Have you ever watched a pirate film or read a story as a child about boats at sea and the wondrous tales of the ocean and found yourself wondering how exactly do most anchors hold a boat in place?
As adults, we sometimes have the same level of curiosity as a child does and we cannot rest until we find out our answers. Whether you’re just a curious person who is having late-night thoughts consisted of anchors and boats and now you can’t sleep until you find out how anchors stay in place.
Or, You’re a new boat wonder and this is a question you need to find out how to use your anchor appropriately. The answer is here for you.
To put it in simple terms, when an anchor is dropped off a boat, it sinks down until it hits the sea bed and buries itself its unique shape into the sand to keep the boat in place.
However, there are more factors involved in making the most out of a good anchor and how to use and understand how the anchor works.
It’s also a good idea to consider what time of day or night you’re wanting to find this answer out for, as different anchors are used for this.
The anchor sed to remain in place overnight at sea or on waters, will most likely not be the same anchor used if you’re planning to make multiple stops along the way and require something simple to pull in and out of the water multiple times a day.
Once you have an idea of how most anchors hold a recreational boat in place, you’re going to need to know how to tie a knot or two to ensure the anchor doesn’t become a part of the ocean floor until the end of time.
That isn’t good for you, as the boat owner left without an anchor or the fish and life under the sea. No fish is going to appreciate this from you, are they?
How Exactly Does An Anchor Work
Well, the anchor itself is attached safely to stereotypically ropes or chains and when these chains are thrown into the sea, the anchor drags it down to the bottom of the sea bed, granted the rope or chains length has been considered with the depth of the water its dropped into.
When the anchor hits the sand, the pointed flukes (the spikes on each curved end of the anchor) drag through the sand until they bury deep enough to hold in place and the boat comes to a gradual stop using the rope or chain length as leverage.
Depending on the wind and current, the boat drifting will differ which causes the anchor to dig deeper if needed. This system is more complex than you might first realize, the captain must have an in-depth knowledge of how to work with the current, and anchor to effectively bring the boat to a safe stop according to the sea conditions.
The captain will gently steer the ship in reverse to correctly set the anchor after he has made his calculations. Better stability and resistance are then provided.
Considerations To Make When Using An Anchor
Anchor Rode
You want to make sure that you’re using the right anchor rode, just any old chains or ropes won’t do the trick, unfortunately, for the safety of the boat and anyone on board, this choice must be professionally made.
Years ago thick ropes and chains were commonly used on all boats and ships, however, today, modern chains and nylon ropes specifically are used for better durability. Chains are usually a better option as the weight helps aid the anchor down towards the seabed.
Nylon Ropes are elastic and flexible providing great shock absorption against waves, when you’ve chosen the right rode, the length will need to be chosen next. Usually, a 1:7 ratio is used, meaning per one foot of water depth requires seven feet of rode.
The Composition Of The Sea Floor
You may want to consider the water you’re choosing to sail in to ensure you’re using the right anchor rode, if you’re going to be sailing through rocky river waters something more heavy-duty may be more appropriate, however soft bottoms like clay and sand will require something else, which we’ll get into next!
You could have the perfect anchor out there with the state-of-the-art ropes or chains and the skills to match, but if the sea bed conditions aren’t fit for the purpose of your anchor, you’re screwed.
Different Types Of Anchors
Throughout history, most anchors were made from metals and iron, which are heavy materials that were relied on for their weight to dig deep into the sand. The most well-known shape used back in time was an anchor with two flukes, one on either side of the main body of the object.
Over time, more appropriate shapes and materials have been altered and changed to fit many purposes, depending on what kind of boat and waters you’re going to be tackling.
Materials Used
The material used for an anchor determines its heaviness, durability, and reliability at sea, today, they must be durable enough to resist certain types of erosion so they can last a long time and therefore will be ore worth the investment.
Some protective methods such as galvanization and electroplating are often applied to improve their resistance to erosion and are popular amongst the sailing community.
Stainless steel and aluminum don’t require these erosion prevention methods as steel is one of the heaviest materials used on anchors. Aluminum is more used for its shaping on anchors as it’s a bit more lightweight in comparison.
Shapes
Mushroom Anchors
These anchors certainly live up to their names, as they’re shaped like mushrooms. They tend to form a suction when dropped to the bottom of the sea bed, they fill with sand and mud to form a suction to keep the boat securely in place.
An interesting type to use compared to the conventional anchors. It’s easier to use compared to standard anchors, however it isn’t as strong. Usually, small fishing boat owners will use a mushroom-style anchor as they work well in rivers and lakes.
Fluke-Style Anchors
Usually made of aluminum, these are lightweight anchors and the mechanisms are like traditional anchors. This traditionally used anchor shape buries the flukes into the sane securely holding a recreational boat in place, however, they’re easier to retrieve because of the flat shape used.
Usually, a boat owner who knows they’re going to be anchoring in mud and sand will use this anchor shape. They’re mostly used for vessels under 38 feet long because it has limitations for heavier boats.
Plow Style Anchors
If you’re looking for a standard and reliable anchor for holding a recreational boat in place, the plow-style anchor is perfect for first-time boat owners. They are diverse and can be used well against any condition including incredibly rocky bottoms
Size
It makes sense that larger ships and boats require a bigger anchor to support them, so choosing the anchor based on the weight of your boat is a good start to choosing the right anchor for holding your recreational boat in place.
There will usually always be some sort o guide to help you either way when choosing an anchor, so make sure to refer to it.
Holding power should be considered too compared to the size of your boat, usually, an anchor of 90 pounds can safely hold anything 20 feet in winds of up to 20 mph, use this as a guide.
Sometimes common sense comes in handy with this decision and making a quick and simple check on the wind conditions can make a huge difference to how easy or hard your sailing experience is going to be.
Final Thoughts
Having to choose the appropriate anchor for your boat isn’t always an easy job, but it’s better to do it the right way rather than playing a guessing game with your safety on board a boat or ship vessel. Don’t play with your life, this isn’t a truth or dare game. Think of your safety first.
To conclude, once you’ve lugged that anchor over the edge of your boat, it plummets down towards the sea bed and lodges into the sand or mud.
Then the captain may make a few calculations based on the sea conditions and depth of the water (a lot of numbers and stuff) and he may steer the boat in reverse to counteract against the current so the anchor holds the recreational boat in place.
And don’t worry, these materials used on anchors cause no harm to ocean animals and fish below so as long as you use it carefully, you’re good. And that is how most anchors hold a recreational boat in place, we’ve found out so you don’t have to.
