Anchor release method.

Getting near to the world longest and most frustrating anchor winch installation. Got me thinking that the cost of the Delta anchor, swivel and the small dia. hi tensile rope is beginning to add up, so don't want to loose it.
So what to do if the anchor gets stuck, I've read some previous threads on this, diving to free it, diving is out for me.
The idea of using the plastic tie sounds quite good, however now the chain and anchor must go through a bow sprit, and I do not want loops of chain etc. that might foul there.
Two ideas I have are to run a length of 30 x 3mm stainless up each side of the anchor, bolted via the front hole on the anchor, to protrude just out from the rear of the anchor shaft, where the swivel is bolted, clamping the two strips together.
Another hole is drilled in the strips where you would normally attach the swivel to the anchor and a heavy plastic tie or a nylon bolt is fastened here.
The other idea is to get made up a sort halter, or a "Y", out of stainless cable, each end has a thimble, the swivel is swaged in place at the centre of the "Y", and the chain attached.
The halter is attached to the front of the anchor with a thimble on each side of the anchor, with a bolt through all, and the plastic tie fastened as above.
Anyone else done anything like this, or have any other ideas, thoughts about it.


Reefmonkey's picture

Posts: 711

Date Joined: 22/09/08

Proper ground

Sun, 2014-03-23 17:48

I used to have a great collection of anchors from years of diving. had all sorts, sarca's, deltas and other wizzbang anchors with release style mechanisms. most deltas and super sarcas with cable ties still attached, majority of the time its not the anchor, its the chain that wraps around or under reef.

Pick your spot well and anchor properly on the right ground and you wont need all that fancy stuff and you'll still have your delta 10 years down the track.

as i float my new prizes to the surface i always wonder why someone would drop expensive anchors that are designed for sand and mud smack bang in the middle of a patch of reef...

If you cant dive down you'll always risk your anchor if you drop it on rock and nothing is a sure way to get it back. 

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 Dave J.

hilly9's picture

Posts: 282

Date Joined: 13/10/12

so use less chain when

Sun, 2014-03-23 20:37

so use less chain when anchoring on reef even with a reef anchor?

Reefmonkey's picture

Posts: 711

Date Joined: 22/09/08

I guess no anchor is void

Sun, 2014-03-23 21:53

I guess no anchor is void from getting stuck, just a risk you take when dropping on reef but personally i wouldn't be keen dropping a $200-300 anchor and 10m of chain into a reef if i cant go down to recover it. I used to use only about 4-5metres on my old reef anchor but i could never trust a reefy and go for a dive, fishing you can always reset it and they're cheaper to replace if its not budging from the bottom.

 

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 Dave J.

Posts: 5796

Date Joined: 18/01/12

agree 100% Dave, I put this

Sun, 2014-03-23 22:42

agree 100% Dave, I put this up a couple of months back and got flogged here by a couple of people

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 Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...

 

 

The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.

Everyone's just winging it.

 

iana's picture

Posts: 652

Date Joined: 21/09/09

Pick your spot.

Sun, 2014-03-23 18:17

Anchor in sand (or mud)and drift back over the spot!, saves me extra work if that's the case, so its the chain not the anchor that's the problem.

Jason P's picture

Posts: 521

Date Joined: 16/02/13

New Release design.

Sun, 2014-03-23 21:20

Whipped upa new design (prototype 1) of anchor release a couple of weeks ago,yet to test.

Uses a shark clip spring reshaped, pretty rough work even by my standards, but was bored one saturday night.

I even have a better design worked out for my prototype 2. (But gotta see how prototype 1 goes first)

The anchor itself is just a cheap $40 Plough.

 

Anchor Prototype 1_1 photo prototype1_1.jpg Anchor Prototype 1_2 photo prototype1_2.jpg Anchor Prototype 1_3 photo prototype1_3.jpg

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 DM306