I understand the 5:1 and 7:1 ratios depending on calm or rough waters to determine the length of your anchor rode and chain.

For sake of discussion, say you are in waters that you need 300' of anchor rode (and under the assumption that you don't have a windlass), do boaters use one 300' long rope or do they splice (3) 100 footers together?

I have one 250 foot rode, and 15 feet of chain, on my current anchor, as well as the one I lost to Davey Jones' Locker 2 weeks ago. Still have the rode, but not the chain and anchor.

Here's my opinion:

5:1, 7:1, etc is more for cruisers who are looking for overnight mooring or "sure holds" for larger boats.

For smaller boats, say less than 25 footers, I find it excessive. If you're looking to chill on the hook for a couple of hours, say to eat dinner or swim, who wants to spend 20 minutes setting an anchor for 2 hours? NOT ME! I usually throw 1.5:1 or 2:1 depending on conditions. The local lake averages a mud bottom depth of 15 feet. I usually throw 25-30ft of rode (10' is chain). Put the boat in reverse for a few seconds and forget about it. I don't care if i'm slowly dragging...i'm going to be moving again at some point. If I get to close to the shore, well then, i'll just move.

The other local lake averages a depth of 45ft. I only have about 60 feet of rode. Fortunately, the area we normally anchor in is about 35 feet deep. I usually toss the entire rode.

At any rate, my point is, I think most anchoring in smaller boats is temporary and does not require fighting 300' of rode. Heck, 60' is enough of a pain. Half of the time if it's not too windy, I won't even throw the anchor. I'll just move the boat once or twice to correct the drift.

And btw, on smaller lakes, there generally is not going to be enough "area" to have a 200' "swing pattern".

Just my opinion. This obviously changes as boats get bigger, windlass equipment, stay requirements, etc.

D-Rod, there is nothing that will get the ire of other boaters up as someone anchoring and dragging anchor near their boat.

Please do this when other boaters are not nearby.

Up until lunch time today I used a 50' long rode with no chain, I have a 18' boat. We typically anchor in a no wake zone to enjoy an afternoon of swimming and hanging out. The waters are typically 20' deep, I can get shallower but then I am too close to shore for our comfort level. I should be in 25' deep waters in order to be in our comfort zone but that leaves me with approx. a 2:1 scope.

As far as swinging on the hook, I am not too concerned about that as most of us are far enough away from each other that we shouldn't be in each other's way.

Last year I used a chain because I had laying around the garage, it was huge at approx 25' long with 1/4" links. This was way over kill but it kept the boat in its place.

The picture below is typically how close we are to shore when anchored with my current 50' rode. The tube line is not even fully extended. We would rather be further away so we don't get tangled up in stumps and other stuff.


I will be giving the 100' a chance and it should be more than adequate for our typical waters, for the once a year trip to lakes with deeper waters, I could always attach the 50'.

Its goal is to hold, how you make it hold---up to you. Few want to keep a steady eye out for draggin boats, IMO. No one around, have your own fun.

Generally don't bother anchoring at all for a couple of hours on the beach. Just use a shore stake and bow in. Freshwater application only. For the big water, I wouldn't beach nor would I be shy about anchor scope.

I'm using 150' of rode no chain. I never had the need to anchor in waters deeper then 30' day or night.

Don't you guys know that it's not the length, but how you use it that's important??

To answer your original question, If you need 300' of rode, I doubt most boaters would splice 3 100'ers together, IMO.

You lake boaters need to spend some time anchoring on a river with a good current and wind

1.5- 2:1 ain't gonna cut it.

Nope. I've anchored below Hoover Dam to bbq some dogs before. There's a really good current there when the hydro-electric is feeding Vegas at 3 o'clock on a July afternoon. Needed at least 100 feet and 15 feet of chain and its only about 15 feet deep at the boom line in front of the dam.

I've got 15' of chain and 150' of rode....normally anchor in about 20' of water, and I set it to hold me overnight. I didn't move at all last time we were out....

Normal anchoring for night is recommended to be in 20-30ft waters, no more but less is ok (depending on tides of course as well)
3:1 is quite normal but also 5:1 works as long as not too many boats are too close as the swing radius gets pretty big.

I have only 130ft chain and 120 ft rope in total.

Anchoring in 90ft is silly unless it is an emergency with risk of drifting further out. Just use a drift anchor to slow down drifting if it is for staying roughly put.

