMPY]

One thing people seem to have missed is that you don't just chuck the anchor over and hope the thing doesn't rip the fixing point out, you let the anchor go, then take the strain bit by bit until it the anchor bites and then you bring the boat to a stop.

If you use an anchor at the stern in a fast current and you don't do it gradually there is a good chance that your stern will go under water as the anchor bites...........

[Bullfrog]

Don't take those tables of anchor/ boat length too seriously,

 

I hear what you're saying John, but where do you go to find recommended type, weights, length of chain, length of warp etc. to suit a narrow boat?

 

David

[WJM]

"you let the anchor go, then take the strain bit by bit until it the anchor bites and then you bring the boat to a stop"

 

I am interested to know what you mean. How exactly do you take the strain? I am assuming the most likely use for an anchor is a loss of propulsion. Having dropped the anchor, it is going to be difficult to stand on the counter and play out the rope by hand with 15/20 tonnes of boat under you that wants to keep going.

[carlt]

I have my anchor where I can easily reach it, in an emergency and, unless you've got a forward or centre cockpit, this is always at the stern, in a narrowboat.

 

If I've just saved my boat and some lives, I won't care which way the boat is pointing or whether is is wedged across the river.

 

What's the point in having the emergency equipment in the bows if you're stood on the back deck.

 

As to size of anchor...just less than the heaviest the weakest (able) adult on the boat can lift. Swmbo can just about handle a 20kilo hook so that is the weight of our emergency anchor (our mooring hooks are much bigger but they'll never be her concern).

[GUMPY]

"you let the anchor go, then take the strain bit by bit until it the anchor bites and then you bring the boat to a stop"

 

I am interested to know what you mean. How exactly do you take the strain? I am assuming the most likely use for an anchor is a loss of propulsion. Having dropped the anchor, it is going to be difficult to stand on the counter and play out the rope by hand with 15/20 tonnes of boat under you that wants to keep going.

 

You need a lot of rope.

here is what I would do

Firstly don't stand on the counter (even when steering) stand in the hatchway

Take a couple of turns round both dollys let the anchor go, pay oout the rope until it bites then just feed the rope to the dollys as needed.

I accept no responsibility if you try it and make a mess of it .

 

 

Having no bow thruster I use the anchors on the barge a lot to manoeuvre it and the stern one has no winch so that is hard work.

[carlt]

You need a lot of rope.

If I'm heading rapidly towards a weir, with a broken engine, then I want a shorter length of rope, than the distance between me and the weir and an anchor that I know will sink hook side down.

[GUMPY]

If I'm heading rapidly towards a weir, with a broken engine, then I want a shorter length of rope, than the distance between me and the weir and an anchor that I know will sink hook side down.

 

The comment about a lot of rope was so that people don't try it with a short bit and then catch there hands in the rope.

 

I suppose that the saving grace is that if you do just chuck it over and let it snatch when the Dolly breaks off it will be travelling away from the boat.

[NB Alnwick]

I have my anchor where I can easily reach it, in an emergency and, unless you've got a forward or centre cockpit, this is always at the stern, in a narrowboat.

 

If I've just saved my boat and some lives, I won't care which way the boat is pointing or whether is is wedged across the river.

 

What's the point in having the emergency equipment in the bows if you're stood on the back deck.

 

As to size of anchor...just less than the heaviest the weakest (able) adult on the boat can lift. Swmbo can just about handle a 20kilo hook so that is the weight of our emergency anchor (our mooring hooks are much bigger but they'll never be her concern).

 

This always seemed logical to me. However, our boat is fitted with an exceptionally robust anchor point at the bows and when we went out into the Severn Estuary, our Pilot explained the reason for this. At the time I had stowed the anchor on the cabin roof, close to hand from my steering position at the stern - he made me move it to the bows and he checked that it was properly secured. He gave two reasons for this:

 

Firstly, if the anchor accidentally launched itself from the cabin roof, for instance if we encountered a freak wave, were affected by wash from a larger vessel or struck a submerged object, it could foul the prop which in our case could also snap the anchor chain, and we could be left completely helpless. In fouling the prop, the anchor chain and rope (which I had attached to one of Alnwick's towing eyes) could whip across the back deck taking us overboard and possibly causing serious injury.

 

Secondly, if circumstances arise where it is necessary to pay out the anchor, it is important that it is attached to the dedicated anchor point which the builder will have designed to be strong enough and in the right location to hold the boat in position without risk of capsizing. In the case of our boat, the anchor point at the bows will allow the boat to swing round to face the current and being the most buoyant part of the hull, it will do this without the risk of pulling us over.

