It's not just PWC'ers, but
Picture this:
A picture-perfect day at the lake. Not a boat in sight and none anywhere
near the launch ramp. The ramp is empty, the dock is empty, the water is
empty. The sun is shining. The air is warm. Only thing left to do is
launch my boat.Oh, one problem. While I was prepping my boat a PWC'er came to the dock
from the water and tied up on the dock near waters edge! He had 4 options
that wouldn't have interfered with my solo launching plans and he picked the
one that kept me and anyone else from using the dock for a launch. Anyway, it forced me to perform my first water launch and solo at that. The
water launch went well. I'll be comfortable doing that from now on when the
dock isn't available. So, the bad news: just another encounter with another knucklehead. The good news: it caused me to learn another water skill. Oh, and I practiced using my new anchor buddy in preparation for teaching my
wife how to use it for her upcoming boat-in camping trip this weekend. Glad
I practiced; I'll need a longer land line and I think I'll take advantage of
the suggestion to tie the anchor rode and land line to a float for easy come
easy go. Once again, I've learned as much from this ng as I have from boating
friends; in fact, I'm finding myself more knowledgeable than most, but less
experienced/skilled. Summer 2006: So far so good! |
Bryan
Jul 13
2006
|
| I would not use the Anchor Buddy in any but the mildest conditions and would
not use it in the ocean. It is a tool for lake use only as far as I'm
concerned and not for any place with tidal flow or wave action. It's purpose is to give one the option of keeping the boat off the shore
while allowing easy, dry, retrieval of the boat. Jim's tried and true system keeps the boat as close to shore as desired, but
doesn't allow for dry retrieval if I understand correctly; although his
description for me suggests that he brings the boat close enough to just get
your ankles wet. Problem with my lake is the original canyon shape before
being filled with water. One step off dry land and your up to your ears in
water. I'm surprised at all the skeptical interest in the system since this ng is
where I learned about the device.
It will go well. The shore is rocky so I can't ground the boat. The lake
is calm in the no wake zone and there is no tidal flow or wave action. I'll let you all know on Sunday how it goes. It will be a weekend of
experiments and firsts for us. |
Bryan
Jul 14
|
| Good luck!
-- ***** Have a Spectacular Day! ***** John |
JohnH
Jul 14
|
| Good news! Glad all went well.
-- ***** Have a Spectacular Day! ***** John |
JohnH
Jul 13
|
| Glad to hear things went well with only a small bump along the way. All you need on the stern anchor is 50 feet of line at tops as you don't
have to anchor on the beach or tie up to a tree on the beach..setting
the anchor in the water (assuming sand or mud) will work just fine. You
also do not need a special float on either the bow or stern anchors when
anchoring near the beach. Get everyone on board except one after running
the blower for 5 minutes. Have the person in the water lift the stern
anchor and bring it to the boat, taking in the line along the way. Let that
person board the boat. Start the engine (with someone on the bow) and
slowly motor out to the bow anchor, taking up line along the way, until you
can pull it up and into the boat. No need for anything fancy Bryan. |
Jul 13
|
| Your description is a little confusing to me. I'll be dropping my anchor
about 30 feet from shore (to take advantage of my stretchy anchor buddy) and
backing to the shore as close as possible. A line will go from the boat to
land and tie around a tree. The anchor buddy will pull the boat away from
shore while the land line will hold the boat as close to shore as I choose.
