Anchor Andking Review

Summary

No matter what kind of boat you have, it won’t always be moving. When you get to your favorite fishing spot, you’ll want to keep it from drifting too far. And when you’re done for the day, you’ll need to secure it for the night.

One of the most basic pieces of boating equipment is the anchor. A line is secured to a winch, holder or mount. For most anchors, the line needs to be long enough to reach bottom wherever you need to keep the boat stationary. Grappling anchors have multiple spikes or hooks, and often used on rivers and lakes where the anchor needs a good grip. Fluke anchors may weigh more, and are usually used when the bottom of a lake or the ocean is soft sand or mud. The weight of the anchor sinks the blade into the bottom, and holds its place where the small hooks of a grappling anchor would just slide through. Mushroom anchors look like their namesake, and use the upside-down umbrella shape to sit on a soft or weedy bottom. They use the weight of water and mud to hold steady. A mushroom anchor may be used as a permanent anchor if it’s buried in the bottom so it resists being pulled up.

The two most important pieces of docking equipment (aside from the dock!) are cleats and bumpers. The bumpers are made of vinyl or another soft material, and are fastened to the edges and corners of the dock and posts. Sometimes they are attached to the boat as well, at points where the boat is most likely to run against a dock. These bumpers prevent scratches and other damage to the boat when it comes up to the dock.

Cleats are usually metal, and attach to the upper wall of the boat and may correspond to cleats on the docking area. The narrow anvil shape allows line to wrap around the smaller bottom without danger of slipping off the top. Once a rope is tied off at the dock and snugly wrapped around the cleat on the boat, the boat stays tethered. The bumpers stay in service as the boat will repeatedly bump the dock while it’s moored.

Pros

• Suitable anchors are available at low prices.
• Quality bumpers don’t frequently need replaced and protect well.
• Cleats work well and avoid knots pulled too tight by boat movement.

Cons

• High-quality deep water anchors can be extremely expensive.
• Inexpensive bumpers may need replaced frequently to avoid boat damage.
• Some anchors don’t work well in all situations.
• Grappling anchors may become stuck.

Featured Manufacturers

Redhead, Hilti, Lewmar, Manson and ITW

Conclusion

Hopefully, you’ll only need to think about the anchor when you’re letting it down and bringing it up. It won’t need replaced very often, if ever, once you find a reliable one for the kind of water you’re in. Your docking equipment is also something you don’t want to have to think about much. But since the bumpers are made of less durable material, you’ll need to check them periodically for wear and replace them before your boat is damaged.