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Everything WE LEARNED about Boat Anchors while Living Aboard

Boat anchors and how to anchor your boat are seemingly confusing but surprisingly simple. We spent over 300 nights on anchor through many different conditions over two years and we’ve compiled all of our tips and tricks for both understanding what a boat anchor is and how to effectively anchor any boat in any condition. There’s a lot of controversy on the type of boat anchor, so although we’re going to tell you what anchor we have, we’re also going to tell you what to look for when choosing the best anchor for your boat and cruising conditions.

Note: We use affiliate links which provide us a little kickback each time you use one of our links and make a purchase, without any additional cost to you. We do not recommend products that we don’t already love or have heard great things about, so you can trust we’re only suggesting great products to you.

Table of Contents

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  • What is the Best Boat Anchor
    • What are the Parts of a Boat Anchor
  • How Heavy of An Anchor Do I need
  • How to Anchor Properly
    • Five Steps to Anchoring
      • 1. Prepare
      • 2. Stop
      • 3. Drop
      • 4. Set
      • 5. Secure
    • Take our Anchoring Course
  • Save for Later

What is the Best Boat Anchor

The best boat anchor has a certain set of characteristics.

  1. It is designed for the bottom conditions you are boating in.
  2. It is the correct size (sized up) for your boat.
  3. It can re-set itself in an emergency.

Our experience is that the Mantus M1 is the best boat anchor. As long as you purchase the correct size, it satisfies both 1 and 3. Once we upgraded our anchor setup, we never dragged the anchor. It is an all-around anchor, meaning that it works on most bottom conditions, which was important as our cruising grounds were constantly changing on the Great Loop. It has a roll bar combined with a sharp pointed fluke, which gave us the confidence that in an emergency, we could be sure that the anchor would set properly.

In reality, any new-generation anchor like Mantus, Ultra, and Rocna, will be solid choices. You will want to stay away from older technology anchors like CQRs, Bruces, and Fortresses. Those may perform in certain circumstances, but what you want in an anchor is to perform well in almost all circumstances! It’s no uncommon for full-time cruisers to travel with multiple anchors. We often see boats with a Mantus or Rocna as their primary anchor and a fortress for the rare occasions when that anchor type is best.

For smaller boats like dinghies, anchors can be as light as 8 lbs

What are the Parts of a Boat Anchor

There are four crucial parts of modern anchors. Starting with the fluke, the piece that digs into the ground. Next up is the shank, the bar connecting the fluke to the swivel. The swivel is what connects the shank to your anchor chain. Finally, the roll bar (not present on all anchors) is connected to the fluke, allowing your anchor to roll over and be appropriately set.

Some anchors come in parts; you can easily see the three main components.
65 lbs was a heavy but well-needed upgrade.
An anchor swivel is crucial for your anchor to set properly.
Our anchor on our bow pulpit, as we cruise past Miami, right next to our deck swab puppy

How Heavy of An Anchor Do I need

The general thought on anchor size is expressed well in the joke, “if someone walks along the dock and laughs at how large your anchor is, it’s almost big enough.” With that being said, the bigger, the better. Our general consensus is that if we’re in a storm, we don’t want to regret not getting a big enough anchor or the right equipment to feel safe, comfortable, and confident in our ground tackle (aka anchoring gear).

We went from a 35 lb CQR which gave us trouble, to a 65 lb Mantus M1 nicknamed A. Good. Nights. Sleep. (AGNIS)

The reality is that determining what size anchor your boat needs is simple. Just look up your anchor’s size chart to find the appropriate size for your boat! Size charts are listed by length and weight of your boat, with the longer and heavier boats requiring a larger anchor. You will want to “size up” for peace of mind. If you have a windlass (equipment to pick up your anchor) that is capable of pulling up a heavier anchor, there really is no reason not to size up. However, if you are tossing the anchor and pulling it up by hand, then just keep in mind the total weight.

Example sizing chart from mantus.com

How to Anchor Properly

Anchoring properly is a skill you build up with practice. There should not be any guess-work while anchoring; you either will not move or you will drag through the water! Assuming you have the correct anchor for your boat, our five steps to anchoring will ensure you enjoy time on the hook.

Anchoring is simple once you practice the 5 easy steps.

Five Steps to Anchoring

We developed the five steps to anchoring as we lived full-time on our trawler. We had to anchor in hundreds of different locations all around the easter portion of North America, and we wanted a repeatable set of steps to ensure we slept well at night, no matter the location or conditions.

1. Prepare

If you don’t choose a quality anchorage before dropping your anchor, you are set up to fail. You must take into account the weather, depth of water, and your needs while on anchor ahead of time.

2. Stop

When you arrive at your anchorage, point your boat into the wind or current and come to a complete stop.

3. Drop

Using the distance from your bow spritz to the bottom of the sea floor, multiply it by the appropriate scope (either 3, 5, 7, or 10) to determine the average amount of chain to let out. For example, in 5 feet of water with 5 feet to your bow, in medium conditions with a 5:1 scope, you will need 50 feet of chain out.

4. Set

Slowly reverse on your anchor to dig the fluke into the bottom conditions. Keep your boat in reverse until it is no longer moving because your anchor is preventing it. This shouldn’t be done at high RPM. Set your anchor alarm.

5. Secure

Put on your bridle, anchoring light or day marker, and enjoy not dragging anchor!