The shore isn't soft (lots of rocks) so I can't land the boat. My anchor
buddy comes with a tip to use a float to attach the anchor rode and land
line to when not in use making it easy to reconnect when returning without
having to drop achor run the land line each time. Now if I had a nice soft mud or sand beach to land on I would just drive up
and land the boat and attach the bow line to a tree or something like that. Am I missing something? |
Bryan
Jul 13
|
| Nope. Different conditions and I guess I am as I never heard of this anchor
buddy thing. If it has worked for you in your situation.great. |
Jul 13
|
| Wow. Major edit. |
Jul 13
|
| It's a shame you couldn't have helped him secure his PWC to the dock
via a locking cable... ?:> |
tschnautz
Jul 13
|
| Tomorrow will be a real test of my wife. She has never anchored. She'll
also have to perform some precision driving and stopping in order to hook up
to my preset anchor buddy system. I'll be home in my comfortable house
while my wife and kids are roughing it and my wife is trying out her boating
skills. I arranged a mother daughter boat in camping weekend; that's why I won't be
there after dark. Should be a hoot to see how much gear they want me to
bring in the boat for their weekend. I'll be patient and quiet and will
make no comment about the amount of stuff. I should take photos. I'm
imagining a boat that looks like the Joad family truck heading from Oklahoma
to California. |
Bryan
Jul 14
|
| Now that would be funny! Mean, but funny. |
Bryan
Jul 14
|
| Who sold you on this 'anchor buddy' system? Do you have a website for the
it? |
Jul 13
|
| Yes.the fact that you spent $30 on an anchor buddy (
http://tinyurl.com/kcdrh ) that is worthless. If I remember correctly you have a 20 foot boat. Depending on where you
anchor your anchor line should consist of at least 6~8 feet of galvanized
chain attached to at least 100 feet of 3/8" 3 strand nylon line (150' may be
required depending on the depths you anchor in). Forget the 'anchor buddy' and do it right. |
Jul 13
|
| jim, it might be alright if you're in shallow water with a small
craft.. But I can also see the advantage of the bungee effect. like not
having to have 100,150 ft. of anchor line, and it's easier to stow.
I'm not really sure what your need is for a galvanized chain . Really I don't see where I would have much need for the "anchor buddy"
but I think it would make a cool tow rope... |
tschnautz
Jul 13
|
| http://www.anchorbuddy.com/ I learned about it from this ng! |
Bryan
Jul 14
|
| I've got a danforth anchor for my 18 foot bowrider.
I've got 3 feet of chain.
I've got 100 feet of 3/8" 3 strand nylon line. If I only use my anchor the boat will potentially swing 360 degrees.
If I attach the Anchor Buddy to the rode end of my chain and to the rode 45
feet from the anchor, I'll have potentially 50 feet of bungee effect to keep
the boat off the rocky shore. With the land line I can tie the boat to a
tree on shore keeping it a few feet from shore. When I want the boat I just
pull on the line bringing the boat to me, step onto the boat, make my
disconnects (tieing the land line and the anchor rode to a float for later
connection) and drive off. I don't like the $32 price tag, but I think the price of new gelcoat is more
expensive. Are we still not on the same page? As I said, I'm pretty new to all this so
I might be missing something besides the $32. |
Bryan
Jul 14
|
| T,
The anchor buddy is not a substitute for the anchor rode; in fact it would
suck trying to break away a stuck anchor while pulling on a bungee cord! The bungee semi-replaces the first 45 feet of rode, but the rode is there if
needed (see above). |
Bryan
Jul 14
|
| The anchor buddy system is not something I'd use in the Chesapeake Bay, but
I can see where it would be handy in a calm, shallow lake. It would seem as
though a strong wind will have your boat beating against the rocks on the
shore. Without the chain, what's to keep your anchor at the appropriate
angle to the bottom? Any tug on the boat will tend to pull the anchor up,
not along, the bottom. It looks like a convenient system, useful for only the mildest of
conditions, while under the watchful eye of the boat owner. I wouldn't go
to sleep and leave my boat anchored thusly, regardless of the weather
forecast.
-- ***** Have a Spectacular Day! ***** John |
JohnH
Jul 14
|
| One needs to realize that the "Anchor Buddy" is nothing more than a
component of a ground tackle system of any configuration. It doesn't
necessarily have to be the entire rode. What it brings to the table is its
spring action, which simply allows the boat to be easily hauled toward shore
using a line from the boat to shore, for those who camp ashore and prefer to
anchor off shore rather than beach the boat. Theoretically, one could drop
an anchor 200' off shore using 20' of chain, 150' of nylon line and then the
Anchor Buddy as the last component of the rode. A bit extreme, but it
illustrates my point. I don't own one, and have no use for it because I
never camp ashore, but I can envision the application. |
RG
Jul 14
|
| If it is just a daytime anchor at the beach we usually throw out 30 feet of
bow line and attach a stern anchor. In our case we have no need for the
'anchor buddy' bungee device. Your mileage may vary. |
Jul 14
|
