Anchor setup

[Brian Reiber]

Can anyone help with an anchor setup question. We recently rigged up our own hali system. (Standard setup). It works well and retrieval is easy. The only issue is we keep breaking the zap straps on retrieval. Is this normal? We're using 5 or 6 substantially sized zaps but when we pull the anchor they've busted off which prevents the arm of the anchor from sliding through the ring and resting neatly.

Thoughts?

More or heavier zaps?

 

[Thunder21]

The arm of the anchor doesn't need to go through the ring . The weight of the chain should hold the anchor at your ball. The zap straps are breaking because your anchor needs to pivot to come out of the ground it's pretty normal. I use one really big zap strap and mine often breaks .

 

[Fixit]

ive had that problem before. make sure that the chain is tight from the elbow (front) of the anchor to the rear so the zapstrap doesnt take any load when its set in the mud, only when you motor forwards and pull on an angle

i use some 200lb rated zap straps looped around 2-3 times, they till break. sometimes, substrate its set in may make a difference?

 

[Brian Reiber]

OK thanks. We've had the zaps break every time. Consequently I'm hesitant to use power to set the anchor in fear of breaking the zaps on set. Often we end up with a minor slip rather than a good hold. We're running an 11lb anchor with 30 ft of chain and 600 ft of rope on a 19ft boat.

 

[Fixit]

bruce / claw anchor im assuming? almost identicle to my setup, 11lb claw 110ft of 1/4" chain, 600ft rope. 20 ft boat mine almost always bites in hard. i might idle in reverse to set it but thats it. no need to go crazy




ill add that the first year i used the above setup i didnt have to replace one zap strap. this year i had to replace it every time. maybe theyre getting brittle?

 

[Brian Reiber]

Yup, Bruce claw. Thx I'll try some bigger zaps and see what happens.

Cheers

 

[Derby]

OK thanks. We've had the zaps break every time. Consequently I'm hesitant to use power to set the anchor in fear of breaking the zaps on set. Often we end up with a minor slip rather than a good hold. We're running an 11lb anchor with 30 ft of chain and 600 ft of rope on a 19ft boat.

could also depend on what zap straps you are using....there are quality ones & ones that aren't so good... something to look at perhaps?

 

[Skipping Out]

Can anyone help with an anchor setup question. We recently rigged up our own hali system. (Standard setup). It works well and retrieval is easy. The only issue is we keep breaking the zap straps on retrieval. Is this normal? We're using 5 or 6 substantially sized zaps but when we pull the anchor they've busted off which prevents the arm of the anchor from sliding through the ring and resting neatly.

Thoughts?

More or heavier zaps?

Just be careful about putting too many or large zaps on it, remember why they are there in the first place, if you get hung up they are supposed to break so you can work your anchor free.

 

[bigdogeh]

rather than use 6 individual zap straps can you use a few and double or triple wrap? I think you'll find the straps will have more strength doing it that way. the stresses will be more evenly balanced on the wraps of the straps... you will need long straps when doing that. that's the way I do it and it seems to work well. I use pretty heavy straps though and fortunately haven't had any break yet or been in a situation where I had to try to break the straps. knock on wood...

 

[Brian Reiber]

Thanks for all the tips. I think I am going to try and pick up some really heavy duty zaps and give that a try. I doubt that it would be possible to tear a cleat off the boat before 6 zap straps broke regardless of their size. To be honest though I do sort of question the need for the zap strap system at all. How many of you have actually had their anchor stuck and feel that they wouldn't have gotten it back without a zap strap system? Nobody uses them in a conventional anchor system. Granted we are sometimes anchoring in more unforgiving bottoms when fishing hali and our anchor systems are more expensive. That being said I put mine together fairly cheaply and the Scottsman was probably 1/3 of the total anchor setup. I figure if I could salvage my two rings and the Scottsman I'd be out about $150 if I lost the anchor, chain, and rope.

 

[Reel Gone]

I usually use 1-75# triple wrapped and it breaks every other time maybe.like others have mentioned it could be poor quality zap straps. I wouldn't go crazy as they are needed to break if hung up.

 

[halimark]

Could always try an anchor and use the way it was designed. Buy an #11 or #13 slip ring anchor, no zip/zap straps, it will always hold and only release when reverse pulled to slide and release. Also slips thru ring to remain under ball. $50 at bass pro, I have no idea why people use anchors that require zip/zap straps. Above anchor holds the 19ft double eagle anywhere, on any bottom and at depths up to 500f with 25ft chain and 600ft rode, sometime may slide on mud, gravel when current is ripping. Then ball half submerges when anchor grabs, those are not common fishing days.

Tearing stuff of my boat has never been a concern in 30 years, and I only use zip/zap straps when doing electrical work or as s hook holders in the wall tent.

I have had anchor stuck, but that may/could happen when you let boat drift around on tide change. Stuck is anchor rode on bottom going around an object. rock, edge, cliff not a slip ring anchor.

HM

 

[Fixit]

I bent the main beam sideways on Danforth three years ago, It also bent the tip of one of the flukes. Musta been under a rock edge or ??

I like how a claw deploys and sets better compared to a danforth

 

[halimark]

Right Fixit, claw does deploy better, and hangs on bow properly. Put my system in under seat box with lid, they do bend under crazy sideways load, if pull gets hard I change angle of pull, stops any bending. I have had 1 for 20 years, had to weld new flukes on once.

HM