pontoon boat anchors - Pontoon Boats

If you ever find yourself wanting to anchor on a lake, then anchors are a necessity for water bodies that have strong currents or winds in order to prevent the boat from drifting away. Use of an pontoon boat anchor ensures that the boat stays put which is especially important while fishing. Most of the time while you are fishing you are going to want a trolling motor but if you want to setup in a cove for a bit to hang out then it’s like a art to set the anchor into place properly. Most pontoon boats of course come with an anchor but everyone I know who owns a pontoon has either “almost” lost an anchor, lost an anchor or has wondered if the anchor that came with their boat is big enough or good enough (probably right after they found themselves drifting after thinking that they properly set the anchor). Here is a list of items we watch out for when we are selecting an anchor for our pontoon boat. If you are in a hurry here are the four types of anchors we reviewed:

Title	Best For
Seachoice Fluke Pontoon Anchor	Sand or Mud	Check Price
Extrememax Boattector Cube Anchor	Offshore Sport Boats, Grass or Mud	Check Price
Seachoice Grapnel Anchor	Rocky Bottom	Check Price
Seachoice Plow Anchor	Muddy Bottom	Check Price

Choosing a Pontoon Boat Anchor

There are multiple factors that can help in choosing a pontoon boat anchor. Keeping in mind a few things can aid a person in selecting the best pontoon boat anchor.

Weight of the Pontoon Anchor

Anchors comes in different weights and choosing the right weights depends on the length and weight of the boat. Areas that have strong currents and winds will require an anchor that is heavier than those with normal currents.

Bed of Water Body

Water bodies have different types of beds such as sandy, rocky or clayey and it may be covered by weeds and plants. There are special anchors for distinct bed types and a person may consider the best pontoon anchor for the one that they will use the boat in.

Depth of Water

An anchor is attached to a chain for lowering and raising it. Ideally, the length of the chain must be five times more than the depth of the water body.

Type of Anchors and Their Manufacturers

For deciding upon the best pontoon boat anchor, a person must consider different available anchor types.

Fluke Pontoon Anchors

best pontoon boat anchor Seachoice fluke anchor

A pontoon boat fluke anchor is perfect for individuals who are looking for lightweight anchor that does not compromises holding power. It has fluke arms that dig down into the floor of the water body and prevent the boat from drifting. The greater the size of fluke arms the better the hold. This anchor is ideal for sandy or muddy water beds but not for rocky or grass ones. It can also be used as a secondary anchor. Seachoice, Danforth and Fortress Marine are three manufacturers of fluke anchors. Danforth has standard and hi tensile variants while Fortress Marine has three variants, namely – Fortress, Guardian and Commando.

Box or Cube Pontoon Anchors

best pontoon boat anchor Extreme Boat Boattector cube anchor

For water bodies that have muddy beds or light grass and weeds, the box type is the best pontoon boat anchor choice. The hold of these anchors depends on the amount of surface that is in contact with the bed of the water body. Extreme Max Boattector and Slide Anchors are manufacturers of box anchors. They are available in multiple sizes for different length pontoon boats.

Grapnel Anchor

For gravel and rocky beds, grapnel pontoon boat anchors are popularly used. These anchors have multiple arms or claws that can grab onto the rocks to hold the boat still. SeaChoice sells a foldable grapnel anchor that locks in when you want it to and is easy to store. It comes in many size all they way from 1.5 lbs up to 13 lbs.

Plow or Scoop Anchors

best pontoon boat anchor Seachoice plow anchor

For grassy beds, pontoon boat plow or scoop anchors provide the required hold for preventing the boat from drifting. These anchors have a shank that allows them to dig deep into weeds and mud for superior holding power. Seachoice makes a very popular plow pontoon boat anchor. The Delta anchor from Lewmar and the Supreme boat anchor manufactured by Manson are also highly popular plow anchors.

Using an Anchor

Even the best pontoon boat anchors can cause accidents and caution must be taken while using them. An anchor must always be used at bow side and never on stern side as there is the danger of the pontoon boat capsizing. Having two anchors with different designs can help with multiple bed types and also keep the boat steady in case of strong drifts or winds. Care must be taken while using the anchor to prevent any bodily injury. Although you can’t ever replace an experienced pontoon boat captain teaching a newbie how to set an anchor our best advice is to just make sure that your anchor is set before you turn your engine off by trying to sink/hook your anchor by slowly idling it with the anchor down to lock it in. There are worse things that can happen out on the lake but a common frustrating situation for a captain (and therefore also for all boat occupants) is having to take numerous attempts to set a pontoon boat anchor. So make sure you have the right one for your boat and make sure you set it right the first time!

An anchor is a simple but heavy object found on a boat, attached to a chain or rope and dropped in the ocean or deep waters to avoid a boat or ship from drifting away by current or the wind. Anchors on pontoon boats are as important as the next anchor on any another boat.

Best pontoon boat anchors will need an anchor that’s tolerable to all seasons and has excellent design that will be sure to avoid your pontoon boat from drifting away by winds and strong currents. Despite various types of anchors out there, There are three types of pontoon boat anchors can be viewed as best pontoon boat anchors. Fluke anchor is a fluke styled anchor that has the minimum weight of 15 pounds and can often hold even a big 30′ pontoon boat in calmer conditions, or a 24′ pontoon boat even in rougher conditions. It known to perform perfectly in sandy or gravelled water bottom. When selecting a fluke styled anchor, one must consider size as a first priority and weight as a second one. Weight isn’t what impacts the boat to stay immobile but the anchor’s arms that the weight uses to stick and hold into the ground, one may not necessarily need a heavy anchor, especially on sandy bottoms.

A box anchor is best known to perform in conditions like muddy bottomed waters and light vegetated conditions, thus, creating a firm hold for the pontoon boat. As much as it’s a priority for a pontoon boat owner to have a long line for their anchors, a box anchor needs to be at almost as twice as long as ordinary pontoon lines. If your line is too short, the arms will not have an accurate angle necessary for digging into the ground and an appropriate hold will not be achieved. One must have 5 times more line out than the water’s depth. So if you are in 40 feet of water, you should have out 120 feet of rope. With such cautioned instructions makes the box anchor an excellent device with more excellent reviews and ratings.

Grapnel Style Anchors are anchors known to hold and tolerate rocky bottoms. With at least fours arms on it to hold on to the rocks. Most boating activities handle areas that are muddy, sandy, and vegetation covered, you may find that one anchor will do fine in each of the conditions, while rocky bottoms are another but more challenging. The advantage of having a grapnel style anchor is that not only is it affordable but also space friendly, where one can fold its arms and pack it in a corner. Any grapnel style anchor may take extra feet of drift to find hold on a rock, but once it’s set, it’s probably the most secure hold you’ll find from any anchor.

Best pontoon boat anchors are to work efficiently and not disappoint customers, for anchor managing isn’t safe, thus, should come with precautions to avoid injuries or worse, deaths.

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Best Pontoon Boat Anchor