Anchoring

Josh_Hayes

New Member
What kind of anchoring options are there for the 14?

What type and size/weight of anchor is enough?

Are there anchor mounts on the bow? If not what kind of hardware would you recommend for use in anchoring?

Would you bouy the rode/anchor line?

Are there charts available that show depth and bottom characterists of local lakes? Where would one look for this information?

Any experiences, tips, or techniques you want to share about anchoring?
 
Anchors

Josh,

I started taking my 14.2 camping with me last year, before the second trip I bought the smallest cheapest little danforth I could find as well as a 100' rode for it. I added a rock climbing carabineer to it to attach to the bow plate. I've never needed anything more! It's really nice to pack a lunch sail out to the middle of the lake go swimming off the boat.

I would go down to the local marinas and ask people what they use; how big an anchor, how long a rode, what's the bottom like.
Anchoring a boat like the 14.2 is really easy. I rigged up a little tiller tamer, using a bungee cord around the tiller down to the hiking strap(if my wife's with me she steers). I'll start a down wind run, attach the carabineer to the bow plate chuck the anchor over. Then I'll take down the jib, and when the anchor grabs, the boat will round up (come into the wind), and when it does I take down the main. I also made a little swim latter out of line that clips on to the shroud above the "chain plate". When you want to get back in, the person your with just hangs onto or sits on the opposite side of the boat. The ladder is just a piece of line that has loops tied in it every 10" or so, there's a clip at one end and a large fishing weight at the other. I keep it all in a small bucket in the cutty. Just for the record, I'm 205 lbs, I get around my boat with my wife (roughly half my weight) just fine. She really likes to bring our dogs some times which can be a hassle in a 14 foot boat. But we have had another couple on the boat with us several times. In light air switching sides isn't really necessary (depending on everybody’s weight).

My experience with the paddle thing is this. My dad always taught me to have an alternate means of propulsion with you on a sail boat. I have a paddle, it's not the best way to move that boat in dead air. The boat is just too beamy to be alternating sides. The only way I could get it to move effectively was to paddle on one side, and kick the rudder over to the other side a little. You will not win any races this way! But I really don't like the idea of strapping an outboard to my boat, it just my preference.

About the light thing, I've been caught out after dark, after mis judging the current, the wind and the sunset(not my proudest day of sailing). I also carry a small flashlight in my cutty that I mounted with a clip used for hanging up a broom(my boat has several "'boy scout" options). It's right inside the cutty. Just so I wouldn't get run over, I taped it to the mast pointing at the main sail, it lit up the sail very well making me very visible. Other than that, I've never needed or wanted to sail my boat at night. If you wanted to add lights, you would be taking up valuable deck space, adding the weight of a battery, complicating the mast rising process(assuming you would put one on your mast head) and creating more ways for water to get in to your boat should you capsize.

Hope I've helped a little.
 

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