Large Box Anchor....Overkill?

[Chef]

Anyone who owns a small box anchor feel like it is not enough, and wish they bought the large instead? I own a 20V and trying to decide between the small anchor or the the large one. Any comments would be appreciated.

[da.bell]

Is there such a thing as "overkill"??? hahaha

However, I am sure the small would be okay with the 20V. The 24Ve might be a different story but have heard of owners still utilizing the small anchor also.

[canuck]

For my 22i the large box anchor is probably overkill. We often boat on the Pitt River in BC and it is a very fast running tidal river. Because it is a tidal river the current runs both ways depending on the tides and if you are on the river during a very low tide the flow is quite fast.

I have found that large box anchor is too heavy and difficult to handle.

A couple of years ago I bought a Fortress Aluminum anchor (FX11). It weighs only 3 lbs and holds as well as my Box anchor.

You may want to have a look at them before you buy the Box anchor.

The Fortress anchor is expensive.

[Duncan]

Anchoring is 3-5 mph chutes off the Missippi River, I am glad to have the large box anchor. But it is heavy and hard to handle.

[talltigeguy]

My boat is certainly bigger than a 20V, but for the first time I got into a situation where even my box anchor would not hold. The wind was blowing very hard, about 30 MPH+ and the bottom was made of pure sandstone. The anchor just slid across the bottom. There was nothing for the anchor to catch on, even with a lot of line out in about 10 feet of water.

If I had the smaller anchor, I would have blamed the anchor for sure. If you have the space and money, it is a no - brainer to get the bigger anchor. I do not find it too unwieldly. If you are strong enough to wakeboard, you can handle a large box anchor. IMHO.

[canuck]

My boat is certainly bigger than a 20V, but for the first time I got into a situation where even my box anchor would not hold. The wind was blowing very hard, about 30 MPH+ and the bottom was made of pure sandstone. The anchor just slid across the bottom. There was nothing for the anchor to catch on, even with a lot of line out in about 10 feet of water.

If I had the smaller anchor, I would have blamed the anchor for sure. If you have the space and money, it is a no - brainer to get the bigger anchor. I do not find it too unwieldly. If you are strong enough to wakeboard, you can handle a large box anchor. IMHO.

It's not so much me handling it but as the captain I assign that job to my kids.

As you just said there will always be a situation where any size or type of anchor will not hold.

You should get an anchor that cover's 90% of the time.

[talltigeguy]

It's not so much me handling it but as the captain I assign that job to my kids.

As you just said there will always be a situation where any size or type of anchor will not hold.

You should get an anchor that cover's 90% of the time.

Good point, I would not let my kids handle the large box anchor. Would be a struggle for smaller women too. But I think most fit adult males can do it without any issue.

[ajholt7]

I have the small for my 20V and have never had a problem with anchoring. It is awesome. I cannot see any reason I would ever need the large.

[Guapo]

I bought the Digger Boat Anchor (15lb) for my RZ2 and it does very well for me. It's easy to handle and clean off before storing back in the boat. I recomend it. You can get it at Bass Pro or Cabela's.

[Big Wave]

I have the small box for my 24ve and it works great on Lake Mead with or without wind. Botom is always sand or mud.

[Ernie]

Depends largely on where you anchor, if it's just a lake with little wind and a sand or mud bottom, youll be just fine with the little, but if it's a river with current or rocks on the bottom go with the large. I also have a fortress on the boat I captain for work (47 foot) and it works great. One thing people don't pay enough attention to is the amount of line that they use with the anchor, Seamanship manuals usually say at least 3 times the depth.

Good Luck!

[TigeTrojan]

I have a large box anchor for my 21i and it hasn't broken loose yet, not that a small one would have.

I also have a small fluke anchor that hasn't broken loose yet, but I always give it plenty of line. The other big advantage to the box is that it is supposed to work well with less line. No matter what you go with, when the wind really picks up and you are parked next to one of those boats with a $30k paint job you always wish you had a bigger anchor

[scootc]

I've tried both sizes.
I initially bought the small one while in Havasu and tried it out for a few days. It worked really well, but could feel it slip just a little bit until it got itself settled. Since the store gave me a few days to exchange for the big one, I went ahead and upgraded. By contrast, the big one pretty much grabs as soon as it hits bottom. It's a bit unwieldy to handle, but it's definitly holds the boat solid. I've had it now for about 3 years and wouldn't want anything else.
Hope that helps.

[whitlock87]

I had the small one, and one after noon at Mojave when the winds came up it slipped.
( grated my boat is more like a kite with both biminis up then others)
I exchanged it for the large and have never had any more issues.