Waterspike Anchor

[OnTheWater]

Does anyone have one of these anchors? I hear that you need 5 ft of rope for every 1 ft of water below the boat; is that true?

[Slyster]

What? No way could that be true.. if I anchor in 15 feet of water I need 75 FEET of anchor line? not... I have maybe a total of 30 feet and it works just fine and dandy up to 15 feet of water... giving a 45 degree angle of line... so I'd say more like 2 feet per foot of depth.

Never heard of the anchor by the way.

[GudeMN]

For optimum performance you should use the 5:1 ratio. Those anchors will hold in a BIG wind if you let enough line out. The flukes actually dig deeper the harder the wind blows. Less line is needed in a light wind.

[metrojoe]

I have a water spike and they work great. 5 to 1 is probably true for any anchor. When the wind is really howling on Mille Lacs I go 3 to 1. It all depends on the conditions.

[OnTheWater]

From what I hear, these are great anchors; personally I really like the design. It is very light, and can collapse into storage. I guess I'll just have to deal with the extra amount of rope. Thanks for the input.

[WALTERCRAFT]

ive been using the spike for years on mille lacs. they work great.

i run a 3ft chain in front of the spike to keep the body of the anchor flat and alot of line. coulndt be happier with it.

[metrojoe]

That is an important reminder. I also use 3 feet of chain with my spike.

[mtreno]

best one i have even owned! i thought no way was this going to hold my boat in the rollers on the big pond - its just to small - well i was wrong the thing works great! used to use a over sized spike that was for 36-42 foot boats and even that would break free sometimes - plus i had to buy a bigger boat just to haul the thing out there..... in 27 feet i run out all 100 feet of rope when the wind picks up - holds great just alot of swing in the boat with that much line out. also the break-free option works well when you really get her lodged in

[Ray Esboldt]

I really like the Water Spike in current. It digs in exceptionally well with enough line out. Plus I can get it out of the junk it tends to dig into on a river. All I do is pull up all the slack and drive the boat past it.

And yes, use a section of chain at the anchor end.