An anchor is a heavy object which is attached to a chain/cable with the purpose of mooring a shit to the bottom of the sea. This is often a large metal object with a double-sided hook on one end.
The use of an anchor is essential when sailing on a larger boat. When canoeing you can get away with throwing a brick tied to the canoe with some rope. This is because the boat is small and not very heavy at all. Whereas, a pontoon boat is a lot bigger and heavier, and therefore will be pushed by the wind and carried by waves.
An anchor is required otherwise you will find yourself drifting away from where you want to be. This will make for a very unpleasant and stressful trip. In this article I’ll be identifying a few of the best pontoon boat anchors.
Best Pontoon Boat Anchors
There’s no ‘best’ type of anchor for a pontoon boat, this is because all really depends on the conditions in which you want to anchor your boat. Some anchors will work better in different conditions than others. There are various types of anchors, though I’ve found that there are three suitable anchors for pontoon boats. I’ll be highlighting these three types of anchors and recommending products for each type.
Box Anchor for Pontoon Boat
Box anchors are the most effective type of anchor when you plan to anchor your boat in muddy conditions such as a muddy lake or river. They’re also very good when anchoring on light vegetation. The reason behind this is they maximize the amount of surface contact to get a sturdy grip with the mud.
It’s very important to ensure that you provide a sufficient amount of line. Without enough line, the anchor will not be able to angle properly to dig into the ground. This will result in a weak grip and therefore you risk the anchor not working properly. To combat this, make sure that you have 5x more line then the water is deep.
Finding a good box anchor for your pontoon boat can be difficult. I’ve made this decision easy for you by identifying one of the more effective products for sale. I’d have to recommend the Slide Anchor. This is a great anchor which provides you with more control over the placement of your boat, disregarding the conditions of the water. This is by far one of the best products you could pick-up for such a low price. It provides amazing value for money and you won’t regret it. If you’re still unsure, then check-out the Amazon reviews for the product.
Fluke Anchor for Pontoon Boat
Fluke anchors are effective for anchoring your boat in sandy or gravel conditions. The idea behind a fluke anchor is for its arms to dig into the bottom of the ground and grip tightly to hold your boat in place sturdily. Fluke anchors do not rely on the weight of the anchor to hold the boat in place. It’s all about the holding power and setting in. They’re supposed to be dragged, laid along the water bottom and dug into the ground.
The most important thing you should keep in mind when buying a fluke anchor is that weight is not the primary focus. As I’ve mentioned above, fluke anchors do not rely on weight at all and therefore they’re lighter than most other anchor types.
If I was to recommend you a fluke type anchor then I’d have to recommend you this anchor by Fortress. This is a very well-known anchor, one of the more popular fluke anchors. This anchor has been a favorite of marine experts for years. It comes at a cheap price and provides great bang for your buck. This is not a very heavy anchor, weighing only half as much as a heavier steel anchor – yet it still outperforms! This is because this anchor is not designed to depend upon weight. It has very sharp edges that will set quickly, penetrating deep into the sea bottom to provide impressive holding power.
You simply cannot go wrong with this anchor. I’d highly suggest that you choose this anchor if you plan to purchase a fluke type anchor. If you’re still unsure about the purchase, you can read from the many customer reviews on its amazon page I’ve provided.
Grapnel Anchor for Pontoon Boat
Grapnel anchors are most effective on rocky bottoms. This means that if you plan on boating on waters with rocky bottoms, then a grapnel anchor may be the most suitable for you. I’ll tell you why and recommend you a strong anchor.
It’s important that you have the correct type of anchor, this is especially the case with rocky bottoms. This is because it’s such a different type on condition compared to the others. With softer conditions such as sand, vegetation, and mud you can get away with using any type of anchor. However, anchors such as the fluke anchor won’t be able to dig into rock and therefore the anchor will be useless.
You’d be glad to know this is a cheap type of anchor and there’s many great products to choose from. They also often fold-up which allows for them to be stored in an organized manner without taking up a lot of space.
For a good grapnel anchor I’d have to recommend this Galvanized Folding Grapnel Boat Anchor. This is an amazing anchor that comes at a cheap price yet provides amazing performance. It comes in a variety of different weights. They’ve also provided a size chart to help you identify which weight you need to purchase for your boat. It has 4 claws which will grab onto rocks on the sea bottom and providing a very strong and tight grip which should keep your boat in place.
Anchoring Tips
Now that I’ve identified three best pontoon boat anchors, I’ll be providing you with a few tips for anchoring your boat. These tips can be useful even if you’ve already had some experience with anchoring a boat. So, I’d recommend that you at-least skim through this section.
Choosing the Right Anchor
This shouldn’t be a problem for you now that I’ve identified the three best anchors for a pontoon. I’ve also told what type of ground they work best on. So, if you’re boating on sandy bottoms then a fluke anchor would be best. You’ll have some leeway as a fluke anchor will still work on a muddy bottom, it just won’t be as effective. Though, with a rocky bottom you should nearly always go for a grapnel anchor due to the harsh conditions.
Getting A Good Set
It’s important that you get a good set so that your anchor can provide a sufficient hold for your boat. Without enough line, the anchor will not be able to angle properly to dig into the ground. To get a more effective set you’ll have to ensure that you let out enough line make sure that you provide at-least three times in length more than the depth of the water. I’d say three is a minimum, however for the best chances for a good set, make this five (5:1)
Anchor Winch
Regardless of what anchor you decide to purchase for your boat, you’ll also want to purchase an anchor winch. An electric anchor winch will drop your anchor for you, and pull it back up when you want. You can find my guide on the best pontoon anchor winches by clicking here.
My name Is Larry Noel, the voice behind BoatCrunch.
I’m a boating enthusiast that loves nothing more than being out on the water. So much so that I’ve acquired a Degree in Marine Biology (MB) as well as a degree in Ocean Engineering (OE).
I’m very familiar with a wide range of different boats and I’ve owned a variety of different boats myself however I have a particular obsession with Pontoon boats. I’ve lived all across the United States and always kept company in the form of boats and now my loving family.