[blackrose]

If you use an anchor at the stern in a fast current and you don't do it gradually there is a good chance that your stern will go under water as the anchor bites...........

 

Having never deployed an anchor in an emergency I'm all ears on this discussion.

 

If you're making use of the current and travelling with it (as many of us do), then having a stern anchor as well as a bow anchor seems to make sense to me. So how about deploying both at the same time? I guess it would depend on which bit first but could this reduce the chance of the stern being dragged under?

[FadeToScarlet]

Someone I know kept his anchor stowed on fixing points on the bow, attached to the t-stud. Apparently it kept the plastic boats away from him when sharing locks!

 

Unfortunately, when travelling up the Ouse towards Ely, the anchor fell off. The boat made a fairly impressive slew around 180 degrees, tilting some 30 degrees or so, and ended up facing upstream...

 

Lash the anchor on properly, otherwise you might find yourself coming to a sudden stop!

 

****

 

My own anchor is laughably small- definitely too small for the boat. However I bought as much heavy chain as I could afford, so as to give it the best possible chance of setting itself.

 

Carl's comment that the maximum size of anchor you can have is limited by the amount you and your crew can lift is a good one- there's no point in having a 40kg anchor that's enough for the boat if you can't get it back onboard!

[WJM]

Being able to recover the anchor is a distant second in my requirements. I will happily loose one if it means avoiding a disaster.

[ChrisPy]

seems to me that everyone is getting worked up over the possible use of an anchor as an emergency brake.

 

fair enough, but in practice it is more likely that you will use the anchor to stop the boat from drifting when the engine fails or you want to hold position against a tide or current.

 

think about sailing yachts - they are far more likely to get into difficulties off a lee shore, or when caught in a tidal rip. but their anchors are relatively small and generally the anchor rope is led through a lightweight fairlead. if they used the anchor as an emergency brake most yachts would be missing parts of the foredeck! anchors are not intended to be grappling irons, more they are intended to be the fixity at the end of a relatively heavy chain whose catenary shape dulls the snagging as the boat moves around, as it takes up the strain. if the anchor is not jerked around there is little chance that it will drag.

 

10 metres of heavy chain with an anchor on the end, connected to 20metres of heavy rope, is the way to go.

I would fix the end of the rope to a point on the boat that could fail without doing too much damage.

my anchor, chain and rope is kept in the gas locker - not strictly allowed under the BSS - segregated from the bottle by a partial bulkhead, with the rope end shackled to a welded lug.

drop the anchor followed by the chain then, with a couple of turns of the rope round the tee stud, try to steady the movement progressively.

whatever you do, avoid a situation where the rope can suddenly come up tight - it may snap and smack you as it flies back.

[carlt]

Being able to recover the anchor is a distant second in my requirements. I will happily loose one if it means avoiding a disaster.

The weight has nothing to do with losing it or being unable to recover it, it's to do with the ability to deploy it.

[stickleback]

Thanks for all of that - I'd better get an anchor point welded on. All I've got is the T stud at the front. Seems robust and firm but what do I know!? I'm having one or two bits "done" so I'll get that done at the same time.

[carlt]

Personally, I'd trust a t-stud, bolted through a stem iron or back deck, more than a weld.

Edited March 16, 2009 by carlt

[Rick-n-Jo]

Don't forget that versatile bit of kit, the mud weight!

 

A 56lb weight or a bt of railway line, on a strong line, with a bit of chain if you like. On a fast flowing river it probably won't stop you, but it will slow you down and give you a bit of thinking time, or let you deploy the anchor safely if you decide you need to. Going downstream it can be kept handy just inside the cabin. It's easier to recover than an anchor if your problem is only temporary.

A few years ago I was on a crew training exercise on the trip boat "King Arthur"

 

 

on the Severn north of Gloucester, we experimented with a mud weight. It had a significant slowing effect even on a boat of that size. Deployed from the bow while facing upstream, the resulting flow of water over the rudder was enough to allow the boat to be angled across the stream, when she would then work her way towards the bank and slacker water.

 

I'd say a useful tool to have available.

[MoominPapa]

Don't forget that versatile bit of kit, the mud weight!

 

I'd say a useful tool to have available.

That's a very good thought. We carry a couple since they're useful for mooring up in the Fens. I hope if I'm even in need I'll remember that advice, might just save the day.

 

MP.

[Midnight Rider]

Y'know, I couldn't get my head around this, the last time the subject came up.

 

If your tiny female crew member can only manage a 15kg anchor on your 70ft boat & it won't hold it, what's the point in carrying it?

 

It would be good if someone could produce a table showing what type of anchor can hold various weights of boats on the inland waterways.

 

It would also be useful if anyone who has had to use their anchor could let us know the details & how they got on.