I'm sick of hauling my anchor up from the depths. which winch to go for?

[reel overtime]

I have a cruisecraft outsider 550, I really really really hate pulling the anchor up, so usually i dont put it down, i've been looking around a bit and have noticed a few other cruiseys with winchs, so what type, brand, size etc would i be looking at and how much are these puppies?

thanks!

[backlash08]

best winch is a float ball IMO and drive to the anchor once on the surface making pulling the rope in very easy. I dont have a winch on my boat but I fish on 2 boats often that do, personally they are a pain in the bum offshore, they might be ok in the bay though

cheers - Craig

[Angla]

EZY LIFT Anchor clip and retrieval ball is the best I reckon.

Chris
CruiseCraft 575 Outsider

http://store.bcf.com.au/ProductList....entPageIndex=4

[OPTI]

go the stress free winch all the way ,its the best

[Fish Guts]

go the retriver ball for deep stuff and fit a MUIR winch.

[marlintuna]

muir or strees free are both good strees free now make free fall

[jtpython]

Windlass Winchs are well priced mate
http://www.google.com/product_url?q=...hl=en&sa=title

Give you an idea. I have a cruise craft 550 Explorer and have gone the way of the bouy and side anchoring is a piece of piss seeing we have the right setups with flow thru tee's and snchoring pionts on the cruise's
JT

[reel overtime]

JT what do you mean by th "bouy and side anchoring". i went to the tackle world in gladdy here and i wanted a mooloolabah pick as my reefie kept bending, they sold me this monster pick that weighs prob 5 or 6 kg and i used it twice as i couldn't lift it back up, i need two people to lift it, but now i've added more short link chain and the reefie seems to hold well now. I was just trying to get away from the hastle of going up front dropping the anchor tying it off and then the reverse.

so thats were i thought the winch would solve all my problems, not that they're problems i'm just getting lazy.

[Wayne_Red]

Go with the ezylift clip and buoy, don't be talked into a ring and bouy.
The difference between the two is the ring has to have the anchor chain pulled through the ring to catch the anchor, if it is not pulled in properly when you turn around to retrieve the anchor it will be half waydown again when you get to the bouy. To over come that you drive faster to make the chain pull through the ring.
With the ezylift clip you can drive off a lot slower and when you stop the clip holds the rope in that position and doesn't allow is to slide back down, the chain doesn't go through the clip so you don't need that extra burst of speed like you do with the ring. Best thing I have bought for many years, @$30 (@$60 with bouy) made in Australia.
I have always had my anchor and rope inside the boat under a floor hatch or in a fish box so I can throw it over tie off and retrieve form the strarboard side, all single handed at night /day in rough seas etc. Anchoring through the bow difficult, hard on the back and needs another person to drive up on the anchor if there is wind or current.
IMO set up a good anchoring/retrieval system, you will need the following:
1. Ezylift clip and bouy.
2. Anchor and rope inside the boat.
3. One of those stainless rope hooks not sure what they are called, about 6" long made of 6mm s/s round bar. It has a round connection eye on one end and a 180 degree bend on the other. You never have to tie a knot in an anchor rope again. Available for different anchor rope sizes, @$15 from boat shop.
4. Painter (rope tied to the bow) long enough to reach to about the rear seat, ensure is not long enough to reach the prop if/when it goes over the side.

Connect one end of the painter to the bow of the boat and the stainless rope hook to the other end. The end of the painter will always be tied off to a handrail or something inside the cockpit on the starboard side.

Anchoring: Throw the anchor over the starboard side of the boat at the desired spot.
Reverse up a little and pay out the anchor rope until it reaches the bottom and the right rope angle is reached.
Clip on the ezylift clip and bouy, and throw it over the side.
Pay out another 6-10' of anchor rope and simply hook on the rope hook on the end of the painter and throw it over the side.
Pay out more anchor rope as the bouy comes to rest @20' in front of the boat, then tie off anchor rope to a handrail of something on the starboard side so the current doesn't take it back to the prop (make sure this rope is not tight, the weight is taken on the painter).

Retrieval: Untie the anchor rope from the handrail and motor up on the port side of the bouy ( be carefull the slack anchor rope doesn't get near the prop) and drive off steady. The bouy will be behind the boat and getting further back with the painter and anchor rope down the starboard side of the boat, be careful not to steer to port and risk the anchor rope being cut by the prop. If the anchor gets stuck the bouy will be pulled under anyway and the anchor rope will be under the boat and clear of the prop. The weight of the stuck anchor is taken on the bow where it should be.
After the anchor is up and the bouy is towing behind you, turn around to starboard and idle toward the bouy retreiving the slack rope, coiling it and stowing it away as you go.
Tie off the painter, take off the clip and your done.

