I considering picking up a ''folding grapnel''. Does ayone have any comments or suggestions on this stlye anchor? 6.5# is the heavyest I've seen. I'm guessing it'll be enough weight to hold an 18' 2500# boat. I intend on useing it as a secondary positioning anchor.

I use a graple type anchor off the back to keep me in position near rock piles. The main anchor out the front.

I make my own stainless steel ones with 4 tines. They are light but strong. however, if it gets stuck, a good pull with the boat will bend the tines and out she comes. Then I can bend them back.

So other than making your own, make sure what you buy will be able to bend (if you use it near rocks) or release somehow, and then be bent back.

Hope that helps.
If you want I can show u a pic of what I make/use.

Thanks Van. Sure I'ld like to see a pic.

So Goose what kind of 18' boat weighs 2500# and do you have one????????????????:D :D :D

Well Greg, the anwser to your question is.........YES!! I finaly broke the bank and decided on your old 18'CC Seaswirl:happy:. You know it was just a matter of time. I didn't want to say anything till it was in the driveway but what the h3ll. Its at the marina waiting for some warmer temps before I bring it home. That boat fits my needs perfect. I can still take out the family in comfort yet it has what it takes to get across the bay with live bait "did I mention it has a 32 gallon live well".:happy: I'm having a hard time sleeping lately and the days seem like weeks.....lol hey, I've been waiting for this for along time. Life is to short , Right Clammer.

BTW....we named it About Time

This particular day it was well below zero with the wind chill but I realy needed a screen saver.

Take the numbers off that boat NOW!!!!!!!! I paid for that reg. and its mine:af: :af: :af: Tony I will have to let you take me out so I can show you all the goodies on her. I now have the best of both worlds a 21' for off shore and a 18 for the bay:laughs: :laughs:

Hehehe... Way to go Tony (we're still surfcasting though :af: :D )

Originally posted by JohnR
(we're still surfcasting though :af: :D )

Your Jam right!! I'll always be surf caster, wrappin a new 9' pretty soon;)

its an awsome looking boat!! see you out there!!! SOON!!:happy: :happy:

Riding in Style :D

Nice Goose :happy: it's About Time :happy:

Congratulations, use it well :D

32 gallons eh:hihi: :kewl:

Goose,
Congrats on the new boat and welcome to the SB.com boaters club, LOL....

hes still in transition but he'll come around to be a true boater!!:happy: :happy: oh yea!! start wrapping boat rods, cause all those 9,10 fters are for casting now you just bounce stuff!!:happy: :happy: :happy:

Very nice''''

Welcome to the dark side !!!!!!!!!!!

As I said here is a pic of the anchor I use to hold my stern towards the rocks, while the main anchor holds the front.

I make these out of stainless steel, and weld them at work.
But I know some guys make em' out of rebar, so that they will also bend if it gets stuck. Only problem there is the mess from rust. Nice thing is they are light so you can throw them and get some decent scope for holding.

Again this style will bend to come out. Oh yea thats a size 10.5 sneaker for scale.

Good luck with the new craft.. How much power on her ??????

Maybe talk to you by radio this season..:D :D

van,
I think you have a real market for these! I consider anchors disposable and have trashed many a danforth on the rocks at montauk reefs. Some times they come up so twisted they can not be fixed.

Sandman:

Dont think I have not considered it !!!

I was thinking of making the anchor, attaching 30-40 feet of 3/8" line, putting the whole thing in a handy bucket (like I use), and selling them ready to go. They are stainless and DO NOT RUST..
The one I posted I used for many years, I now have a slightly lighter one.

I could make millions !!!!:laughs:

Maybe in my dreams,, but I have thought of making them for local boat/tackle shops. The idea is still kicking around in my head..

If you happen to make a few more...count me in.

How well do they hold in the rocks with 40' of line?

cause youll watch someone else get rich with your idea!! hmmmm!im not workin!!:rolleyes:

Don't forget me;)

There is something similar out there:
http://www.mightymiteanchors.com/
But I like stainless...Van, if you are taking orders...I need it to hold a 5000# 23' rig :D

Hmmm:

Seeing a new market here !!!! LOL

The one I took the pic of is my first "prototype".
I found it was a bit too heavy and if more than 2 tines caught
well it was a B#@%H to get out, my 20 fter with 175 was yanking it like crazy to get it out.

