Anchor line - splice or buy?

[TenMile]

Hey guys,

Got a new boat recently and it has an anchor windlass installed (Lewmar) with approximately 150' of anchor line. Great for anchoring in a secluded bay, but not really sufficient for halibut fishing. I figure I need at least another 150-200'.

I know how to splice the two anchor lines together but I'm not sure whether the splice will run through the windlass or whether it will get stuck or slip. Anyone out there do this successfully or am I simply better off buying 300' of line?

 

[juandesooka]

Tons of anchoring advice on here, if you search "halibut anchor".

I have 280' of line, but find it isn't quite enough for halibut fishing. With chain, I can anchor up to about 150', but if the fish are at 200' plus I'm out of luck.

I thought about buying another 150' of line and splicing, but I think I'm going to just buy 450' new. I have an anchor puller gizmo, but not the ring version that can handle splices. If you have a windlass, I expect you'll be similar, and better off with one line. If you're going to run into trouble with it catching, count on it being in some critical situation where it might cause serious problems. I figure the $200 is worth the expense to do it right.

If you're in the Victoria area, I was super impressed by the service at Trotac. Very informative and friendly.

 

[juandesooka]

Tons of anchoring advice on here, if you search "halibut anchor".

I have 280' of line, but find it isn't quite enough for halibut fishing. With chain, I can anchor up to about 150', but if the fish are at 200' plus I'm out of luck.

I thought about buying another 150' of line and splicing, but I think I'm going to just buy 450' new. I have an anchor puller gizmo, but not the ring version that can handle splices. If you have a windlass, I expect you'll be similar, and better off with one line. If you're going to run into trouble with it catching, count on it being in some critical situation where it might cause serious problems. I figure the $200 is worth the expense to do it right.

If you're in the Victoria area, I was super impressed by the service at Trotac. Very informative and friendly.

 

[Rum Buddies]

I'd really feel uncomfortable anchored off race rocks in 200+ feet of water with the anchor line permantly attached to my boat.

A seperate system is really what you want.

 

[Rum Buddies]

I'd really feel uncomfortable anchored off race rocks in 200+ feet of water with the anchor line permantly attached to my boat.

A seperate system is really what you want.

 

[casper5280]

I'm with Poppa never permantly attach anchor line to my boat.Way too dangerous if something happens.

 

[casper5280]

I'm with Poppa never permantly attach anchor line to my boat.Way too dangerous if something happens.

 

[beemer]

I would be very cautious in splicing an anchor line in this area. Big currents can make things very hairy very quickly.(getting your anchor line tangled in your outboard when you have a fish on !) I have no hesitation in saying that guys who regularily anchor for hali in this area are true ground tackle experts.(not me) Spring for new line and HEAVY chain and you will be a happy man. Poppa Swiss gives some real expert advice , or have a knife very handy!

beemer

 

[beemer]

I would be very cautious in splicing an anchor line in this area. Big currents can make things very hairy very quickly.(getting your anchor line tangled in your outboard when you have a fish on !) I have no hesitation in saying that guys who regularily anchor for hali in this area are true ground tackle experts.(not me) Spring for new line and HEAVY chain and you will be a happy man. Poppa Swiss gives some real expert advice , or have a knife very handy!

beemer

 

[TenMile]

I've used a 2 part system on my old boat. A sincere question here, but do you really see the Windlass option as more dangerous? It is on the bow of the boat so I would think limits the danger of line tangles with the engine -- but I have absolutely no experience in this area.

With the 2 part system with the anchor retriever and scotchman is run off the stern when you are picking up anchor and does get a great deal closer to the engine.

The advantage of the 2 part system is the ability to lean over the side and cut the line that you run from bow to stern without having to walk to the bow. Plus you generally don't lose your gear. However, a tangle around the prop is another story that I guess wouldn't be helped much by cutting the bow-stern line.

 

[TenMile]

I've used a 2 part system on my old boat. A sincere question here, but do you really see the Windlass option as more dangerous? It is on the bow of the boat so I would think limits the danger of line tangles with the engine -- but I have absolutely no experience in this area.

With the 2 part system with the anchor retriever and scotchman is run off the stern when you are picking up anchor and does get a great deal closer to the engine.

The advantage of the 2 part system is the ability to lean over the side and cut the line that you run from bow to stern without having to walk to the bow. Plus you generally don't lose your gear. However, a tangle around the prop is another story that I guess wouldn't be helped much by cutting the bow-stern line.

 

[Sushihunter]

I seem to be missing something here...

When talking about a 2 part system, are you simply talking about joining two short lines together to make one long one?

And why would you risk getting the anchor rode caught in the prop? Last time I checked, the prop(s) are on the back end of the boat and the anchor goes off the pointy end.

On one of my previous boats, I must have had 50' of chain on the anchor and somewhere around 400' of rode.

I remember the first time I dropped it in a fishing situation. I had Ted Peck onboard and we were doing a "Learn how to Mooch" course for some of his students. Ted directed me to "his" spot at Hole-in-the-Wall, just outside of Horseshoe Bay. He said we were in the spot and to drop the anchor - I looked at the depth sounder, it read about 260'. As I was out on the bow letting the anchor gently head toward the bottom, I was wondering if I had enough line, as I had never tried to anchor in anything over about 80'. Much to my relief, the anchor hit bottom with plenty of rode to spare! I never did tell Ted I didn't know how much line was attached to the anchor!