Hooking the hook is key and not the full length.......

100 foot rode and then have 100 foot extension.

and I attach it with what kind of knot???

(clove hitch)

Most of the places we anchor, whether it's for a few hours or overnight, are 10'-20' and there's usually a 2-4kt current plus some wind but the bottom is usually mud.

I have about 330' of all chain (3/16" galv links) and lay out about 100'. That usually will hold. If there's a threat of winds I'll drop out another 50'-75' just to be on the safe side.

+1 to the comments about not wanting boats around me to drift. Go somewhere else, thank you very much.

Really, clove hitch?
"Uses: The Clove Hitch (ABOK # 1245, p 224) was, originally, included here with the intention of condemning it. It does have two major failings: it slips and, paradoxically, can also bind. However, it does have at least one excellent application (though NOT in boating!):"


I havn't had the need to do so, but always thought if I needed to lenghten my rode by adding more rope, I'd use the Double Fisherman .


I'm not saying I'm right. Just going by what I've read.

I'm not a boy scout anymore, but I thought the clove hitch was for temporarily attach a line to a post.

I would use a sheet bend to attach two lines together, which is what that Knot is meant for. The beauty of a sheet bend is that when you want to untie it it usually comes right out, but it would be very unlikely to come undone in use.

BTW, I have 100 feet of rope and 4 feet of 3/8 chain attached to my anchor. We usually hook up in about 25 feet of water with very little current, for this I use about 50 feet of my rode, letting out about 35 feet and getting a "hookup" then let the rest out. This usually holds well.

And +10 on not dragging your anchor near my boat, this would cause me to become rude and possibly beligerent!

For a short lunch/swim anchor I'll use about 50'-70' of rode in 15 to 20 ft of water. Don't really measure just let it out until it seems about right.

Never had to tie two pieces of anchor rode together but often tie 2 or 3 ropes to be a shoreline when camping because of low water level. I've always just tied them together with two small interlocking bowlines. Quick, easy and easy to untie when leaving from weekend of camping.

Since we're talking about rodes, I thought I'd pass on something that makes our "non-windlass" life a bit easier. We've been using these for a few years to keep the anchor locker nice and neat and to prevent any knots in the rode... Extension cord reel

Our 100 footer fits easily and I was able to make our spare 150 footer fit on one also...

I have done the exact. One thought is with out you having a windlass dragging in 300' and 30' of chain would hurt most men. My case in point is my back up is a large box anchor with 150' of rope on it. I broke loose one night in a storm and read my depth wrong and dropped it over and its a good thing it was tied off cause it never hit bottom. That was a pain in the (?) to pull that beast up from that depth in a hurry with the boat drifting. Just another boating oops! As it was stated unless yo have a large boat like mine or in very fast current 300' would be excessive but provide you more peace of mind. My dealer tried to sell me 150 of chain so that i would never break a rope. Yes I broke my anchor rope once and had to have diver friend of mine retrieve the anchor form lake mead in 30' of water and no I will not tell you what kind of rpm's it took to do that, its was only my second time out with the boat and man what a shaking that caused.

I have 30ft of chain and 500ft of rode if needed. If anchoring offshore I have 2 bow anchors and sometimes 1 stern anchor. That sucker is not going anywhere.

Mark

This thread reminds me of a guy in a 34 foot Sea Ray that I encountered a couple of years ago. He appeared to be somewhat of a novice at anchoring. . . he would lower the anchor (via windlass of course) until it touched bottom and then stop. He wondered why the anchor wouldn't hold.

I hollered over to him, "let out more scope" . . . he replied "more what?"

A scope of 1:1 just wasn't going to cut it for this guy.

Did he dump some mouthwash into the water and then thought you were the knucklehead for suggesting he do that.

Thanks for all the comments, the double fisherman knot is similar to what I use to connect my "rope" to the anchor. I think I can say rope since it is not a rode until it is connected to the anchor

I use, (what else?) a bowline knot to attach the line to the anchor shackle.

BRAIN CRAMP . . .

Sheet Bend, I meant to say.

old age will do that to you . . .

Rarely, if ever, do I have to toss more than 100 feet of rode out.

I have 150' of rode on my danforth and 250' on my box anchor. Depending on the place I am boating I constantly adjust my requirements. We generally boat on a river with a current requiring more rode than most of the lakes we boat on. That siad most of the laskes are substanially deeper than the river.