I went to a thinner rod diameter and it works great, and comes out easier, I can even bend it back by hand.

You would be surprised how well they hold. I throw it towards the rockpile, take up slack till it sets and tie it off. sometimes it may break free, then just re-throw it.

Like I said the best thing about it, that also makes it kinda expensive is the stainless construction.

They are not easy to make either, plus the welding is not as easy as welding steel.

I have another one for this season which should be matched perfectly for my size boat.

You guys got me thinking now.........;)

But how many people actually get that close to the rocks and feel the need for a positoining acnchor ?? Other than us !!!

Just say the website, that Mighty mike looks good, and aluminum should hold up well to corrosion. !!

See,,, its already been done.

we want to see the Quincy Van boston line of anchors!! go into production! i allways tie my anchor off the back its easier for me to pull up!! sometimes it gets so stuck i can go in circles with the boat trying to pull it after 3 or 4 times getting stuck good its like how much is a new anchor!!:happy:

Van,

What size rod did you finally decide on?

If I had the time I might go into "production"
My buddies have been saying the same thing.
I dunno...

The anchor in the pic i made out of 3/8" too heavy cause'
if more than 2 tines catch its very hard to bend to retrieve.

I made 2 more to see which I like the best.
Last year I used 3/16" rod, it held well, but if only 1-2 tines catch and there was alot of current or wind it came loose.
But 90% of the time it was fine.

I am ready to weld my third one which is 1/4"..It should be perfect.

I also thought I could use thinner tines for the 2 I weld on
so I could split the difference. Say 1/4" main and 1/8 or 3/16 for the other two.

So to answer megabyte's question, 3/8" for bigger boats, maybe reater than 24'.
3/16" for under 20'
1/4 " for 20-24'

Those are estimates, but I think they are pretty close.

Here's a REAL crude diagram of how I use it. This wasy it allows me to fish off the stern and not sway back and forth.

you can be an artist,:laughs: are you planning on going to boat show its at the expo this year,i didnt know that i thought they had it at trade center i wanted to go to noname for lunch ill probably go monday its a holiday for wife maybe wont be so crowded from weekend let me know maybe we can get together

ps i was just talking with wife we went on a date when we first met i didnt have a boat yet but we went to boston to the aqarium and then had dinner at legals so i wanted to take her on harbor cruise but couldnt find one so i came up with idea the T shuttle cost 1.00 was the best little cruise and cheap!! we were just laughing about that!! how much i liked boats even back then!!:happy: :happy:

Yes I go every year just to drool....:drool:

I go with my buddies and its almost always the weekend.
Like friday night.

Let me know.

Van,
Before you go into production, I think you need to field test a few of the different models...put me down for the 23' 5000# model
:D

maybe I should look into how much it would cost to make up a bunch of these, and how much to sell them.

Discounts for SB members !!!!!!!

Indeed!...

Van,

These would be great for retrieving rigs stuck on the bottom. I use a steel grapping hook with a shackle (hook around my stuck line) big enough to "slide" down my stuck fishing line. I raise it and lower it a couple of time and it always hooks onto my 9er's rigs. the bad part is my grapping hook is made of steel (rust,rust,rust).

This would make a great replacement in 3/16 or 1/4" and serve 2 purposes.

Let me know if you decide to make them up. Otherwise I going to have one made, probably 1/4".

Neat idea. Your next career has been launched.

Originally posted by Megabyte
Neat idea. Your next career has been launched.

Thanks, but I don't think I'll quit my day-job just yet!!!!;)

its almost like plugs buy a gibbs or a jhabs by a production anchor or buy a quincy van anchor custom to fit your needs id be interested cause of the flexibility of it to get unhooked, great idea!
stainless!!

more anchor questions:rolleyes:......do I need a chain on the grapnel? length? Is three feet of chain on main and grapnel enough?

