250mm styrene ball ok?:)

[FNQCairns]

Anyone got an 18 to 22 foot boat and find the anchor retriever's in the 250mm size does the job well enough? The 300mm looks kinda large, for storage, certain to do the job though.

thanks fnq

[russ81]

Hows it going mate

I have had no dramas with mine so far

Russ

[SgBFish]

fnq.

I have the 300mm and it struggles to life my 8M of chain and heavy pick. They are a pain to store but handy for quickly releasing when anchored as well. Tie off the ball at the end and come back to it later.
Scott

[davez104]

I also use a 300mm ball, I have a 17 footer and use 5 metres of chain. It does the job well, not sure how the smaller one would cope, I guess it would be OK. The 300mm ball is a little bit of a pain to get in and out of the hatch, but I only do that once a trip, the rest of the time I retrieve over the side so it's not realy an issue.

Hope that helps.

Dave.

[FNQCairns]

Thanks very much for the replies, I have bowhere to store a 300 so it will be rolling around on the floor which will be a pain, but less than pulling the anchor myself on those trips.

I just did a couple of rough calculations, painful for me, the 250mm should lift approx 8kg and the 300mm 14kg, thats if I got the answers even remotely close?

Hey Russ do you have a heavy anchor/chain setup?

thanks fnq

[russ81]

Hows it going mate
I have 8m of chain and have approx 7-10kg anchor and have no probs with the set up

Russ

[FNQCairns]

Thanks Russ, just got back from purchasing the 250mm so very happy to see your reply, will suit me also, thanks.

cheers fnq

[disorderly]

What have you been doing up to now,FNQ,just using the old fashioned method of motoring up ,tying off and then pulling up by hand when it comes free?
I only just the last three trips started using a anchor retreiver buoy.
The first trip with it, I busted off 2 anchors.A result of both too much exuberance and also not having replaced the rope for a couple of years.
But they sure are a good invention,particularly when fishing alone.

Scott

[Sea-Dog]

I've never seen one used.

What is the general method of using an anchor buoy?

E.g. Do you tie off the anchor rode at the bow or stern when retrieving?

What actually forces the buoy underwater to lift the anchor?

I wish the idea was around when I occasionally had to haul up the pick by hand on a 45' trawler. Man, you know you're alive then.

Cheers, Ross

[FNQCairns]

Hi Scott, yeah they are great, yes I have done the tie off thing it's a real pain and harder to know the rope is clear of the prop just after it breaks loose when there is some flow.

In the past I used to use air filled plastic ones, more football shaped than round. Been a few years now since I have had a boat big enough to muscle an anchor away safely all the time, would still have rathered the 300mm but cannot fit it in easily.

At what stage did you break the rope each time?

Ross honestly its the way to go, a couple of weeks ago I went out without one on the first reef trip in my new boat, never again without a dan buoy! all by myself, think I am getting older:(

cheers fnq

[FNQCairns]

Ross tie off to the bow for safety, mate nearly sunk us in his boat years ago at the Bulwar wrecks one night by tieing off at the stern, he wouldn't have been allowed to try if it were my boat.

The boat traveling away from the anchor pulls then tows it, the buoy stays more or less put due to water resistance until it reaches the anchor somewhere in the top 1/3 of the water column, then floats it.

Nope, never pulled a trawler anchor and I never want to try either:)

cheers fnq

[Getout]

What actually forces the buoy underwater to lift the anchor?


Cheers, Ross

The buoy doesn't lift the anchor, the boat pulls the anchor off the bottom and then pulls the line up against the drag of the buoy while accelerating away. If everything goes to plan, the pick ends up at the buoy and the chain hangs down while you slowly motor back to the buoy as you retrieve the rope.
This concept of pulling from the bow is fine, except that you will cut the anchor line now and then and lose the bloody lot! I have both done it and seen it done.
I prefer to tie off at the bow after motoring fwd to take up all the slack, pulling the pick free and then tieing off at rear. I then gun it until the buoy starts to drag thru the water and then, circle back and retrieve the line.
I'm talking CQR anchor, 6m chain and 80m x10mm rope here