Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hello All.
We are headed up to Lake George, NY again this year and I have a question for you to ward off any aggravation and tension that comes about when we set anchor in a beautiful spot close to the rocky shore and 10 minutes later, we are drifting close as our anchor is giving way... We have 2 anchors that came with the boat. They look like this... The river anchor held better than the other. My family wants me to get a better anchor... If our boat drifts again, I think I will be swimming back to the dock. Any suggestions please? I was just going to go with another river anchor, maybe a little heavier than the one we have... I guess it is about 10 - 15 lbs... What do you think? In case you don't know, Lake George is a very big spring fed lake with the bottom consisting of mostly lime stone (I believe...). Rocks are what the anchor has to grab... Thanks for your help and thoughts.

Sincerely,
Rich

I use a 20# river in mud and trees, with some rock bottom as well it never fails! Some folks swear by the richter as well. It's a little pricey though...

http://www.overtons.com/search/richter

I didn't see in mentioned in your post, so I'll ask. How do you have your anchor attached? What I mean is, are you letting out enough rode, and do you have just a rope tied to the anchor, and then tied to your boat?

What you want is a good 10-12 feet of chain attached directly to the connecting point on the anchor, then your anchor rope. The chain helps keep the connection point down in the dirt/mud/rock, so that anchor can work properly. Next, be sure you have out enough line. You want at the very least, a 2 to 1 scope, meaing if the water where you're going to anchor is 30 feet deep, let out at least 60 feet of rope. Better yet, let out 90 feet of rope.

Try these first, if you don't have your setup like this already, before you purchase another anchor. If you already have a setup like this, then I might suggest a box style anchor, that is good for sand / lime screenings.

Thank you guys for your help... I did just order from Overtons another River anchor.

"GPX"... Thank you and yes, I/we do and have all the things you mentioned in your very helpful post. Most of the time it held but it did let go a few times... I am hoping with another river anchor hanging off the front, we will stay put. Thanks and will report back after vacation early next month.

Safe boating...

Rich

i use the big box anchor,nothing sucks worse than coming loose and resetting.lol

I use a "Digger Anchor" and they work fantastic. http://www.diggeranchor.com/Home_Page.html

No chain required or recommended with style anchor which makes it much cleaner and less chance of scratching your boat when taking in or out. They grab and hold like a son of a gun too!! Best anchor I have ever used!

Dan

Another vote for the box anchor. It holds better then anything else I have used.

box anchor is the only one that works at the parker strip in Arizona,10 miles long and kinda narrow,dam release makes a lot of current as well and all the water toys.this works hands down.

FYI - Ive never been able to get an anchor to set at Lake George. The bottom is all rock. But Ive only tried one like in your first picture, they work anywhere else for me, just not Lake George.

ishoot wrote:I use a "Digger Anchor" and they work fantastic. http://www.diggeranchor.com/Home_Page.html

No chain required or recommended with style anchor which makes it much cleaner and less chance of scratching your boat when taking in or out. They grab and hold like a son of a gun too!! Best anchor I have ever used!

Dan

I love my digger anchor--
When I am fishing in the wind I use my digger and a box anchor to minimize the sway.
Both the box and the digger work great on my lakes though I don't have the rocky bottom you have.

I 'repurposed' (I hate that term) two small Danforth anchors (pictured in Post # 1 ) we had in our Seadoos when we bought the Pontoon boat. They gave us a 20# river anchor when we bought the boat, but the current scared me. Anyway tried them at the Colorado River with a 5mph current. 1 held our 18' Sun Tracker just fine. set the second one just in case. River bottom is sandy/muddy

storage can be an issue depending on how you use your boat, but this style is hands down the best anchor I've used. I made these from scraps laying around my shop so they didn't cost anything. They will hook on any type of bottom. You can't exactly throw them under a seat though......

25# richter anchor.

I've only had one time when it wouldn't bite strong enough. On that day the entire cove full of boats was having to weigh anchor, power back up the cove and then re-anchor. We had about 40 mph winds all day long.

Other than that one day it's worked like a champ for me.

Our Digger anchor has always held, so far. Am getting a box anchor as a backup. Rave reviews about both.