Arima's anchoring issue

[Yachter Yat]

   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?   

Yat

   
     

   

[fullphase]

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

[Tom Mac]

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.

[BestBoats]

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:

[Chasin Baitman]

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.

[Yachter Yat]

   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".

[Yachter Yat]

   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. 

[Tom Mac]

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.

[Threeweight]

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.

[croaker stroker]

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.

[Yachter Yat]

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. 

[GregE]

ReBait had he full meal deal including windlass.

[Threeweight]

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!)

[Qwakwak]

Yachter Yat, Sea Ray did have the type of hatch you are talking about. I used to own one.

[E-TEC Pacer]

All ya do is get one of these little guys, problem solved. :dance:

[Yachter Yat]

   Nice boat Pacer, but, sorry..........I still like the sliding hatch idea. Don't think I could live without the enclosed cuddy. 

[Markshoreline]

...and the Pacer design is about as rare as hen's teeth.

[E-TEC Pacer]

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:

[Markshoreline]

And apparently a 21 as well.

[StreamFixer]

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

[Yachter Yat]

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

[Salmon King]

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.

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!!

[Fishin Machine]

I'm not sure what the problem is I anchor all the time without a issue.My anchor ready to go.

[Fishin Machine]

When I get ready to go I set my anchor like this.

[Fishin Machine]

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.