First, let’s talk about why anchoring a boat properly is important. If you want to enjoy a cool cove or watch an air show at the beach, your anchor will fix your boat exactly where you want it. But your boat’s anchor is also a safety tool. If your engine dies, your anchor will keep you from drifting out of control.
Anchors are simple devices. When shopping for Palm Beach boats for sale, make sure the boat you’re considering has one. To make sure you’re using the anchor right, follow these tips:
No, your anchor probably won’t break. But you will need to test if your anchor is keeping your boat in place or letting it float away. If your anchor isn’t, well, anchored, you’ll experience “anchor drag.” Instead of holding firm to the bottom, the anchor drags along.
Using GPS, a bottom finder, or a chart plotter, you can determine whether your boat still moves even when the anchor’s been dropped. You can also use fixed reference points on shore to tell if you’re not staying put.
To avoid anchor drag, have a good idea of what’s at the bottom of the water. Is it sand? Clay? Rocks? Grass? You’ll need to have an anchor that works best for the given material. Some anchors work better than others in certain cases, though many anchors are “all-rounders” that can work equally well in all conditions.
To get your anchor to dig into the bottom properly, aim your boat to face the current or headwind. Move beyond the point at which you want your boat to sit, and drop your anchor. Get rid of the stretch in your rope once you’re at your desired scope by snubbing up on the cleat.
If you put your boat in reverse, this can help the anchor catch or help you determine that it did not catch. Either way, it’s useful information.
When you tie your anchor to the stern, you might end up pulling the stern underwater. This possibility is more likely to be an issue if your anchor gets stuck. If you did tie the anchor to the stern and it gets stuck, you’ll have to cut the anchor loose.
Any West Palm Beach boat dealer worth their salt will not sell a boat with a faulty anchor. Still, it’s up to you,the buyer, to make sure that all functions of the boat are in proper working order.
Get an inspection done to give yourself peace of mind and ask lots of questions. Finally, you may want to practice dropping anchor in a shallow, lower consequence area if you have doubts about your anchoring abilities.