Chain helps lay the line down to get a good set. I think I have about 3 feet, I'll check.....

At least 4 feet on your main anchor.

None if your gonna use the throw anchor off the stern.
(like in my artistic pic)

Is that what you mean ?

Van,

If you decide to make a few I
will take one. 24 foot boay at 6,000 lbs or so. Name your price.

I'm thinkin about it.

If I go into a "production" mode, there will be some upfront costs
and I need to do the math. I may not be able to sell enough of them. (I'm not sure if there is really a market for them) but if I could get it into a catalog ...then.....

Let you know.

Van, is chain used on the grapnel?

Yo dude use a cinder block,then you,ll have more money for gas///////////////////
Enjoy=====About Time!!!!!


:happy: :happy: :happy:

Goose:

No chain,, so its easier to throw and retrieve.

I just insert a rope eye directly to the hook, and splice the line.

I'll post a pic later.

Originally posted by clamdigger
Yo dude use a cinder block,then you,ll have more money for gas


Dude, how do ya figure......I started out useing one block, it broke on the first throw. Now I bring about 6 or 7 blocks......waaaaay more gas:hee:

sparkplugs for sinkers:smash: :smash:

MY mistake I think the first version I spliced right to the hook.
In the second version i used a shackle.

For the third version I'll keep the shackle. But I usually wire it so it cant unscrew. you can see how much thinner the wire is than the original.

Here is the pic.

Van ...

I checked out some 1/4" and 3/8" SS. The 1/4" seems too flexible and the 3/8" seemed impossible...<<??>>

...how could 3/16" have possibly worked for you? Are you fishing strong currents? I imagine the movement of the water bouncing the weight of the boat alone would be enough to un-bend 1/4" nevermind 3/16"....????

Am I missing something here?

Thanks,
Bloo-

Bloo:
Let me check the "exact" thicknesses of the anchors I've made.

The one in the first pic was way too strong and if 3 tines hook on good, I could barely get it out with 175 horses pulling on it "hard".

The one in the last pic worked OK, but it was a bit light and occasionally came unhooked, with bouncing.

If your trying to bend a piece by hand and it seemed flimsy, try bending 2 pieces at at time, because at least 2 should be caught for a good set.

I will check tonight and post later.

V.

Van,
You do know that traditionally those things were made with re-bar, which bends a lot easier than stainless? They usually also add some concrete above the tines to aid in setting.

Yup, Back a few posts I think I mentioned that. Biggest problem--
RUST-RUST-RUST. And thickness/weight.. Rebar is over 1/2 thick, its not weight I wanted, just holding power.

The heavy anchor in the pic near the start of this thread I used for maybe 5 years until I decided to make a smaller one that would not hang up and be so hard to release/unbend. Notice there is NO RUST. Being a materials scientist, I selected 304 and welded with 316.
Although 316 rod would be even more corrosion resistant, the cost did not justify it. So I made out of 304 and it worked great.

Van,
I guess I should have read the entire thread first :smash: A lot of guys use very similar anchors for anchoring on wrecks, same principal. I've been thinking about getting one. But if you anchor on deeper water wrecks the weight becomes an advantage to getting the thing down quickly, so it hits the wreck. I'd be interested if you start making them.

..thanks Van. :) "(exactly)"...what I expected.

Thats a good idea too. I have only used my as a second anchor to hold the boat in position near rockpiles. (not swaying into rocks is a good thing). I would not trust it as a main anchor usless like you said in deep water on a wreck. It would be better than losing another danforth for sure.

OK I finally got around to measuring the wire sizes on the anchors I've made.

The one I posted early was too heavy and real hard to retrieve if it hooked 2 or more tines. It is 7/16"

The one I posted with the line on it i made last year and is a bit too light. It is 1/4". Although it did work OK, but when the current/wind was strong it pulled out a few times.

So the one I just finished which should be perfect for my application. It is 5/16"

I have one more piece which I may make into another anchor this year, if I think I am still too light,but I don't think it will be a problem. It is 3/8".