Jen and Carol enjoying time on Anchor

Take our Anchoring Course

If you want to learn more about the five steps above, or more about anchoring gear, what to do when things go wrong, or see the five steps to anchoring in action as we walk you through our thought process as we anchor, check out our course on How to Anchor and Love It! Our 2-hour long course goes into further detail and we share all of the tips and tricks we wish we had known prior to starting anchoring.

Check out the Course

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Boat Anchors | How to anchor your boat | The best boat anchors to buy | Boat life | America's Great Loop | Sailing | Tips for anchoring your boat
Boat Anchors | How to anchor your boat | The best boat anchors to buy | Boat life | America's Great Loop | Sailing | Tips for anchoring your boat
Boat Anchors | How to anchor your boat | The best boat anchors to buy | Boat life | America's Great Loop | Sailing | Tips for anchoring your boat

The ups, downs, and everything in between, we share it all. If you like what you see, there are lots of ways to show your support and say thanks! The easiest way to support our work is by commenting on this post, liking and sharing our content on Facebook, and pinning our content on Pinterest. It’s a small way to say thank you that goes a long way!


Posted

January 30, 2024

in

America’s Great Loop, Boat Life

by

Elliot Schoenfeld

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Comments

3 responses to “Everything WE LEARNED about Boat Anchors while Living Aboard”

  1. Jay y Martha Avatar
    Jay y Martha
    February 28, 2024

    Thanks. As we’re about 3 years out from doing the loop, I’m trying to learn everything I can. I’ve never operated anything bigger than a Pontoon. The info loopers like you put out there free is incredibly valuable. Love your videos too

    Reply
    1. Elliot Schoenfeld Avatar
      Elliot Schoenfeld
      February 28, 2024

      That’s awesome, Jay and Martha! Best of luck, It’s an incredible journey. Let us know if you have any questions along the way!

      Reply
  2. Chris Avatar
    Chris
    September 14, 2024

    With regard to anchor chains, bridle is the correct spelling, not bridal. Bridle (boats and horses), bridal (wedding related)

    Reply

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About Us

We’re Jen and Elliot, aka Scho & Jo, a couple of high school sweethearts who fell in love with travel and decided to live life now. From international travel to boating around America’s Great Loop to converting a Sprinter Van into a campervan and now traveling to all 50 States and US National Parks, we’re here to help you plan for your dream trip! We share detailed guides and expense reports to help turn your dream trip into a reality! Read more about us here.

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  • 1 Day in Carlsbad Caverns: Itinerary and Ultimate Guide

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Sometimes it’s not the bucket list but random mo Sometimes it’s not the bucket list but random moments that you’ll remember forever 🐶

After filming our YouTube series on Carlsbad Caverns NP and White Sands NP we had to spend one day in the park and just catch up on work. 

It was a little warm, but randomly running up the sand hills throughout the day was so worth it. 

It’s l moments like these that were so grateful to live and work out of our van. 

Follow @schoandjo for more slices of life as we explore North America. 

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And 2 seconds later, Summit was dirty again 😅 And 2 seconds later, Summit was dirty again 😅

As two East Coasters, deserts are so strange and wonderful. Both barren and full of life. 

We stayed on our first BLM outside of Carlsbad, NM, and we were greeted with something entirely new for us… a dust storm! 

We hadn’t washed Summit since being on the road, but that was the trigger for a deep clean. Coming from boat life, we’d just wash Pivot at various marinas. 

Now we go to car washes! I have to admit, that I was not really looking forward to the chore of washing Summit, but the feeling of a clean home was super worth it. With some good tunes, it was actually pretty fun! 

Follow @schoandjo for more, as we learn more about life on the road on our exploration around North America! 

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We were racing against the clock ⏰ When we firs We were racing against the clock ⏰

When we first stepped into White Sands National Park, we knew we had to get sunset photos, but while almost everywhere in the park is perfect for it, there is a cut-off time. 

You must be out of the park no later than 30 minutes after sunset. 

BUT, since the sun goes over the Mountains earlier than sunset, you have more gorgeous golden light.

Follow @schoandjo as we visit all 63 National Parks. This is park 7/63.

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Don’t Miss this Ranger-Led Tour ‼️ When we Don’t Miss this Ranger-Led Tour ‼️

When we went to Carlsbad Caverns this April, we were shocked to learn they restarted ONE tour. 

If you didn’t know, Carlsbad Caverns lost roughly half its front-facing staff with the NPS cuts. Due to this, they were forced to cancel all their ranger-led tours and just focus on keeping the park running. 

The park service desperately wanted to open a tour to help educate small groups about the park’s history, challenges, and wonders, hoping those people would then share why our parks are so important to keep open. They’ve found a way to stabilize and open one tour.

The King’s Palace tour visits scenic rooms closed to the public, so you’ll visit places very few people can see.

With this being said, every day is different, and as of now, they don’t know in advance if they will be offering the tour, so you’ll have to show up early regardless.

The visitors center opens at 9:00 am, so we sat outside since 8:00 am, ensuring we could get a spot. 

The other people who had heard of the tour started arriving at 8:15, and by 8:30, there was a decent line outside. If you want tickets, arrive by 8:30 am at the latest! 

You don’t need a timed entry as the tour will count for your entry. The tour is $10 USD per person, on top of standard park entry fees. 

The King’s Palace tour starts at 10:30 am, so you’ll need to take the elevator down, and then you’ll have a few minutes to wander before the tour. 

The tour lasts about 1:30 to 2 hours, so come fed and with plenty of time to learn about the Caverns! 

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions or have seen anything different in recent days. Huge kudos to the NPS for navigating these challenging times. 

Follow @schoandjo as we visit all 63 US National Parks, this is park number 7!

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