Rope problems

TinBoats.net

Help Support TinBoats.net:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

spotco2

Well-known member
Joined
May 31, 2011
Messages
238
Reaction score
0
Location
NW Georgia
I have a 12' Jon Boat and a 17' Bass Tracker and normally fish alone.

The main problem that I have been facing is rope storage and control. I'm talking about anchor ropes more than anything else.

Usually I keep one anchor in front and one in the back so I can anchor out to fish particular areas and not drift around. The problem I have is my ropes are in a constant tangle in the floor of the boats and it seems like I spend more time getting knots out of the ropes when I get ready to anchor out than I do fishing.

I know I could put anchormates on the front and rear of both boats but really don't have $400 to spend just to keep ropes from being in tangles.

What does everyone else do to keep their anchor ropes in order and untangled while riding around?
 
in my old boat i used a wire spool. works great and the cost is zero. just ask an electrician in your area

wirespool.jpg
 
Buy good braided line. I use the stuff with one end that has the loop braided in, 20' mooring lines from Walmart and they work great, don't kink snag or knot up.

You should be able to find good 1/2" braided climbing line that will work just as well in longer lengths
Jamie
 
On my 12 footer I use 1/4" & on my 16 footer I use 3/8".Look at breaking strength to determine size.I use braided line as stated for work ability. #-o
 
I've been using that hollow braid yellow rope that floats just in case something gets loose and I have to fish it out.

It tangles just by looking at it.

I might have to change ropes.
 
spotco2 said:
I've been using that hollow braid yellow rope that floats just in case something gets loose and I have to fish it out.

It tangles just by looking at it.

I might have to change ropes.

There are much better "floating" ropes to use. You're right...those yellow ones tangle by nature.

Check with Bass Pro. I think that's where I found the ones that I use. The package clearly stated that they float.
 
there are certain ways to bundle? ropes so they dont tangle. you climbers out there know what im talking about. i rarely get a tangled rope.try googleing tangle free rope loops.
 
The best way I have found to keep my ropes from tangling is to tend them regularly. My anchor line gets pulled out and dried after use, then placed in a bucket. The standing part (the end I don't want to get wet) hangs over the side of the bucket, with about 4 feet laying free over the side. The rest gets coiled ever so lightly into the bucket. I dont push it in, or press it against the sides, just lay it in and let it roll around the edges. If it lays naturally, it will come out without a bunch of kinks and "nowhere" knots...ya know those knots that come out of nowhere....The anchor sits on top of the rope in the pail. When I am ready, I secure my tail end...we have some deep holes up here in Maine, and drop the anchor over the side. If all the line pays out, it is tied off and I get my anchor back...if not, it pays out of the pail, I tie off what I need, the rest stays secure in the bottom of the bucket.

I use this same principal for our heavy extension cords on the fire trucks. A 5 gallon pail will hold 150 feet of #10, 3 conductor, rubber jacket cable. We pull the bucket off the rig, the standing part gets plugged in, and the female plug end goes where you need it.

Hope that helps!

Bob
 
I use a VERY THICK canvas bag to hold the anchor rope. It sort of keeps it coiled when retrieving and out of the way on the floor. My fiberglass boat uses 150 feet of rope but I'm sure I'll be using a lot less on my aluminum boat.
 
I only carry 50' of anchor rope and its usually not a problem.
I tell ya, I like the 5 gallon bucket idea. I carry one, and that bucket really comes in handy for all your boating essentials. =D>
 
I have 50' of rope that i wind up on an extension cord spool and that works great for me
 
Your best bet would be a bag that is large enough for the rope to be stuffed into with a cinch cord for the closure. We use rope bags like this at the Fire Dept. for all of our rescue and utility rope. Basically, you just stuff the rope in through the opening...DO NOT wrap the rope and then put it in...just stuff it in a few feet at a time...it will sit in the bag and feed when you need it to and the bag keeps it neat. You could probably do a search for rope bags on google and find what I am talking about...that's how I have my ropes in my bassboat and tin boat...works great.
 
rgpemt said:
There! another firefighter idea! AWESOME!
Hah, I missed the bottom of your first post in my first read....We have our cords on those power reels, they are a pain...I like the bucket idea.... Gotta love firefighter solutions....even though our chiefs seem to lack common sense we always find a way to make it work....
 
OK...so my dad was a Coastie for 30 years so I have to chime in or he would whack me upside the head for never listening to him. [-X

On a boat or ship.... a line is made of flexible material such as nylon or hemp...a rope is made of steel. Therefore we use anchor lines or mooring lines. I must have heard this hundreds of times as a kid!

Sorry just had to add this bit a sea knowledge after getting corrected so many times growing up. #-o
 
RiverBottomOutdoors said:
I use a chain knot to shorten my rope length and keep it from tangling. It's quick and easy.

This. I usually only "anchor" on the bank or in relatively shallow water. I have a 25-30 foot anchor line I keep daisy-chained down to about 10 feet. Most of the time, 10 feet keeps me on the bottom. If it doesn't, undo the end and it pulls right out to full length.

Takes about 2 minutes to daisy-chain the whole rope.
 
bcbouy said:
there are certain ways to bundle? ropes so they dont tangle. you climbers out there know what im talking about. i rarely get a tangled rope.try googleing tangle free rope loops.

Daisychain is the term your looking for.

however I wouldn't use it for a rope you use several times a day. Get yourself a bucket, store the rope and anchor in it. Tie one end to the boat, and the other end to teh anchor. Then coil the rope around the bottom of the bucket, boat end first. You should finish with the anchor last. Then when you drop anchor, pull it out and uncoil the rope as you lower the anchor. When you retrieve the anchor, coil the rope in teh bottom of the bucket again. The most important thing is you need a decent flexible rope. I use 1/4" by 100' of nylon rope for both my anchors. Anchors hold best at angles to the boat, especially Navy anchors. I never have trouble with tangled line, granted I built anchor boxes when I remodeled my boat, however its the same concept as a bucket, which is what I used to use in a row boat. Only problem with a bucket in a row boat is they dont sit flat on the floor and slide around. However the rope remains undisturbed and tangle free and the rope wont tnagle around your feet in the bucket.
 
The 5 gallon bucket sounds like the perfect solution to me. Gonna try that out tomorrow! Every thing else I've tried so far has been a failure
 

Latest posts

Top