How much anchor rope is needed
I'm thinking about upgrading my anchor rope. Interested in thoughts on how much is required or desired.
I have a stressfree freefall drum winch which I highly rate. It has about 70 useable meters of 3 strand 8mm nylon and 8mm chain, so I can reliably anchor in maybe 25 meters but have hooked up on rock in 30 meters before.
The drum can hold 90 of 8mm rope and 8mm of 8mm shortlink chain. I think previous damage has shortened it which is why I have 75m now.
I'm thinking of keeping the chain and 10m of the 8mm nylon and putting on 160m of 6mm doublebraid either nylon or polyester. This will increase my anchoring range to around 60-80m for fishing. (The manufacturer rates the drum capacity for this)
There is a possibility to add more if I put 100m of 4 or 5mm dyneema on the bottom of the drum.
Question is: Is it really worth it? It seems like holding a spot on anchor with that much rope out would not really be possible with that much swing which is usual in anything less than perfect weather.
What do you guys think?
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Marineboy
Posts: 842
Date Joined: 14/03/14
Anchor rope
i think the suggested lengths are 3 times the depth on a calm day ie 20 mtrs deep 60 mtrs of anchor rope and 5 times on a rough day ie 20mtrs deep 100mtrs of rope. You can prob get away with less rope out but I think these are the suggested safe standards.
My spots are so secret even the fish don't know about them !
gruntre69
Posts: 533
Date Joined: 15/10/16
Yes agree. This is why I
Yes agree. This is why I mentioned "anchoring range for fishing" because it doesn't matter so much weather it holds or not but at a scope of 3 it will have a reasonable chance. Bit different if anchoring a live aboard vessel for overnighting etc...
The idea of the post is for opinions for fishing anchoring purposes.
BTW: From what I've seen when diving down my anchor line, it's the weight and length of chain you have that helps the most with the anchor holding...
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Swompa
Posts: 3880
Date Joined: 14/10/12
Per above, 3x when calm or
Per above, 3x when calm or moderate and more when rough or if your sleeping on the boat.
be careful with Dyneema or spectra as you won't be able to splice it into the 3 strand nylon. No problem with the strength though the knot may cause issues
gruntre69
Posts: 533
Date Joined: 15/10/16
Yes apparantly you join them
Yes apparantly you join them with eye to eye splices.
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carnarvonite
Posts: 8667
Date Joined: 24/07/07
What size boat
8mm sounds a bit light considering I run 10mm on a 5 metre plate ali and if you have a winch fitted then my guess it would be over 5.5metres.
Unless the boat is about 3 metre or less then 8mm would be suitable IMO.
Also you are supposed to carry enough rope to safely anchor in the depth you wish to fish
Moist and Salty
Posts: 102
Date Joined: 28/10/14
Not having a go, just
Not having a go, just wanting to clarify. Your last comment about carrying enough rope to anchor wherever you fish, is this implying that if you're deep dropping you're expected to carry 1000-1500m of rope?
If so where is the room for the people on the boat once the rope is on board?
Belly Fish
Posts: 499
Date Joined: 09/03/12
Not so sure about that...
As far as I know, there is no rule about the length of anchor rope. The regulations say you need to have an "efficient anchor", with no mention of rope length. I regularly fish 450m, and I'm pretty sure there is no rule that says I need to carry a miniumum of 1.5kms of anchor rope!!!
gruntre69
Posts: 533
Date Joined: 15/10/16
Boat is 5.75m Cruisecraft
Boat is 5.75m Cruisecraft Glass.
My last trip I ventured into the 115s which is the only place we caught decent fish. Carrying 300-400m for me is out of the question for me and I am unaware of any regulations compelling me to do this. I simply don't have the drum capacity to do this.
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Breaksea
Posts: 22
Date Joined: 15/06/15
Nylon sinks, so it gets a
Nylon sinks, so it gets a belly in the cable, and is stretchy - you might hold better on fishing spots by just topping up to 90m Nylon rather than using floating/non-stretch cable.
Agree with Carnarvonite re. safety - anchor set-up for fishing is one thing. For safety I always have a couple of hundred metre anchor cable (10 and 12mm for my 5.5m boat) and an "over-rated" sand-anchor on chain in case I have to use the anchor for safety purposes.
gruntre69
Posts: 533
Date Joined: 15/10/16
I have found a supplier of
I have found a supplier of 6mm double braid nylon/nylon which is rated at 950Kg. This is close to the 8mm 3 strand. I do like the idea of the stretchy nylon and the extra capacity the 6mm offers.
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Matt T
Posts: 875
Date Joined: 19/11/07
Minn Kota
What about a Minn Kota with spot lock for this situation?