Sea Anchor?

[drvan]

I have a 2520XL and sometimes the wind catching the pilot house makes the drift too fast while fishing. I am interested in how some of you handle this problem. Also, do some of you carry a sea anchor for emergency purposes? If so which one would you recommend? Thanks for any input.

 

[woodytoo]

i spare no expense on sea anchors. when the wind drift is too hot, i tie off a pair of 5 gal buckets and hang them in the water off the stern cleats.

-bo

 

[FishStu]

I use a sea anchor a lot on my 1801CC.
It slows the drift and by changing the position you tie off the anchor you can control how the boat drifts. I find it especially useful to tie the drift anchor off mid ship so the boat will drift perpendicular to the current when conditions permit. This allows 3 people to have equal access to a good drift. When it's really rough , you should tie off at bow so its bow first into the waves.

 

[Megabyte]

I have a pair of light-duty sea anchors that can be used individually as drift socks, or in tandem as a proper sea anchor.

If you are serious about carrying a sea anchor, take a look at a Para Tech.
http://www.landfallnavigation.com/paratechanchor.html

In my part of the Chessie, a serious sea anchor isn't of a lot of value as the Bay is narrow and the water is shallow enough that the vessels anchor could be deployed in an emergency (in most cases) to keep the boat off the shoals.

I still carry mine... rigged and ready. You just never know when they might be needed.

 

[stonebuster]

I also have an XL and keep two sea anchors like Kevin's on board all the time, primarily to control and slow my drift while fishing. Just don't forget it's out when you take off to make another drift in the heat of the bite. The line makes quite a pop when it snaps. (I was told) :roll:

 

[Porkchunker]

I have two of the same kind of drift socks that Kevin showed in his picture. I have used one/both a number of times to control my drift speed or drift angle when fishing. I've tried rigging them in parallel (one off each transom tiedown point), and in serial (one behind the other). I've found that if I run two, serial is best.

Don't confuse drift socks with sea anchors.

Drift socks are smaller--typically 24"-48" in diameter and used to slow your drift or turn the boat so that it drifts bow first, transom first, or gunwhale first.

Sea anchors are big--typically 12' in diameter or larger and are normally used in high winds and high seas when you've lost power and need to keep the bow into the wind for safety. While drift socks are for convenience, sea anchors are for safety.

 

[Outta Here]

i spare no expense on sea anchors. when the wind drift is too hot, i tie off a pair of 5 gal buckets and hang them in the water off the stern cleats.

-bo

:lol:

Those 5 gal buckets/sea anchors can also be used as cast net storage facilities, and, have been known to also serve as TFGCD's (temporary fresh ground chum depositories).

 

[drvan]

Thanks for all the advice! Have any of you heard of (or used) the Amish Outfitters Buggy Bags or Beefy Bags?

http://www.amishoutfitters.com/buggybag.htm

http://www.amishoutfitters.com/beefybags.htm

How well do 5-gallon buckets work?

 

[Megabyte]

I have heard lots of good things about the Amish Outfitters equipment, but I've never actually seen them in action. They do seem to be highly regarded by the people who use then though.

5 gallon buckets work, so long as you replace the handle with something more substantial. The handle is the weak point in the system.