Useful Anchoring Tips
Anchoring or Staking Your Houseboat to Shore
[Houseboats come with anchors and ropes appropriate to the size of craft]
Navigating the open lake is half the fun of houseboating. The big vessels move gracefully (albeit slowly) through the water and everyone on board enjoys 360 degree views.
But staking out (literally) your own campsite on the open shoreline - with your floating home tied down securely for the night - is where you'll spend the majority of your houseboat vacation. Between choosing just the right spot for your group, to setting up your lakeside camp - it's all part of the ritual of houseboating.
Your houseboat will be equipped with stakes or anchors designed for the beach types on the lake. They are stored on the forward posts for easy retrieval. Since your vessel is quite long - the ropes are already tied to the aft (rear) cleats.
Houseboater's Tip - A powerboat or personal watercraft comes in handy for scouting beaches and finding just the right spot to tie up since they are more nimble near the shoreline than the larger houseboat.
When beaching your houseboat, you will first choose a spot, out of the main channel and high-traffic areas, where there are no underwater hazards. A nice wide, sandy beach - with plenty of room for setting up "camp" is what you're shooting for.
Once you've found the right spot to beach - you will prepare the houseboat for beaching by turning off the generator (to avoid sucking sand or matter into the cooling intake). Then, from the helm (not the flying bridge if your houseboat is so equipped) you'll approach the shoreline with your motors running typically at 800 to 1000 RPMs. At this low speed, you'll then ease your houseboat up to the shoreline - watching for any underwater hazards or unexpected shallow areas.
Once you have slid onto the beach, you will keep your motors running at this low speed until you have completed securing the houseboat. It is important that the operator stays at the helm until the boat is secured, and that passengers are not on or around the back deck of the boat when the motors are running and the boat is parked.
Start securing your houseboat by first throwing the ropes to the beach and move your stakes or anchors from the front of the houseboat to positions approximately 45 degrees from the boat (see illustration). Use the provided hammer or shovel to either pound in your stakes, or dig anchor holes. Sturdy work gloves are a good idea - bring your own to be sure you have them handy. If it is windy, start from the prevailing side - the direction from which the wind is coming from. This will help keep the houseboat in position during tie down. If the wind pushed the houseboat out of position, during tie-down, the operator can steer the motors and apply a slight amount of throttle to straighten the boat.
[Proper houseboat anchor/stake position]
Staking Your Houseboat
Most lakes will use very strong steel stakes to tie down the houseboat. Pound in the stakes at an angle pointing away from the boat to provide the most leverage on shore. Tie the rope to the stake. When all stakes are set, retie them as tightly as possible. Very long ropes will have some slack from the weight of the rope.
Using Sand Anchors
At Lake Powell, houseboats are tied down with large sand anchors. To set your anchors, you'll dig a large hole 2 to 3 feet deep and wide enough to accommodate the anchor. Drop in the anchor and tie on the rope. This is the hard way. Set the anchors by alternately pulling and tightening the ropes. Fill the holes with sand - you can even pour water over the sand to "set" the anchors if you wish. Tighten all the ropes at the anchors until the houseboat is secure.
You can use the houseboat motors to further tighten the ropes by swinging the rear of the boat slightly toward the rope being tightened. Using your boat motors to do the work for you makes rope tightening easy and ensures your boat is secure. Only after all ropes are secure should you turn the motors off.
It is a good idea to clearly mark your stakes and anchors if they are showing above ground - even cover them with something so that they are easily visible in the dark. Even with the large ropes marking their location it can be unfortunately easy to find them with bare feet or shin - particularly when chasing a Frisbee or football.
Windy Conditions
If it becomes windy and you become concerned that your houseboat may come loose, remember you can use the houseboats' motors to provide additional resistance to the wind. Again, be sure no one is on or near the rear deck of the houseboat when the motors are in operation on the shore. In addition, be aware that fluctuating lake levels may require you to move the houseboat higher or lower on the beach each day, adjusting the ropes accordingly.
Why use the "ShoreLock Anchor" as your "go-to" anchor? Because it really works!
Most old-fashioned beach anchors (with or without a slide hammer) simply don't have the necessary holding power of the "QuickSand Anchor's" auger & wing design. There's a reason why marinas use auger-type anchors to secure their floating docks: auger-type anchors hold even in rough, stormy, windy conditions.
