Digger anchor - chain needed?

[BLACKJACK]

I've read posts in the past where they mention adding 3-4 foot of chain between the anchor rope and the anchor. Is that needed for a Digger anchor and what the purpose? How many feet of anchor rope do you guys usually have attached?

[EJ]

I'd use one. They keep the rope from getting worn on rocks and the weight of the chain helps the anchor dig.

EJ

PS. The coated chains keep the boat from getting nicked up and are quiet.

[Northlander]

Yup Yup. A little chain is good with just about any anchor.

[HARPOON-OR-BUST]

I would also suggest adding a chain, it is a cheap piece of mind if nothing else. As mentioned it will save the rope from getting cut off when in rocks. It also helps the anchor perform when using a lighter "spike" type anchor. The amount of rope depends on how deep you plan on fishing. I always have 150 ft attached to my waterspike. The more rope you have out the easier it is going to hold the boat because you change the angle the rope is going to take back to the boat. As a general rule you have 5ft of rope out for each foot of water you are anchoring in. ex. 20 (feet of water) x 5 (anchor rope) = 100 feet out

[Capt. Don*]

I am not familiar with a digger anchor, I use a Danforth, which is probably the most common of the fluke type anchors. An 8 pound fluke style anchor will hold a boat upto 25'. I use 10' of 5/16' chain to set the anchor and keep the angle of the head down into the bottom, recommended scope is 7' of line per foot of depth, but less is ok with a lighter boat, like 4-5 feet per foot of depth. Using this setup your boat will hold in wind and waves higher than you care to be out in.

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks guys. The coated chain sounds like a good idea.

[BLACKJACK]

So I went looking for some coated chain, all the local Runnings Fleet farm has is regular chain, where can a person find coated chain? I'm thinking that would be the way to go so you don't end up with rust marks on your boat carpet.

[Northlander]

Any walmart or sporting goods store should carry them. I know I saw them at walmart last week.

[EJ]

Blackjack,

I got my last coated chain at Home Depot. I have also seen it at Gander Mountain.

EJ

[BLACKJACK]

Never thought to check Walmart... Have never been impressed with their tool and hardware section. We also have a Home Depot in town.

Thanks again guys.

Was rereading some of the above posts about length of rope, it reminds me, twice I've had people snag my anchor rope when I've let a bunch out...

[shamalex72]

This got me curious so I had to go out and look at my digger.

It says:"CAUTION do not use a chain with this anchor. Use enough rope to achieve a 5 to 1 scope or angle-ALWAYS multiply depth of water by 5 to determine length of rope to use for setting."

Why would they say not to use a chain, when almost all other anchors it is recomended?