Another Standen Marine Tip For Better Boating: Do you ever see boats in marinas with damage to the bow?

Chips and scrapes in your beautiful boat’s finish from your anchor can easily be avoided. This is often caused by anchors swinging around whilst underway.

When you retrieve your anchor, make sure that it’s fully home and secured before you move off from your anchorage.

Ideally, when raising your anchor, it’s good practice to have a crew member at the bow indicating the direction of the anchor with hand signals to the skipper. By doing this the skipper won’t drive forward over the anchor (or rode) while you’re in the process of retrieving it.

The skipper should drive slowly toward the spot where the anchor is set to ease the strain on the electric winch, or the person hauling it all up! Once fully raised and stowed, the tension on the chain should be eased after engaging some form of safety tether to keep the anchor in place. This takes the load off the winch bearings as the boat moves through the waves.

Can you imaging what might happen if your winch free-wheeled without a tether/chain stopper while you were doing 25 knots? All that chain or rope ends up heading for your prop(s) along the underside of your boat and could result in a very expensive repair. A very quick way to ruin your boating day. At the very least, take a length of  light rope and lash the anchor firmly to the nearest cleat for peace of mind.

Here’s some examples of hardware to secure your anchor. Remember to make sure that it’s high grade 316 stainless steel if you don’t want nasty rust mark on your fibreglass gel coat.

Chain Stopper

Light Spring Latch Hook

Heavy Duty Latch Hook

The Latch Hooks shown can be used with a short length of rope or swaged wire with one end secured to the deck or bow sprit.

Give me a call if you’d like to chat about your application and how we think you should secure your anchor.

Neil Singleton, Senior Sales Broker at our Brisbane office offers his recommendations for novice boat owners and a reminder for those of us who are experienced in time for the holiday season. Call 1300 657 686 or email marine@standengroup.com.au for more information. Ask for Neil Singleton.

Standen Marine operates from four locations on the GOLD COAST, in BRISBANE and in SYDNEY for your convenience.

DISCLAIMER: The details given above and the comments made in our video are general in nature and do not constitute specific safety advice and therefore it is recommended that viewers should make their own enquiries and undertake their own research for methods that will suit their vessel and the safe operation of that vessel. Standen Marine Pty Limited (The Company) takes no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information or comments. The viewer agrees that no warranty or any guarantees of any type have been given nor are implied by the Company or its servants.