I have a Sailfish 282 which is equipped with a windlass, which is great and makes dropping anchor a breeze. But when I drop next to a sandbar, the boat often blows all over the place. So looking to add a simple stern anchor to keep the boat in one place. Primary anchor will still be the bow anchor. West Marine has an anchor package that comes wit an 8lb danforth anchor, 4 ft of chain and 150 ft of 3/8 in rope. Any idea if this is sufficent (big enough) to keep the boat from getting blown around? Thanks!
What Size Stern Anchor for Sandbar?
- Thread starter RobboNJ
- Start date
That should be fine. I use a 7 lb fortress on a Marlin. Set it by hand, holds the stern fine in sand.
Which anchor will face the sandbar? I ask because if your bow faces the sandbar and the currents or wind are pushing you towards the sandbar, if the stern anchor lets loose you could end up beached. In that scenario you might need a bigger stern anchor to hold your hull in place.
That combo rode combo should work fine on your boat. I use an 8 lbs. claw and about 10 ft of chain with 100ft of 3/8 rode which I had left over from a previous boat. The claw fits into a bucket better and it's easier to toss. Used this combo on both my 265 and now 305.
I believe that when sizing, a claw or delta style anchor will be lighter than a danforth style. You also have 10 feet of chain as compared to 4 feet. The longer chain can help the anchor set/hold better in shallow waters when swells are present.
I assume that the stern anchor will be on the sand, and set by hand, in which case you don’t need chain. I would leave the anchor in the bucket, use the other end of the rode to a screw in sand spike on the beach.
You will end up with less dings on the boat, and on yourself.
You will end up with less dings on the boat, and on yourself.
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That will work. I guess I should have said that I would recommend that the stern faces the sand bar assuming the area can have swells and/or or reasonable tide swings.
Maybe I should have just said nothing
No, I’m the one who should’ve kept my advice to myself. I’ve only stopped at one sandbar party in my life, and that was at least 30 years ago. Holds no interest to me whatsoever. I just assumed most would anchor stern in, because it is easier, and shallower, to get off and on anything other than a pontoon boat.
Thanks for all of the input. So the package I saw at West Marine sounds like it will work. I am concerned about bangs and dings from a loose anchor, so may look into a sand spike. However, when anchoring on a sand bar, we are not always on a fully exposed sandbar, but simply a shallow area next to a sand bar. So if I can set a spike in 3 feet of water, that could work.
Regarding whether bow or stern faces the sandbar, that depends on the wind and tide. I have backed in and dropped the bow anchor and gone bow in and dropped. Both approaches have the same issue of the boat pivoting significantly. Now that I think about it, the stern anchor seems like it might be the better approach, as it gives the option for tossing it into deeper water, or walking it into the sandbar.
I'll do some more research and see what might work best. Thanks again!
Regarding whether bow or stern faces the sandbar, that depends on the wind and tide. I have backed in and dropped the bow anchor and gone bow in and dropped. Both approaches have the same issue of the boat pivoting significantly. Now that I think about it, the stern anchor seems like it might be the better approach, as it gives the option for tossing it into deeper water, or walking it into the sandbar.
I'll do some more research and see what might work best. Thanks again!
Sometimes I will drop bow anchor a distance off of the beach, set the anchor and then reverse the boat until it is where I want it to be . at that point I will either toss the stern anchor or walk it towards the beach and set it.
. Having soft and not so soft beached once or twice)), I know how fast the tides or currents can change and how one can get caught off-guard as a hull swings around an anchor. FYI, the waters where I boat and have to be careful have about a 6 foot tidal swing and decent currents during tide changes. How you operate depends on your local conditions.
. Having soft and not so soft beached once or twice
)), I know how fast the tides or currents can change and how one can get caught off-guard as a hull swings around an anchor. FYI, the waters where I boat and have to be careful have about a 6 foot tidal swing and decent currents during tide changes. How you operate depends on your local conditions.I didn't mean any disrespect. I made the statement because there are a lot of different opinions on anchoring near a beach or sand bar and how I operate may not be appropriate for others.
Get a fortress or guardian, can break it down easily to store when not being used. Up here everyone is stern to the beach.