And before you head out, you need to know how much anchor line you need. Use a ratio of 7:1, or 7 feet of line for every foot of anticipated water depth. For example, you would need 70 feet of anchor line in 10 feet of water.

A good rule of thumb is 1/8″ of rope diameter for every 9 feet of boat length. In other words, if you have a 26-foot boat, you need 3/8″ line, but you should buy 1/2″ rope for a 28-footer. To determine how long your anchor rode should be, multiply the deepest water you expect to anchor in by eight.

An anchor must have a line of cable, rope, or galvanized chain attached. The required length of the line depends on the length and type of pleasure craft you are operating. Sailboats and powerboats up to 9 metres (29.5 feet) in length and PWCs must have at least 15 metres (49.2 feet) of cable, rope, or chain.

The anchor itself weighs 30,000 pounds. The chain is 1,440 feet long and each link weighs 136 pounds. Believe it or not, this combination is actually lighter than those fitted to the heavier Nimitz-class carriers.

Toggle bolts are sized in two ways… by the diameter of the machine screw and by the length of the machine screw. The larger the bolt diameter, the larger and stronger the toggle since larger bolts mean beefier toggle wings.

Claw Bruce Boat Anchor Sizing Chart

– 18 lb anchor – for boats 28-34 ft in winds up to 30 mph. Boats in this size usually have large anchor lockers, or the anchors are mounted on the bow with an anchor windlass, anchor roller, electric anchor winch, etc. – 22 lb anchor – for boats 35-42 ft in winds up to 30 mph.

So rather than looking at the size or weight of the anchor you look at its holding power to determine if it has enough to be beneficial for your pontoon boat. The rule-of-thumb is that an anchor that has a holding power of 90 lbs can hold a 20 foot boat in up to 20 mph winds.

The 14 lb Hurricane Anchor is our most popular choice for a pontoon boat anchor. Typically, since pontoon boats are lighter than the equivalent length fiberglass boat, the 14 lb Hurricane Anchor is great for boats up to 30 feet in length. 4-6 feet of anchor chain is also recommended.

When it comes to vehicles, both on land and on water, it’s generally accepted that the monetary value will depreciate shortly after purchase, and thus, a good investment requires getting a quality, reliable vehicle you can enjoy for years. That perfectly describes a pontoon boat investment.

The Best Anchors for Pontoon Boat

• Seachoice Fold-and-Hold Anchor.
• MarineNow Anchor Kit.
• Danielson PVC Coat Anchor.
• Extreme Max 3006.6560 Anchor.
• SandShark Water Beach Anchor.
• Tie Down 95045 Anchor.
• Attwood Pound Navy Anchor.
• Seachoice River Anchor.

For an average 18′ – 20′ pontoon boat, with a balanced load, the draft will usually be between 16″ and 24″ draft down but with the motor trimmed up they can run as shallow as 10″. For larger pontoon boats 20′ – 24′, with a balanced load, the draft will be about 21″ draft down and 12″ draft up.

Because of their design, pontoon boats handle pretty well in windy conditions and choppy or rough water. Two hulls allow the boat to be more stable and sit on top of the waves while a mono-hull vessel sits in the waves. For this reason, it is highly unlikely that your pontoon will flip, tip, or capsize.

You’ll want to position your anchor winch either at the front or the rear of your pontoon boat. Some will say that you should always install your anchor winch at the rear of your boat so that its next to your battery. The closer the electric anchor winch is to your battery, the less work it will be to wire it up.

For a brief stop or for fishing, an all rope anchor rode or shorter chain will be sufficient. Drop the first anchor off the middle of the bow of the pontoon so there will be less resistance to the water and the wind, and less pull on the anchor. Then use the other anchor to keep the boat from swinging if necessary.

Start by anchoring into the current, and then backing down to set the first hook. Continue reversing to twice the distance you ultimately plan to use for your rode. Drop the second anchor directly down-current from the first; make sure it’s set, and then position yourself halfway between the two.

When setting two anchors in line, lower the secondary (upwind) anchor first. Reverse, pay out the rode and lower the primary anchor prior to setting either anchor. When sufficient rode for the primary anchor has been let out, cinch the rode and (at first gently) power set the anchors.

If it’s stuck, first try slowly turning the boat in a large circle to change the direction of pull on the rope. Another method is to pull up rode until the boat is directly over the anchor, and then give the line a turn around a cleat.

The simplest way to reduce your swing circle for the same security is to use an all-chain rode. The heavier the rode, the greater the tendency to lie flat to the seabed and the straighter the pull on the anchor.

A general guide: The cable length of should be 3 times of the water depth plus 90 metres in normal condition. It should be 6 shackles under normal circumstance for a depth of 25 metres. In rough weather condition, the cable length should be 4 times the water depth plus 150 metres.

The short answer is no, you can not anchor or moor anywhere. Most cities and towns have restrictions on permanent mooring locations, and some restrict anchoring. That doesn’t mean you can’t leave your boat in a great many places, it just means you need to be careful about where and how you do it.

Realistically, you can’t anchor mid ocean. Not only is it often thousands of feet deep, you need multiple times the depth to get any kind of scope. Solo long distance sailors violate the colregs by not keeping a watch while sleeping and just leave the sails up and continue on typically.

A fisherman anchor should be buoyed when anchoring in rock as it will have a tendency to lodge itself very securely. In storm winds, or in the presence of a rising storm, you will want to set two anchors. The heaviest and most secure anchor should be set directly into the wind.

Anchors Should Have: As a general rule of thumb, your rode should be 7 to 10 times the depth of the water in which you will anchor. You will need more rode in bad weather or rough water. Anchors can be of assistance in emergency situations—especially in case of engine failure in rough waters or currents.

If the anchor gets really stuck it can just be cut loose. That’s a last resort but can happen. A buoy attached to the anchor chain will allow later retrieval by a salvage vessel if possible. Your anchor can and will be set completely in place if it is allowed to go too deep.

1. METHOD 1: PULL IT OUT. Grab the collar or head of the drywall anchor firmly with needle-nose pliers.
2. METHOD 2: BACK IT OUT. Choose a screwdriver that will fit snuggly into the mouth of the anchor and tap it into place with a hammer.
3. METHOD 3: CUT AND HAMMER IT.
4. METHOD 4: RECESS IT.