Many are interested in why a floating anchor is needed. The device is required to slow down the ship, which crashed or lost the ability to sail. This is especially true in cases where an emergency is observed near a waterway, from which it is not recommended to move away.
However, the level of efficiency of the device is confirmed on small vessels, especially on sailing types. For larger vessels, their use by experts is called into question. In addition, no corresponding experiments were carried out.
How does a floating anchor work?
The basis of the product is dense fabric. The floating anchor, the photo of which is presented below, is made of canvas.
As a rule, the device has the shape of a cone or a pyramid, the base of which is disclosed. The latter is fixed by means of a hoop made of metal or cruciform beams. Four slings are connected to it, with the help of which there is fastening to the anchor rope.
A pulling cable is attached to the top of the cone, which pulls the anchor. The device has a buoy used to lower and raise the device. You can also determine where the product is located by the buoy.
Ways to use floating anchors
Data taken from the annual journal RORC 1999. The materials are quite interesting, since in the domestic literature the methods for using floating anchors are outlined and do not give a complete answer about the advisability of their use in stormy weather. Soviet experts only casually noted that they are used for iol.
A thoroughly floating anchor is considered in the work of C. Adlard Coles “Sailing in a Storm”. The author notes that the drift created by the device more effectively reduces drift in windy weather (the size of the yacht should correspond to the size of the device).
The main danger lies in the fact that when yawing, the yacht can turn lag to the wave and roll over. Yawing causes a load on the anchor and the rope. In reverse, the steering wheel may break. It becomes clear that when using the device on a modern yacht with a short keel, the ship should be put in the stern with a sail to maintain direction to the floating anchor. This will ensure the safety of the craft.
A floating anchor for a boat, a boat and an aftermast is suitable. However, Mizzen’s endurance on the aftershtag has a limit. Therefore, according to Coles, the use of a floating anchor is not always justified. Provided that keeping the yacht in the wind is optimal, and the steering load is reduced, the yacht will become as if tied to the stern. It will not swing, which can cause it to flood. The yacht will substitute the cockpit for the water.
It should be noted that all the conclusions of the author belong to the middle of the last century. Over the years, the modification of the yachts has undergone strong changes, and the cockpits began to drain the water themselves. Changing the design allowed us to take a fresh look at the problem of using such anchors. Today, such a device is advised to have any yachtsman who goes to the open sea.
Rafting Applications
Almost all types of rafts have a floating anchor. It was developed by the National Maritime Institute of Great Britain (NMI). The device is large. Its surface is porous. Along with large pockets for ballast, it has high efficiency against raft overturning. Tests conducted in Iceland proved that, despite the storm, the raft remains afloat. The second function of the anchor is to slow the drift.
Floating anchors on modern yachts
A test was conducted for the RORC at the University of Southampton. It proved that the floating anchor is able to keep the yacht afloat at high waves. The device helps to reduce the speed of the vessel and holds it downwind. Model tests revealed that the yacht repeatedly avoided lag turns and wave overturns.
The floating anchor is recommended for both single-hull and multihull models of yachts. The position of the device from the stern suggests that heavy waves will fall on this part of the vessel. For this reason, all openings must be hermetically sealed. This is of great importance in a special code of practice, which states that yachts must be durable and waterproof. This applies especially to the hull, cabin and deck, which must withstand the onslaught of water.
Primary requirements
It is required that the hatches and embedded boards covering the main entrance be attached to the yacht with a strong sling. The roofs of the cockpit lockers also need close attention. They play a huge role in the water resistance of a ship. If these essential parts are lost or damaged, then the water falling on the stern will get inside and quickly fill the yacht.
The Transport Department has set the size of floating anchors for life rafts and lifeboats. The diameter of the pipe should be
10 to 15% LWL yachts. A sailing master can make such a floating anchor with his own hands.
Tow rope
Recommended cable length is 10 x LOA. In this case, the value corresponds to the period of the wave. A suitable material is an anchor cable of three strands based on nylon.
Floating anchor boat
If the vessel cannot reach the shore, enter the bay or choose a place convenient for mooring, and also unable to stay in the wind by means of the rudder, then resort to the use of a floating anchor. Adaptation will reduce drift.
At great depths, the device makes it possible to put the ship against the wave. At the same time, the anchor is on the bow of the vessel, in the water it is filled. Then a rope is pulled, which slows down the movement of the boat, turning her nose towards the wind.
