Anchor

[Roxy]

As a single handed female boater in charge of a 60ft narrowboat I am well happy with my recent new positioned anchor, if it was on the bow of my boat I would not only have to leave the tiller 'unattended' but also waste valuable time running down 60ft of boat to deploy it, this way if I was too get into trouble all I do is kick it in - regardless if I chuck it off the bow or stern surely its better than nothing??

 

http://s271.photobucket.com/user/Roxiemids/media/Rachelspics007.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

 

 

 

http://s271.photobucket.com/user/Roxiemids/media/Rachelspics005.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

 

 

 

[matty40s]

no, bungee strap is not going to stop it getting knocked off the fender if your back end swings and hits something, or even if you hit shallows and the boat tilts at an angle.

 

If you want it there, get someone like CaptainFizz off here to fabricate you a proper secure mount with a quick release handle.

 

I would have it secured at the front end, and trail the rope down the roof when you are cruising to just in front of your hatch, or even on the hatch.

This means you can chuck it overboard straight away, not have to fight with a tiller arm and bungee cord. This also means your boat will be front end on to the current when anchor digs in.

Edited September 14, 2014 by matty40s

[Alan de Enfield]

Links dont seem to want to work for me.

 

However there is no reason not to have the anchor correctly 'tied-off' at the bow, have the rope running along the roof or gunwhale and deploy it from the stern.

 

It is not ideal to just 'kick it overboard', it should be lowered to avoid it and the chain ending up in a big heap on the bottom.

 

In the event of an emergency & needing to employ an anchor, rather than "having something is better than nothing" I would rather have something that will work.

[kevinl]

But it you're heading upstream and you kick an anchor off the back what happens then? Surely you're supposed the have the front of the boat facing the direction of flow, not the back. Nice boat BTW.

K

[nebulae]

When you chuck the anchor overboard,make sure it is fastened to something solid,as it may pull up with a considerable jerk.(enough to pull off a tee stud if the anchor bites suddenly )Obviously depends on the stength of the flow.

[magnetman]

Looks a bit naughty to me if its always there. Bit exposed.

 

However if it is only put there during 'risky' passages rather than normal canal boating then its not too bad but I would rather something holding it on like a cable tie or that sort of thong which can be easily cut

 

Its not immediately obvious where the chain goes, in the picture I saw.

 

Edite for typographicl errors

Edited September 14, 2014 by magnetman

[Alan de Enfield]

Managed to get the pics to open, from what I can see there doesnt appear to be much chain, and I cannot see any rope - If I'm correct then your confidence on having it as being better than nothing is widely misplaced.

 

You ideally need 10mts+ of 12 mm chain (more would be better) and at least 15mts of 14mm diameter Nylon rope. That will allow you to anchor in about 12 feet (4 metres) water depth. If you are going on a river that is proportinally deeper then you will need proportionally more chain & rope.

 

24 foot of water (8 metre) you will need 20 metres of chain and 30 metres of rope.

 

Its difficult to tell but the anchor looks a little bit 'light' - for a 60 foot NB you should be looking at an absolute minimum of a 20kg anchor of that design.

 

Edited September 14, 2014 by Alan de Enfield

[John V]

I'm afraid I have to agree with most of Alan's points, The anchor looks to be a similar size to the one I carry on my 25'6" cruiser and is adequate for that, I would be unhappy depending on it to stop a narrow boat in a strong current.

 

If you anchor bow on to a current and your anchor drags, you can retain a certain amount of control with your rudder. Stern first this is lacking.

secondly (although I don't know the exact freeboard fore and aft on your boat) The bow of a boat is designed to face a current and is better equipped to cope with waves etc. The stern is not.

 

 

eta adding a word for clarity

Edited September 14, 2014 by John V

[FadeToScarlet]

I'm afraid I have to agree with most of Alan's points, The anchor looks to be a similar size to the one I carry on my 25'6" cruiser and is adequate for that, I would be unhappy depending on it to stop a narrow boat in a strong current.

 

If you anchor bow on to a current and your anchor drags, you can retain a certain amount of control with your rudder. Stern first this is lacking.

secondly (although I don't know the exact freeboard fore and aft on your boat) The bow of a boat is designed to face a current and is better equipped to cope with waves etc. The stern is not.

