After owning a number of boats down through the years, I've pretty much come to conclusion (as I'm sure many of us would agree) Arima is, arguably, one of the best small ocean boats on the market. This, obviously, is due in large part from the protection offered by their unique raised snout and closed bow design. Unfortunately, like everything else in life, it seems that for every upside there must be a downside. In this case, it's the difficulty many of us encounter in anchoring.
So, with this in mind, I guess the question becomes......What's the answer? One potential option that comes to my mind is from a runabout I saw year's ago. I can't remember who made it, but it had a center opening windshield like many runabouts; but moreover, it had a "sliding hatch" on the foredeck, that, when slid forward, allowed a person enough access to the bow to conceivably manipulate the anchor tackle from inside the boat.
The question then is: Would such a hatch be feasible on an Arima? Any thoughts? :shrug9:
Yat
I am not sure i understand the difficulty anchoring from your Arima are you refering to it being difficult to get to the bow to set and retrieve your anchor? If so check this video out.....works great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alnxr9itfVk
In a Sea Ranger you can open the hatch in the cuddy and stand up to drop the anchor. The rest of the time I just use the method in the video posted by fullphase, works great in deep water.
I think the best answer is that if a large percentage of your fishing arsenal comes from being a a rope-a-doper get an open bow boat. That makes the most sense to me. I like to troll by all those guys....so I don't ever worry about it. If I liked to sit in hog lines and visit I would get a different boat more conducive to that method. :twocents:
Quote from: fullphase on February 12, 2016, 07:09:50 AM
I am not sure i understand the difficulty anchoring from your Arima are you refering to it being difficult to get to the bow to set and retrieve your anchor? If so check this video out.....works great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alnxr9itfVk
yeah I use that method and it works great. takes pretty much all the hard labor out of anchoring, and no need to go to the bow.
I've done something similar to that, but only in shallow water. That's okay for guys like us, but just thinking access forward would be a lot simpler and more encouraging for the "non-initiated".
I'll have to do a search, but I think some of the older Sea Ray or Cruisers, Inc. runabouts may have had that hatch I'm talking about. BTW, another possible benefit of that hatch would be a little better air movement for those in warmer climates.
The thing I like the best about the set up that fullphase posted is you can get off anchor very quickly and re-anchor up just as quick. The Columbia River guys use a similar set up, 3wt has some good info on that.
Some of us have used a somewhat similar anchoring system for Arima's on the Columbia. The caveat I'd make to the video is don't ever, ever, ever try to use an anchor puller with the rode attached to the stern of the boat like that in the Columbia, or some other big, high-current body of water. Not good to get whipped around with the stern facing the current should your main motor die, rope get wrapped into the prop, etc... I always lifted my "slider" rope above the starboard-side front "shoulder" cleat, so that when the rode slid back on it's clip it would hit the cleat, then I could power forward and pull the anchor safely.
I have an open bow now, but after lamenting over this same problem on my Skipjack which had a similar problem as you guys with the cuddys, I finally bought a horizontal windless which was controlled from the dash. Just flick a switch to bring the anchor up while motoring forward. The rope was automatically fed down into the cuddly where I built a box to catch the rode.
The windlass switch on the dash had the option to drop the anchor free fall or drop it slowly, using the motor.
One of the best upgrades I did on that boat.
There are all kinds of anchoring situations. Anchoring on the Columbia is different than we encounter down here so this system may not work well for that purpose. But, it sure works well for typical Ocean anchoring.
Yeah, Croaker, I really like that set-up. Any bigger Arima than mine and I would be looking to go in that direction. Threeweight, good advice. I seem to recall reading of cases where boats were swamped from the stern in those strong currents. I've never been on the Columbia, but I know it has a "reputation"; something like the Merrimack or Piscataqua Rivers up our way.
ReBait had he full meal deal including windlass.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v367/Kodak45/Boats/Rebaityards.jpg)
Posted in another thread... you don't see many windlasses down here on small boats in the Columbia for a couple of reasons. One is we are often anchoring in 4-5 mph current, and a windlass with enough power to pull a boat upstream in that is too big to fit in a typical small fishing boat.
The other is the river bottom is littered with logs, root wads, boulders, etc... and anchors often get stuck. The big orange buoy's you see on our anchor ropes serve as a pulley of sorts when we "power pull" using the torque of the boat's engine to pull upstream. It will usually either twist a suck anchor free, or snap the break-away zip ties from the top and yank the bottom of the anchor up and out of our obstructions.
I've love to be able to use a windlass here. Would make things much easier (and safer!)
(http://www.leeroysramblings.com/Miscl%20images/Boats%20anchored.JPG)
Yachter Yat, Sea Ray did have the type of hatch you are talking about. I used to own one.
All ya do is get one of these little guys, problem solved. :dance:
Nice boat Pacer, but, sorry..........I still like the sliding hatch idea. Don't think I could live without the enclosed cuddy.
...and the Pacer design is about as rare as hen's teeth.
I guess there's a 19' Pacer too, has scuppers up front too that the 17 doesn't. I'd like to find one. :party:
And apparently a 21 as well.
