# Choice of Anchors



## Crank (Sep 26, 2013)

hi everyone,

i am contemplating buying a couple of anchors.

one for my Rev 11 and another for the Tandem Island.

i would appreciate if i could please get some advice on the following:
1) what anchor weight would i need for each of them?
2) would i need an anchor trolley? ( i am not even too sure in what situations i would need a trolley and how to use it...i know.....i am a complete novice at this...lol)
3) what brands would you recommend?
4) what length of rope/chain? would i need?

i don't even know if there are any other important factors to consider and therefore what other questions i need to ask....sorry.
thanks very much for your help.

cheers

Alan


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## Zorba (Jan 22, 2013)

Hi Alan

I have a coopers anchor, check out this coopers link as it gives recommendations for lengths of rope and a guide to anchoring
http://cooperanchors.com.au/

Hope this helps


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## spork (Jan 21, 2012)

Cooper 1kg and an anchor trolley.

I also have the little (240g?) cooper, but it doesn't work as well. It might if i added chain, but chain is noisy and could scare spooky fish, esp. in shallow water, so I prtefer the 1kg with just rope.

If you ancho54r in a lot of snags where anchor loss is common - house brick.


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## Crank (Sep 26, 2013)

Hi Zorba and Spork,
Thank you very much for your recommendations.
I really appreciate your help.
Cheers
Alan


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## laneends (Jan 25, 2013)

Chain holds anchor rope parallel reduces lift on anchor, hence anchor works better for less weight. I use 1.5kg grapnel with chain 700mm long. Rope threads through chain and attached direct to anchor. A couple of knots in rope hold chain in place about 3000m clear up the rope from anchor. I have an additional weight which I can add to top of chain with D shackle, can even slide down the line after deployed, if tide is too strong and drags anchor. Adding weight to top of chain is more effective than increasing anchor weight.

A trolley helps anchor keeping back of yak to current/wind, then fish out front. To retreive run trolley up to front and yak turns into tide and retrieve, safer than trying to pull back or sideways.


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## Crank (Sep 26, 2013)

Hi Laneends,
Thank you very much for sharing your anchor set up.
Cheers
Alan


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## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

I use Karnage's float reel with a longer shock cord and a 1 kilo cooper anchor with no chain on my Revo 11

viewtopic.php?f=95&t=60603

I find it holds at a rope/depth ratio of about 2:1 - 2.5:1

You clip the carabiner onto your trolley and it lets you move the anchor point forward and back, handy for getting the yak faced for comfortable fishing in opposing wind and current. Also lets you unhitch from your anchor to de-snag, fight a fish etc


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## squidlips (Nov 24, 2008)

Mate I have the 750g cooper set up with a short length of rope, followed by short chain before the main anchor line (as per the cooper website recommendations) and i have never had a drama with it pulling. I also often attach my berley pot to the chain using a zip tie to get it down to the bottom. I know this post is getting older now so you prob have already read about the anchor trolley but just to elaborate on what laneends has said, you can throw the anchor over the side and then attach it to the trolley to move it bow or stern. Once you have finished, you can bring the line back beside you to pull the anchor back up.

Sounds simple but when I first started out I just ran the anchor line throw the bow carry handle. Got to a reef one day and deployed the anchor - all good.... Once it came to getting the anchor back up tho it wouldn't budge. The water was heavily burl eyed and there were sharks about and the only way I could get that anchor up myself would have been to go overboard and unthread the line from the bow or cut the anchor free. Luckily I was fishing with a mate within a couple of hundred metres so he was able to paddle over to assist. Needless to say, that was the last time I fished without some form of anchor trolley setup. Whoops!


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## squidlips (Nov 24, 2008)

Tonystott said:


> Squidlips,
> Instead of an anchor trolley, you could have simply attached an SS "D" shackle onto the anchor line one the anchor side of the handle, with a line leading back to you. You could then easily retrieve your anchor by pulling on the retrieve line from your seat.


Yeah - could have been a bit clearer there Tony. I did have the anchor leading back to me - it wasn't actually _tied_ to the bow handle, just threaded through there so I could deploy it from the bow and then lock it back up at the bow when raised. Once stuck though - it wouldn't pull loose. Each attempt just nosedived the bow....

In time I also learnt to secure the anchor to the chain using a zip tie so that in future if the anchor snagged the zip tie would break under pressure and the anchor would lift from the front and hopefully away from the snag. Made plenty of mistakes in those days, still do but just try not to repeat them! :?


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## RekFix (Dec 30, 2011)

Cooper, 1kg, blue,

that's all I know..... That's it


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## laneends (Jan 25, 2013)

squidlips said:


> Tonystott said:
> 
> 
> > Squidlips,
> ...


Not sure that is what Tonystott was getting at. I think the arrangement he means is that a second line (reaching from cockpit to bow) is attached to the D shackle which in turn runs free on the anchor line between bow and anchor. That way you can pull on that rope and it in effect bypasses handle, hence pulling the anchor rope towards you in the cockpit. Helpful for stuck anchors (avoiding said nosedive)and retrieving anchor back into cockpit rather than left hanging.

Though sideways retreival in a stong current can be dangerous from side.


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## laneends (Jan 25, 2013)

Re breakaway zip ties. It is helpful also if you pull from opposite side anchor shaft is stuck. ie if you are pulling rope inline with anchor its not going to put much strain on tie to break it. so if at first it doesn't break move around to other direction. Also test on dry land first to make sure tie is not too weak so it breaks when its not supposed to, and not too strong it wont when you want it to. Some people part cut it, or even use strong mono.


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## lawnmower (Oct 22, 2013)

Hi
Instead of using cable ties not knowing when or what pressure is going to creat the failure try using some monofilament leader. Use what ever strength you have available. Either one turn or two tied with a granny knot will do. Good use of available equipment and something less to pack into the ever increasing range of equipment.
Cheers
Lawnmower


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## Crank (Sep 26, 2013)

Hi guys,
I thank you all for your advice and help. I appreciate it very much.
I will have to read all the recommendations a few times over before it all starts to become clear in my head as to how I am going to set it all up as I am not the most savvy when it comes to rigging even the most simple of things unfortunately lol.
Thanks again if I need to clarify stuff I hope you all wouldn't mind if I ask a few more questions.
Thanks very much.
Cheers
Alan


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## dsmythe (Jan 16, 2007)

Hi Alan

I have had anchors in the past but for the past 4 or so years I have been using a downrigger ball weight (about 3-4 kg) as my anchor. I find the ball weight settles into the sand/mud and is easy to handle, easy to retrieve and is easy to clean off when brought up beside the kayak. I have a 2 person Viking kayak and with two adults fishing the ball anchor holds well. Only a suggestion to take on board.

Cheers


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## Crank (Sep 26, 2013)

Hi Tony and dsmythe,

Thank you very much for your helpful tips, advice and recommendations.

Cheers

Alan


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## squidlips (Nov 24, 2008)

Hey Alan, something else I found that May help:

http://******************.com/articles/338-kayak-anchoring-basics

Cheers

PS - if the link doesn't work (can't seem to get it to) just go to the site and search for anchoring basics.


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## Crank (Sep 26, 2013)

Hey squid lips,
Thanks very much for the link.
You're right, I can't seem to get it to work either but I will go to the site and search for the article.
Thanks again.
Cheers
Alan


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## Phoenix (Jan 12, 2006)

Hi,

I own 3 anchors for my yak.

1) a reef anchor
2) a sand anchor

3) A folding anchor, which is more or less a reserve.

All of them can tie onto 30 meters of 550 cord which is on an orange plastic crab pot float.


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