Ted Peck in the Red Mustang Floater coat - I'm the guy in Camo.

Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://ca.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250

 

[Highliner]

Sushihunter,

I think the two part system he's refering to is having the anchor line run to a buoy then tying you boat up to the buoy. My understanding is that if anything goes wrong, you can untie your boat from the anchor quickly as opposed to being attached to the ocean floor.

I have no experience doing this though.




Highliner

 

[Whole in the Water]

For safety reasons you need to run a line fro the bow eye to a stern eye. Then attach a line with a sliding ring to this and attach the other end of this line to your scotchman that it attached to your anchor. If anything goes wrong you can quickly cut the line that runs from the bow to the stern and you are free to go get your anchor and scotchman when it is safe to do so.

I have used this system for years, once in an emergancy in my old boat, and it works well. Do a search on this site and you will probably find more info on this. Or you can go talk to the guys at Island Outfitters or Trotac and they can set you straight.

Sharp hooks and full traps!

 

[TenMile]

quote:Originally posted by Whole in the Water

For safety reasons you need to run a line fro the bow eye to a stern eye. Then attach a line with a sliding ring to this and attach the other end of this line to your scotchman that it attached to your anchor. If anything goes wrong you can quickly cut the line that runs from the bow to the stern and you are free to go get your anchor and scotchman when it is safe to do so.

That's what I call the 2-part system (part 1 is the bow/stern line, part 2 the anchor line and scotchman) -- some guys call it an Anchor Hauler. That's the system I have been using on my last boat.

My question was to PoppaSwiss and the other guys on the safety aspect of hauling with a Windlass vs. this two part system. I agree with SushiHunter that with a Windlass, the anchor is off the bow when being hauled and is a long way from the engine.

When using the anchor hauler you have to drive forward so that the anchor line is off the stern of the boat and I would guess increases the chance of catching the line in the engine. I also find the 2-part system gets hands and feet very close to anchor line which can be a danger if the anchor ever hangs up.

I'm sincerely interested in why you suggest not using the windlass as you guys are way more experienced than I am at this stuff. I did a bunch of searching on the site, and most of the scary stories relate to guys getting the anchor line caught in the engine and not being able to free it.

BTW: I did some research on splicing anchor line and was able to answer my own question. If done correctly, the splice retains up to 95% of the strength of the line. However, it effectively doubles the thickness of the line at the splice point. In most cases, it will pass through a windlass (the splice is the same connection/thickness as it is between line and chain as the same knot is used). However, it is not recommended because the windlass will eventually frey the splice and cause it to get stuck.

 

[Rum Buddies]

quote:I'm sincerely interested in why you suggest not using the windlass

beacuse you run the risk of sinking your boat anchoring directly to the sea floor.

And how are you going to pull your anchor when it gets stuck on a rock 300' down, the current starts pumping and its a 3 foot chop? Do you really think your windlass is going to work?

 

[Last Chance]

I had a windlass on a 25 foot Bayliner. I used it a couple times around the race. A windlass is really not meant for the current loads or the depths you are going to encounter there.

 

[DaFixer]

Hey Ten Mile, yup the best way to do it is the 2 part system. Gets pretty hairy out there so using the 2 part is always a way to get out without losing everything and way safer. When you're hooked up bad and can't get the anchor to unhook you don't want to be trying to get it to release via the windlass or being stuck there in ugly conditions. In an emergency or even to just release(Fish On!) and come back later once the current or conditions improve for safety is the way to go. Years back I saw a guy off Constance using his bow dircect to the anchor. He was hooked up bad and the current was ripping. He couldn't go forward (danger of tangling prop) so he kept pushing the reverse power up...yikes, almost flipped his 21 footer end for end. After cleaning his and his friends shorts, one of them crawled up the bow (also wicked chop that day) and cut her free. I thought I was going to have to go into rescue mode and ruin a perfectly made beverage and sandwich! Thank goodness that didn't happen, but it was close.
Good luck!

DaFixer

 

[Highliner]

So how do you get your anchor up when using the two-part system? By hand?

Highliner

 

[TenMile]

quote:Originally posted by Highliner

So how do you get your anchor up when using the two-part system? By hand?

Nope, it's kind of a cool setup. Your anchor line is attached through either a "come-along" or a ring. The come-along is secured to the scotchman (big float ball). You drive your boat forward directly into the oncoming current, the come-along allows you to retrieve the anchor and it is lifted up towards the ball like a pulley system (it basically stays put directly above the anchor). The come-along stops the anchor from lowering back down when the boat stops and the line goes slack (same as the equipment used in climbing). Once you see the anchor ball dragging, you know the anchor is up and you basically pull the line in hand over hand. The boat does all of the heavy lifting as it's basically impossible to pull an anchor off the bottom in a heavy current by hand. The anchor line itself is terminated with a quick release that is secured to a second line that you run between the bow cleat and a stern cleat. The anchor line slides up to the bow when you anchor and can slide back to the stern when you need to retrieve.

Only danger as noted is if your anchor has gotten stuck. You risk the arse end of your boat being pulled towards the anchor line and getting caught in the prop (tends to be detrimental to a pleasant day of fishing).