Woody did a great post on the river anchors system that works well in our area. I'll go look for it in the next couple of days if someone doesn't beat me to it.
StreamFixer
Qwakwak:
You said you owned a Sea Ray with that sliding hatch. Could you tell us if that hatch slid far enough forward to facilitate anchoring? Also, do you recall having any other issues; I mean things such as water leaking or structural issues? Thanks.
Yat
Quote from: E-TEC Pacer on February 12, 2016, 09:16:44 PM
I guess there's a 19' Pacer too, has scuppers up front too that the 17 doesn't. I'd like to find one. :party:
QuoteAnd apparently a 21 as well.
When I was at the factory (a couple of years before the move to Defiance) they were building a 21 Pacer...
The technician had to ask me to please step away from the hull....
Seemed I was drooling all over the liner and he didn't want to have that extra "clean up".
My word that was an awesome boat!!
I'm not sure what the problem is I anchor all the time without a issue.My anchor ready to go.
When I get ready to go I set my anchor like this.
I set the rope through the hatch and tie it off on a cleat that I installed by the driver side inside the door. I never have to climb on the bow.
It is simple, I wish it was my idea, but Lvrwurst let me see his Arima before he sold his. The roller he had was wider than mine. Either way they both work Let me know if you need more photos. Today I went sturgeon fishing, didn't catch anything but Delta weed. We anchor 6 times and never went to the front of the boat. This anchoring system is easy and I do this outside the cabin.
Fishin:
Thanks for the post and pics. Certainly an interesting alternative to the anchoring issue. That said, for some reason, I'm a little troubled by that interior cleat; could be a lot of strain on an anchor line in a nasty chop. :shrug9: Obviously, that forward hatch makes that system possible, but I'm still thinking Arima could do well by giving the sliding hatch idea a serious look.
Yat
Yachter I agree with what you said, about the strain. Yesterday the outgoing tide was moving fast along with the wind. I do not anchor in the ocean only in the delta. This is a nice alternative to climbing on top of the bow to drop the anchor or trying to do yoga and fit through the window. :clap:
Here's the system some of us use on the Columbia as demonstrated by Jeanne (Mrs. Woody).
http://www.arimaowners.com/index.php?topic=179.msg1280#msg1280
It works well and keeps the lines away from the prop and rear cleats. (Danno found it)
StreamFixer
Back around 2008-9 I asked Belinda if Arima would install a Hatch on my Sea Chaser. She said they didn't but sent me the part # for a West Marine Cuddy Hatch that would fit the SC19. Unfortunately I've lost her email but maybe someone on here did it and can give you the dimensions for ordering. Or maybe Definance.
I love Arimas and think they are the perfect balance for a fiberglass fishing boat. The two main Arime deficiencies that I personally see are: 1) Anchoring capacity, storage and capability. 2) Main fuel tank being placed above deck level and all at the stern placing all of that weight at the stern.
Seems like some simple design changes like a larger anchor storage locker and a midships in-floor fuel tank would be a simple design change that would serve well to improve functionality and positively adjust the overall center of gravity on these already awesome boats.
i believe the 16x16 medium or low profile lewmar hatches fit on the 17 and 19' boats.
i hated walking around having nothing but the bimini in moderate seas. opening the front window to reach through sucked too. some kind of skip/hard top makes a world of difference. all the cool pullies and rollers seem interesting, too, and helm-deploy systems. surely you PNW river mouth chargers have some struggles that are different from mine in rough but deep waters.
i also covet a nice windlass, seen a few cool smaller applications for boats like mine... maybe next year
I just walk up to the bow of the boat. The trick is being young and physically fit ha ha. Or having friends who are. I do agree it's kind of a pain.
Does anybody recall my "Tether" idea? IMO, it's the easiest, and simplest, solution.
Yat
I have a Lewmar hatch on my Hunter. I stand up through the hatch and set anchor.
My SC17 spent a lot of its life with prior owners on the Puget Sound. They installed an electric winch in place of the foredeck hatch that stores the rode, chain and anchor. I've only used it a couple of times, including the Columbia, but I have to say, it's fantastic!
Like someone else commented, I don't sit in hog lines...just not my thing even when that's the best fishing; if I did, I'd look for a different solution.
Dave
Kudos to 85seahunter. I think he's got a great idea.....at least for the Arima Hunters and small Chasers. My "Tether" though.......Ha
Yat
Quote from: Yachter Yat on September 18, 2020, 10:00:49 AM
Kudos to 85seahunter. I think he's got a great idea.....at least for the Arima Hunters and small Chasers. My "Tether" though.......Ha
Yat
I have not tried it since I put on this Covid weight though haha.
Since our windshield is lower than on Arimas I am able to drop and rise anchor just by holding the line up a bit over the centerline and jiggling it to let the anchor down if it is really nasty, otherwise I just clamber up onto the foredeck. We rarely anchor so we have a pin set on our roller and we are unlikely to anchor in nasty conditions. You could try a drum winch maybe?