Note: By using an ezylift clip, at anchor the buoy is 10-20 feet in front of the boat so the rope is horizontal off the bow to the buoy then it angles down to the anchor, with the swell and wind pulling on the boat the buoy will be pulled under as the weight of the boat pulls on the anchor, the bouy therefore becomes the bungie to take the jerking starin off the anchor. (can't do this with a ring)
Anchoring and retrieving has never been so easy, especially when you have to anchor a few times to get on that exact spot where the fish were on the sounder/gps. Hope this helps. Not trying to talk you out of a winch but this is cheaper and works a treat.
Regards Wayne

[TimiBoy]

Go with the ezylift clip and buoy, don't be talked into a ring and bouy.
The difference between the two is the ring has to have the anchor chain pulled through the ring to catch the anchor, if it is not pulled in properly when you turn around to retrieve the anchor it will be half waydown again when you get to the bouy. To over come that you drive faster to make the chain pull through the ring.

Another perspective...

I prefer the ring - as you pull the rope through, your deckie will tell you when the chain runs through the ring, as his hand is on the rope and he will feel it.

If you have a good sized reef pick full of lead, you will be grateful it is at the surface, rather than dangling on 6 metres of chain. Mine barely floats with 2 * 200 mm balls, so it's rather weighty...

Cheers,

Tim

[backlash08]

Another perspective...

I prefer the ring - as you pull the rope through, your deckie will tell you when the chain runs through the ring, as his hand is on the rope and he will feel it.

If you have a good sized reef pick full of lead, you will be grateful it is at the surface, rather than dangling on 6 metres of chain. Mine barely floats with 2 * 200 mm balls, so it's rather weighty...

Cheers,

Tim

Tim is on the money, I use exactly the same only 2x300mm float balls as I run 10M of chain
cheers - Craig

[Wayne_Red]

Hi Tim
Everyone has their own anchoring system and different things all work fine. I outlined my personal system to give Reel OT a detailed look at what I do. I have used rings for many years but for me the ezilift clip is better. Reel OT has a 5.5m boat and would not have an anchor the size of yours in a 685 and the clip IMO would beter suit him.
The most important thing I think is Reel OT doesn't like to throw the pick over and needs an anchoring system that works for him and is hassle free, as an experienced fisho I'm sure you agree.
Regards Wayne

[John Buoy]

Hi Tim
Everyone has their own anchoring system and different things all work fine. I outlined my personal system to give Reel OT a detailed look at what I do. I have used rings for many years but for me the ezilift clip is better. Reel OT has a 5.5m boat and would not have an anchor the size of yours in a 685 and the clip IMO would beter suit him.
The most important thing I think is Reel OT doesn't like to throw the pick over and needs an anchoring system that works for him and is hassle free, as an experienced fisho I'm sure you agree.
Regards Wayne

Wayne your theory is all good if your anchoring in deep water > 20mts.
But if your anchoring in 10mts of water and have 6-8mts chain and the clip stops
at the shackle then you'll find the anchor is still hooked up.

Fit the Ezyclip to a anka yanka and you can use the clip for depth or the ring for
shallow reef
Better still go electric as mentioned above Stress Free,Muirs,
or the homemade cheaper stronger version of the stress free made by S.Aust
Micks Winches

Regards Frank

[TimiBoy]

Hi Tim
Everyone has their own anchoring system and different things all work fine. I outlined my personal system to give Reel OT a detailed look at what I do. I have used rings for many years but for me the ezilift clip is better. Reel OT has a 5.5m boat and would not have an anchor the size of yours in a 685 and the clip IMO would beter suit him.
The most important thing I think is Reel OT doesn't like to throw the pick over and needs an anchoring system that works for him and is hassle free, as an experienced fisho I'm sure you agree.
Regards Wayne

Yep, I agree it's all personal at the end of the day, it's all up to boat size, where you anchor, and so on. Certainly for me, given the depth I usually anchor in, if I wait for the winch (30 - 80m of water) I'm hangin' 'round all day, which is rather frustrating if you are just trying to set right over the spot...

If I had one of those drum setups, I could well use it, I believe they are much faster. On the next boat I probably will.

Cheers,

Tim

[Heath]

Have always used the ball method. Works a treat on my 600 Explorer.
Short video here - http://www.gcfishing.com/images/videos/anchorbuoy.wmv