How to Tie An Anchor Rope To A Pontoon Boat

If you are familiar with the boating world, you would be aware of the fact that pontoon boats are one of the easiest to learn and drive. Now for those of you who are no stranger to driving a car, you already know half the basics of manoeuvring the pontoon boats.

Pontoon Boats

Well, pontoon boats obviously differ from those everyday boats, they have kind of a flat deck that is mounted on a floatation device i.e. pontoons. These type of boats need to be anchored so that they can be prevented from being drifted away.

Anchor

A boat anchor is a device attached on boats with a cable that is lowered in the seabed by means of a fluke, to hold the boat steady and stabilize it, if subjected to harsh wind or currents. Ergo can be referred as a brake for the pontoon boat. Hence, anchoring a boat correctly must be mastered before you plan on driving a pontoon boat. This article will be your short guide on how can you tie an anchor rope to a pontoon boat.

Steps to anchor a pontoon boat

• Head towards where you want to settle. The location should be away from any rocks or banks and where the water and weather is calm. The positioning of your boat should also be according to the wind.

If the wind is strong where you settled, the nose of your ship must be pointed into the direction of the wind.

• Once you have positioned your boat correctly, the next step will be to release the anchor cable (rode). For that, check the depth of the water and the bottom type, to calculate the amount of the cable needed.

Release more of a rode than that of the water depth (about five to seven times) so that, you have enough to securely anchor.

• Once the boat is idle, start releasing the anchor slowly and not just plunk it into the water to avoid any tangles.

While you are releasing the rode, slowly move forward the boat simultaneously as well. The anchor must be secured to your boat.

• Maintain the tension in the rode. This makes sure that your boat remains pointed towards the anchor. If the winds are strong, you can also put the engine of the boat in forward gear to control the direction.
• Now is the time for the anchor to dig in. For that, you need to wrap the anchor cable around a cleat and you will feel the anchor digging in. Idly reverse the engine and back down on the anchor so that it secures in the bottom. If the anchor doesn’t seem to be holding, try letting down the anchor a number of times until it is done.
• Don’t forget to take notes of the landmarks around and check on them every now and then.
• When deciding to head back, lift back your anchor in a vertical direction. To avoid any harm to your pontoon boat.

Also, wash the anchor before letting it on your boat to remove any mud or debris or more importantly invasive species.