Hi guys, great site and I am glad to be here. Because of members appreciation of the box anchor I bought one and love the ease of use. When I anchor though my boat sometimes has significant swing and doesn't stay completely still. Is this normal? Have I not let out enough scope? I don't have a chain on the box as recommended with the fluke and am wondering if I am doing anything wrong. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks again for the formation of this site!
RAD1, all good questions, but need more info to answer them....
The box anchor is great, anyone who has one will tell you.
Where you are anchoring and the prevailing weather conditions will typically dictate what your boat will do. As you know, Yamahas are light and don't have dangly bits such as outdrives, rudders, skegs, etc. that catch the current and keep the hull in line with the current, so they are more easily pushed about on top of the water by the wind.
Many times the wind and current don't cooperate and you'll find that the boat can move a lot during a day on the lake or river.
A 7-1 scope will usually do the trick in most favorable conditions, though many of my friends with box anchors use less. Of course, the easiest way to get the boat under control is to use a stern anchor or, if you are anchoring just off the beach, a sand spike up on the beach is just the ticket.
Scope can be tricky if you are anchoring among a herd of boats....they all don't have the same characteristics and usually I find that the Yamaha is the lightest in the bunch.
In the photo below you can see that all the boats are anchored the same way, anchor off the bow....back in towards the beach with a line running up to a spike. You can see two new arrivals bow-in. They'll unload, turn around and set the same way.
So if everyone uses the same tackle, same technique, you rarely get issues...unless a monsoon comes through...then it's a mad scramble!
Using this same picture as an example: the current is consistent from one side, the wind is typically consistent, but can vary from 10 to 20 degrees and the water level on the Colorado rises and drops on a schedule, so we can let out or take in anchor rode as needed if it's going to be a long day. I know from experience that the Yamaha will swing much more than the Malibus and other ski boats due to it's characteristics.