 

 

eta adding a word for clarity

That's assuming there's enough space for the boat to swing around the anchor, though, if you're travelling downstream. If I couldn't control which way the boat turned, I couldn't anchor from the fore end when going downstream unless the river were 140' or so wide, so it could swing either way, assuming I were in the centre of the river. I wouldn't like to be on my boat if it started turning uncontrollably and swinging the stern end towards the bank.

 

I'd much rather lower the anchor off the counter until I feel it touch the bottom, and then take a turn around the stern t studs to control it setting. This is why, if travelling with a tide or flow, I have the anchor at the back.

As a single handed female boater in charge of a 60ft narrowboat I am well happy with my recent new positioned anchor, if it was on the bow of my boat I would not only have to leave the tiller 'unattended' but also waste valuable time running down 60ft of boat to deploy it, this way if I was too get into trouble all I do is kick it in - regardless if I chuck it off the bow or stern surely its better than nothing??

 

http://s271.photobucket.com/user/Roxiemids/media/Rachelspics007.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

 

 

 

http://s271.photobucket.com/user/Roxiemids/media/Rachelspics005.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

 

Well, if the engine's stopped and you have to deploy the anchor, you can't do much at the tiller- you're better off leaving it and getting up to the fore end to deploy the anchor, if you're heading upstream, if you're on a big enough river and need to stop in an emergency.

 

Having said that, I did have the prop shaft coupling become detached when I was heading upstream above a weir, and had enough momentum to turn the boat and use the current to push the boat over towards the bank, rather than using the anchor- but that was only the Great Ouse by St Ives, and wasn't too large, so I could get over to the bank.

Edited September 14, 2014 by FadeToScarlet

[ditchcrawler]

It OK if the river is 120ft wide having it on the bows going down hill. if its only 55ft you are stuck across the river. That may be fine but depends on flow and depth of water.

[John V]

That's assuming there's enough space for the boat to swing around the anchor, though, if you're travelling downstream. If I couldn't control which way the boat turned, I couldn't anchor from the fore end when going downstream unless the river were 140' or so wide, so it could swing either way, assuming I were in the centre of the river. I wouldn't like to be on my boat if it started turning uncontrollably and swinging the stern end towards the bank.

 

I'd much rather lower the anchor off the counter until I feel it touch the bottom, and then take a turn around the stern t studs to control it setting. This is why, if travelling with a tide or flow, I have the anchor at the back.

Well, if the engine's stopped and you have to deploy the anchor, you can't do much at the tiller- you're better off leaving it and getting up to the fore end to deploy the anchor, if you're heading upstream, if you're on a big enough river and need to stop in an emergency.

 

Having said that, I did have the prop shaft coupling become detached when I was heading upstream above a weir, and had enough momentum to turn the boat and use the current to push the boat over towards the bank, rather than using the anchor- but that was only the Great Ouse by St Ives, and wasn't too large, so I could get over to the bank.

 

 

That's odd I just started to quote and realised the post in the box was longer than the post I was answering......proper threw me for a moment

 

Anyway.....I can see your point I was thinking more of the bigger rivers like lower reaches of the tidal Trent and the Tidal Thames for anchoring with the standing waves and disturbed waters in the strong currents. I can see with a long boat the width of the river could be very important.

[FadeToScarlet]

That's odd I just started to quote and realised the post in the box was longer than the post I was answering......proper threw me for a moment

 

Anyway.....I can see your point I was thinking more of the bigger rivers like lower reaches of the tidal Trent and the Tidal Thames for anchoring with the standing waves and disturbed waters in the strong currents. I can see with a long boat the width of the river could be very important.

Yep, I'd agree with you- if there's space (and depth!) for the boat to swing, then I'd always go off the fore end.

[phill]

One thing I've seen on this an other threads is the idea of 'chucking the anchor overboard'. This is wrong. An anchor should be deployed by lowering it. Paying out the last of the rope with a turn around the t-stud ensures there will be no snatch. It may seem like a stressful situation but nothing will be gained apart from the risk of fouling your anchor if you just throw it over.

[Alan Saunders]

Single-handed it is best to have all the ropes 'at hand', on rivers the anchor too.

 

I suspect a typical narrowboat will ride almost as well anchored from the stern as anchored from the bow.

 

Depending on the effective width of the navigable channel I would rather be anchored to a stern dolly (going dowstream) than chance having a bow anchor swing me 180 and end up with both bow and stern aground, across the current.