There you have it. Feel free to copy my design and make one up for yourself. If i go into the anchor business, I'l let you know.

I broke down and bought a mighty-mite anchor this weekend (saw it at west marine thought of Vans anchor) and just eye spliced 150' of line to it (no chain) for a fishing anchor. Having trashed a number of danforths in my day this bendable hook is a good idea. 74 bucks for the anchor. I think Vans stainless anchor is made with more "love" and stronger materials but the mighty mite is pretty decent. It has 1/2" aluminum tines and a 2" center Aluminum tube filled with lead. It weighs 12 lbs and the tines are not as easy to bend as you think, you need to wedge it in something and really lean on it.
There is also a mounting bracket available (that I have to order) that allows it to fit nicely in my motor well. (Its not something you want flopping around.)

Yea,, like I said I know it has already been done.

What I do is put my main anchor down, back in (carefully) to the rocks. Hold the boat in place in reverse, and throw the SS anchor at an angle towards the rocks and wind/current pull till it grabs and tie it off.

I can probably throw it 20 feet.
I also use thinner line to throw it further.

Your gonna have massive arms if you start throwing a 12 lb anchor that far. LOL.

Do they rate it for boat size or holding power?
What size line came with it? Looks like 3/8"
Questions, questions....
Oh yea, and when can I come with my boat and fish with you in your area ?;) :smash:

This is the biggest anchor they make 20 to 22-25' They make a smaller anchor for up to 18' ft boats...I think it is 8 lbs or so.

The anchor comes with no line, but I bought 150' 7/16th nylon and eye spliced a SS thimble and just backsplice at the other end. My main anchor is a dandforth with 1/2" nylon. I know there is some overkill there, but I like a little overkill in my line. My boat is 23' and is about 5300# or so when loaded .

I plan to use this as my anchor most of the time when fishing. Like I said I have pulled up some really twisted danforths just anchoring in the reefs while chunking. Once I ripped off one of the flukes altogether(with a bigger boat). (It gets expensive aftter a while repairing/replacing anchors several times a season. Also it is a pain when they get really stuck and you have to muscle it out.)

I don't think I could throw this very far while standing on wet deck (10-12' maybe) but throwing it was really not my intent. I just want to have it grab and be able to fix it should it become bent.

I like your rig, but they are hard to come buy and I am not rigged up to weld stainless.....
one suggestion...Ya gotta change that ugly galv shackle to matching SS one! :D .

As far as fishing out my way....I am sure our paths will cross. The name of my boat is "Low Profile", (yellow 23 SC for now...) if you see me (and I am sure you will...) hail me down on the radio. I will be working the fluke (hopefully) with my kids on Lucas shoal area and bass in there typical haunts.

Sounds like it will be perfect for you.

Yes I will take your advice and change that shackle.

In the past I also spliced right to the anchor with a thimble, but
I keep changes sizes so rather than resplice all the time, it was easier with the shackle.

Keep in touch let me know how it works...
WON'T BE LONG NOW.,

V.

Sandman,
Do you use a ball and ring set up on your anchor line? If not try it, it will greatly reduce the number of bent anchors and your back will love you for it.

mako,

No I haven't tried a ball and ring. I know the offshore guys who anchor up use them and will abondon it while fighting a big fish and retrieve it later but I have to be honest I am not sure exactly how to set it up.

Sandy,
Setting it up is pretty easy. Splice about two and half to three feet of line to the bottom of the ball and then splice a biiig snap on the other end of the line. The way it works is you put the stainless ring over the rode and than snap the ball through both eyes of the ring, so it can't come off the rode. Then throw the whole thing overboard. Run the boat up at and angle to the anchor line until it comes taught and then steer directly away from the anchor. What happens is that the ball slides down the rode until it is directly over the anchor and then the bouyancy of the ball pulls the anchor straight up. Much less likely to bend flukes when you're pulling straight up. When the anchor is all the way up the flukes will catch in the ring and you'll notice that the ball is crashing around much more than before. then you just stop the boat and pick up the line.

Nice boat, good luck with her.

See you out there.:D :D :D :happy: :laughs: