On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 17:51:47 -0700, "Sierra fisher"
wrote:

I have a pontoon boat, and had this anchoring problem this week on the
American River. My boat has a rear deck that is just a foot or so off of
the water. Below it is a pulley for the anchor.
Without the chain, I pull the anchor up to the pulley and out of the water.
With the chain in the line, my anchor will be suspended in the water a
little less than the length of the chain.
If I could find a heavy ball, maybe 3" in diameter, and attach it just above
the anchor, it might pull the anchor over. Then my anchor would be
suspended just at the water level.
What if this ball, or perhaps a diving weight, was attached via a ring that
could slide up and down the rope?

There's more to having a chain on your rode than just getting the anchor to
tip over - in fact that's not even the best reason. The primary point of the
chain is to flatten the effective pull angle through the weight and length of
the anchor chain. That improves the holding power of most anchors, which in
turn allows a shorter rode.

A ball weight placed near the anchor will not be as effective...