The length of the rope should be at least five lengths of a small vessel. The cable is released in a weakened state. It should be no shorter than the anchor rope.
To weaken the impact of waves on the vessel and prevent flooding, special oils are used. The most effective are oils of animal origin. Spreading over the surface of the water, they create a film that interferes with the formation of ridges and quenches the energy of the waves.
Mineral oils have lower functionality. On small vessels, it is not recommended to use them.
How to use oil?
Oil is periodically poured from the windward side. A mop moistened in it is suspended from the same edge.
There is another way, more economical. Holes are made in a canvas bag or a metal can, into which a crushed cork, rags or hemp are laid. Inside, oil is poured. Then the container closes, the bag is tied, attached to the anchor rope and etched.
A tench is also threaded through the floating anchor so that both ends are on the ship. Then a bag or can is attached to the line. They must be moved to the anchor at a distance of several meters from it. An empty bag or can is pulled out onto the vessel and refilled with oil. For tench on a floating anchor, it is recommended to stock up on a block. The bag or can is suspended from the anchor rope as a float at such a height that they can reach the wave. Oil flowing out of a can or bag covers the surface of the water with a film.
Making floating anchors for boats made of PVC do-it-yourself. Process features
The floating anchor for a PVC boat should have a size of 2, 5 to 4 m. It all depends on the size of the vessel. With the help of slings the speed of the boat is regulated.
The basis of the homemade design is the dome. The material may be thick polyethylene, a synthetic material. The life of the product depends on this.
It is important that in the center of such a parachute there should be a hole with a diameter of 10-15 cm. Water will enter through it. It is adjustable with a cord. The diameter of the dome, depending on the size of the boat, is 120-150 cm.
Loops are sewn along the length of the circle, through which a rope is drawn that tightens the anchor. There are designs that are mounted on strips. On the top of them is a bottle. The lower part of the anchor should be heavier.
The longer the rope, through which the anchor is attached to the boat, the more effective the device will be. For example, with a line length of 1.5 m, the length of the rope should be 10 m.
Second manufacturing method
As a rule, this is a rectangular floating anchor. The open hole of the device in this case may have a quadrangular, triangular or any other shape. You can make a floating anchor for a boat with your hands from an oar pole.
It should be large in thickness. A canvas in the shape of a triangle is attached to it. A load is attached to the lower corner of the material.
Often, PVC boats use a vane type anchor or a truncated cone device. This device is made of canvas. The diameter of the base is approximately 40 cm, the length of the device is 120 cm, and the diameter at the top of the cone in the section is 3 cm. The base of the cone is entwined with a lyktros and reinforced with four longitudinal stripes of a similar cable. It ends with a loop for attaching drifts.
Third way
Do-it-yourself floating anchor for a PVC boat can be made using another method. This design involves the use of a ring of wire with a diameter of 6-8 mm. For the device, a Soviet-made hula-hoop made of durable high-quality aluminum is ideal. It is optimal in shape and size. The size of this device will allow you to stay afloat a small boat made of PVC in the stream and ensure its optimal speed during fishing.
If there is no hula hoop, then the ring is made of wire. Then the hoop is fitted with a thin tarpaulin, but it is also possible with polyethylene. The canvas is stretched so that there is no sagging. The circle is divided into three equal parts, to which meter ropes are tied. Their ends are connected. A 5 liter plastic bottle is tied to the top, and a load is attached to the bottom. So the anchor in the water will take a vertical position and will be able to hold a stream of current.
If fishing is carried out in windy weather, the plastic bottle is replaced with a half-liter capacity. In this case, the floating anchor does not go much into the water column, and the waves are not dangerous. The system does not inflate like a sail and stably holds the vessel in the required stream.
It is advised to lower the device from the boat by no more than 5 m. It is not further advised, since the tool can turn the anchor with its mass, and the meaning of the device will be lost.
Carrying such a simple device is recommended if you are fishing in reservoirs. The diameter of the ring is selected depending on the size of the boat made of PVC.
It should be noted that if there is no aluminum hoop, then you can resort to the use of branches with leaves. Branches are cut down and tightly connected. A small load is attached to them. The bottle is not tied, as the branches have excellent buoyancy. Such a device is inferior in functionality to an anchor based on a hoop, but copes with its task.