Manufactured from extreme-duty, powder-coated U.S. steel, Diamond Watersports' new
"ShoreLock Anchor" beach anchor screws into the sand or beach while pulling as much as 350 square inches of vertical surface area into the ground!! The holding power is enormous & has been tested without failure at as much as 500 lbs. of constant pull.
When you're ready to remove the anchor, just un-screw it from the ground & you're done! Give it a try...we're confident you'll be extremely happy or your money back~~No Questions Asked!
Anchoring your boat correctly can be the difference between having a safe and enjoyable boating experience, and a disaster. Shore anchoring is different than deep anchoring in many ways and is very commonly done incorrectly. Here at Diamond Water Sports, we specialize in shore anchoring systems. I am going to give you some pointers that will help you to make anchoring quick, safe, and reliable.
First, the most common shore anchoring method for small boats and PWCs is the “bow in” method. This is also by far the least reliable and the most potentially damaging to your boat. The ”bow in” method involves driving the boat into shore until the bow of the boat is up on the sand in shallow water. The boat is then anchored from the bow eye to a shore anchor. This method is very simple to do, and allows access to your boat in shallow water, but should only be used for short times when the boat is under close supervision. Bow guards are also recommended if this anchoring method is used in order to minimize damage to your boat. “Bow in” anchoring should never be used for overnight anchoring or anchoring in rough conditions. Wind and waves can push your boat sideways against the shore, and can even tip it or bury the prop in the sand making it very difficult to push back out. Even worse, large waves can push your boat further up on the beach forcing the stern or back of the boat deeper into the water. As this continues, the waves can begin to come over the top of the stern swamping your boat. Many unfortunate boaters have returned to their boats after a stormy night to find them buried in water and sand.
A second more reliable way to anchor is with the bow out. This allows the boat to face oncoming waves enabling it to safely ride out even the roughest conditions. To accomplish this, a bow anchor is thrown out 50 – 100 feet beyond the desired location of the bow. This distance depends on the depth of the water and the length of your anchor line. In general, the further your boat is from the anchor the better. Make sure that your anchor is well secured then position your boat with the stern toward the shore and attach an anchor line from a stern cleat to a shore anchor. Be sure to secure your boat far enough out to keep your prop out of the sand. This method has the advantage of being much safer and less damaging to your boat, and the disadvantages of taking more time to set up, and more difficult access to your boat in deeper water. These disadvantages can be largely overcome with anchoring variations that will be discussed later. Very commonly, boaters will anchor with the bow in during the day while the boat is being taken in and out frequently, and then anchor with the bow out in the evening or when stormy weather is anticipated.
Many modifications can be made to the bow out anchoring process to make it easier. The use of an anchor buoy can be very helpful so as not to have to put the bow anchor in and out every time the boat is taken out and brought back in. To do this, attach a carabineer or utility hook to a loop in the anchor line at water level directly above the anchor. Just a note, tie your loop using a figure eight knot so as not to end up with a knot that you cannot get out later. When the boat is disconnected from the line, an anchor buoy is attached to the carabineer to mark its position. Be sure to coil the extra rope and connect it to the carabineer at the base of the buoy to keep it out of unsuspecting props. A great way to set up your shore anchor line is to tie a loop and place a carabineer at the desired position of the stern of your boat. Make sure there is enough extra line to reach the lake bottom at that position. Attach a small anchor such as a mushroom anchor to the line so that it sets on the bottom directly below the stern of the boat and the carabineer. When you bring your boat in, grab the line with a grappling hook and tie a short line from the stern cleat to the carabineer. A second buoy can be attached to the carabineer to make it easy to find. A great addition to this method is to use a flat towable in place of the buoy. The towable comes in very handy in transporting gear and people who do not want to wade out to the boat. Once the towable is loaded, the person simply pulls themselves to the boat or to shore using the shore anchor line. When the boat goes out for more fun, the towable is connected to the carabineer and functions as the anchor buoy for that line.
Larger boats generally require two shore anchors. Anchor lines are secured to each of the two stern cleats in the same way as described for a single line.
House boat anchoring is an entirely different situation. Anchoring a houseboat requires a significant amount of effort, and must be done well in order to avoid being washed away in a storm. The better your anchoring job is, the better you will sleep at night. There are few things worse than having to re-anchor a house boat in the middle of the night during a storm.
Beach & Shoreline Anchoring Tips From the Experts
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