 

As usual, there is no single solution. We must always 'think ahead'.

[Grace and Favour]

We traverse rivers fairly frequently. Our anchor is fixed in the bow with a winch - - which is fine when travelling against the flow.

 

We carry a couple of 25Kg mudweights (on 20m lines) at the stern should we need them as a primary resource if travelling with the flow (not a perfect solution, but better than none I hope!)

[Paul's Nulife4-2]

As a single handed female boater in charge of a 60ft narrowboat I am well happy with my recent new positioned anchor, if it was on the bow of my boat I would not only have to leave the tiller 'unattended' but also waste valuable time running down 60ft of boat to deploy it, this way if I was too get into trouble all I do is kick it in - regardless if I chuck it off the bow or stern surely its better than nothing??

 

http://s271.photobucket.com/user/Roxiemids/media/Rachelspics007.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

 

 

 

http://s271.photobucket.com/user/Roxiemids/media/Rachelspics005.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

 

 

 

Hi ya Roxy.

Yes, looks good, Practice how to launch & retrieve it under safe conditions a few times. I don't know if it's possible on your boat, but consider having a warp suitability made fast at the Bow, then leading Aft along say a Gunwhale to the stern and made off, where you 'Could' if conditions allow let the Anchor go from the Tiller in an emergency, and allow you to 'Fall Back' on the Tide or Stream and stop the Bow from bearing off.

I've got a similar arrangement to yours for my Dedicated Small Stern Anchor.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6v9tr7i8oqhe27e/IMAG0187.jpg?dl=0

It works well, and often Have Both my Bow & Stern Anchor down at Night if swinging space is

limited.

But Practice is the Key IMO.

Edited September 15, 2014 by Paul's Nulife4-2

[John V]

We traverse rivers fairly frequently. Our anchor is fixed in the bow with a winch - - which is fine when travelling against the flow.

 

We carry a couple of 25Kg mudweights (on 20m lines) at the stern should we need them as a primary resource if travelling with the flow (not a perfect solution, but better than none I hope!)

 

 

mud weights can be very handy, we often use one (off the bow) when creeping up a creek on the first of the flood. With it just kissing the bottom and dragging, you can maintain steerage without the engine or sails. We can creep up river to the mooring slowly, under full control.

[John V]

Morning Paul....Yes having both is the ideal!

[nebulae]

Assuming that the anchor is deployed because of mechanical failure,when repairs have been completed,the engine can be used to assist in retrieving the anchor(tricky for a single hander)I have never tried to reverse up to an anchor,I guess its possible. I was always taught that an anchor and warp(or chain)may have to be cast away if it can not be retrieved .Depends on the flow .Unless you have tried to retrieve an anchor against a strong flow it is difficult to imagine how difficult it is. Larger sea going boats will usualy have a winch,never seen one on a narrow boat(but on some Dutch barge types)

[Murflynn]

Assuming that the anchor is deployed because of mechanical failure,when repairs have been completed,the engine can be used to assist in retrieving the anchor(tricky for a single hander)I have never tried to reverse up to an anchor,I guess its possible. I was always taught that an anchor and warp(or chain)may have to be cast away if it can not be retrieved .Depends on the flow .Unless you have tried to retrieve an anchor against a strong flow it is difficult to imagine how difficult it is. Larger sea going boats will usualy have a winch,never seen one on a narrow boat(but on some Dutch barge types)

if you are suggesting that the anchor should always be fixed to the sharp end to allow the boat to be motored up to retrieve the anchor, even if it is fixed at the stern, the fixing can be transferred to the bow by the judicial use of additional ropes.

[WJM]

I agree, that anchor is way too small for a 60' narrowboat. And you should have a great big pile of chain and an even bigger pile of rope. You are not going to be able to keep an adequate anchoring system out on that fender even though it is a nice idea.

 

I have an anchor at both ends but I think I would be very reluctant to use the stern one in anything other than a very extreme circumstance. Being anchored in a strong stream will cause the anchored end to drop low in the water. That is fine if it is the bow but dragging the stern low could flood the boat through the engine vents.

 

I single-hand on fast water quite a lot and I just accept that I will have to run through the boat to deploy the anchor, the thought of being anchored from the stern in a fast stream is just too unsettling.