How to Anchor a Small Runabout

Find a suitable anchorage in fairly shallow water. If this means motoring inland for some distance to find a shoal, do so. An ideal depth is 15 to 20 feet. Consult a depth chart to find the approximate depth at your location.

Drop a weighted fishing line overboard until it touches the bottom. Reel in the line, and measure its length to estimate how much anchor line you will need. You will need about 7 feet of anchor line for every foot of water depth. For example, if you are anchoring in 15 feet of water, you will need to pay out about 105 feet of anchor line.

Look around you and make sure you will not impose upon another boat or its anchoring tackle. A shifting wind can swing your boat around 360 degrees, so be certain you have the radius to swing free of other vessels.

Point your runabout facing directly into the wind. Put the motor in reverse and, as the boat begins to move slowly backward, gently slip the anchor over the bow. Wear gloves to protect your hands.

Watch the graduated markings on the anchor line that indicate how many feet or yards you have payed out. After paying out about a third of the length, give the line a firm tug to set the anchor into the bottom.

Check to be sure you feel a firm resistance. Then, continue to pay out line, as the boat continues slowly in reverse, until have payed out the necessary amount of line. Tie off the line on the bow cleat.

Pick out two stationary landmarks as reference points. Note the location of your boat in relation to those objects.

Check your reference points every two to three hours to see if your boat has moved. If it has moved, give a tug on the anchor. If the anchor moves, it means it has not set properly and is sliding across the bottom.

Retrieve the anchor and reset it. This time, pay out 10 percent more line to decrease the anchoring angle. This sometimes helps a slipping anchor set more securely.