Drift Boat Anchor Help

[mcnerney]

Back in Sept I lost my drift boat anchor (for the second time). This time I was motoring across the lake while in the back of the boat controlling the trolling motor. I usually like to row across, but this morning I was anxious to get fishing. As I was approaching a good looking spot, I killed the trolling motor and jumped to the center of the boat to step on the anchor release and before I could let off the entire rope was gone out the back of the boat. Looking back I failed to stop the boat's forward progress plus I had a pretty good wind pushing the boat from the right. I had released the anchor in about 12-15 ft of water but with the weeds decomposing that time of year I couldn't see the bottom or my anchor. To prevent this from happening, I usually keep a knot in the end of the rope while fishing on stillwater and then remove the knot when fishing on streams and on this trip I forgot to check to see if my overhand knot was in the end of the anchor rope.

In the hopes of being able to retrieve the anchor ($85 plus a fancy $69 swivel/pully), I bought an earth magnet with a 450 lb pull force and some parachute cord. Yesterday, after I got done fishing I tied the cord to the magnet and then threw it overboard and then started the trolling motor and started covering the area where I had lost it, going around in circles. As the anchor would snag on weeds I would just momentarily lift up and then let it back down, about the third pass I snag up on something solid. So I shut the trolling motor down and used the parachute cord to back the boat up and I started lifting the object up and sure enough I retrieved my anchor. Yahoo!
Now I have an anchor with a 450 lb pulling force magnet attached, anyone have any good ideas on how to remove the magnet?

 

[kwb]

LOL, go to a local bar, offer some young ones a couple beers if they can get it separated...

Film the event so we can see too!

 

[steveid]

LOL, go to a local bar, offer some young ones a couple beers if they can get it separated...

Film the event so we can see too!

This! Pry bar on one side, young buck pulling the rope on the other to clear it of the boat. Or, just roll with it. Great conversation piece.

 

[mcnerney]

K: That was good!

Steve: At the boat launch I wanted to remove the parachute cord (so it wouldn't be flying all around on the trip back to town), so after removing the knot it was all I could do to pull it through that hole in the center. I was thinking prior to that I could just slid it off, but it won't budge. Maybe the pry-bar idea will work, I'll give that a try later today, its too cold out right now.

 

[dean_mt]

Awesome story Larry! Great job getting your anchor back, so real problem solving and ingenuity. Can you chain the magnant to something solid and the anchor to a truck hitch and slooowly pull?

Or just leave it on there...It's a good reminder and great story lead in.

 

[kwb]

Just a thought, but a few well placed hits from a heavier hammer may do the trick... Have someone pull on the magnet with a rope and whack away...

 

[mcnerney]

John
My first thought was to buy a grappling hook, but I don't have a marine store nearby and I really wanted to touch one before deciding. I was a little worried that with the grappling hook I would just be dredging up a ton of weeds or just have to wait until spring. Then the magnet idea came up and I found this one with 450 lb pulling force on Amazon for $30 so I thought I would go that route first.
Good point about chaining to something solid, if the pry bar doesn't work I'll give that a go, otherwise maybe just leaving it there for a conversation piece might be the best option. Why worry about something so insignificant.

---------- Post added at 10:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:24 AM ----------

Just a thought, but a few well placed hits from a heavier hammer may do the trick... Have someone pull on the magnet with a rope and whack away...

K: That was my initial thought and I have a 3 lb hammer perfect for the job, then I started thinking, what if my hammer gets stuck to the magnet, then I would have a real mess. Maybe putting a small piece of wood between the magnet and striking the wood would work, I might give that a try also.

 

[trout trekker]

Can you chain the magnant to something solid and the anchor to a truck hitch and slooowly pull?

Please, Please, Please video tape this..... May I suggest a fire hydrant.
It might just get you a $10,000.00 grand prize check from America's Funniest Video's.

Dave

 

[silver creek]

Now I have an anchor with a 450 lb pulling force magnet attached, anyone have any good ideas on how to remove the magnet?

Tie a NON stretching rope onto the magnet and another rope onto the anchor. Tie the rope with the magnet to a strong tree or other solid object that will sustain a 500 lb pull. Get a vehicle with a trailer hitch. Tie each rope with the anchor around the trailer hitch of the vehicle and slowly pull the magnet from the anchor. If you cannor find a solid object, use another vehicle with a trailer hitch.

A NON stretching rope is needed so there will NOT be a rubber band effect that rebounds the anchor towards the vehicle(s).

A pry bar will not work because it is steel and will stick to the magnet and will not separate the anchor far enough from the magnet anyway.

 

[kwb]

Hahahahahaha, I never thought about the hammer getting stuck to it!

 

[mcnerney]

Success!!!!
I used a 1x2 about 18 inches long I had in the garage. With my 3 lb hammer I was able to wedge the 1x2 between the metal loop at the top of the anchor and the magnet. Then it was just a matter of applying torque with the 1x2 to slide the magnet so it was just touching the anchor, then with my other hand I grabbed the magnet while continuing to apply pressure with the 1x2 and it popped off. Oh and yes I got the hammer too close and the magnet did grab it a couple times, but with the handle there is enough leverage to break it free.
Thanks everyone for all the great ideas!

 

[just4grins]

LMAO!!! Time to change your name to "Magnetney" and fish for steelhead.

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Larry,

Well it seems we never get too old to have "Aw ****" problems while hunting and fishing. Glad you got it sorted out.

The trick with magnets is to slide them apart instead of pulling straight away. I remember when I was a youngster my dad had two magnets that no one could pull apart. But even I could slide them apart.

Frank

 

[mcnerney]

Frank
It was all I could do at the boat ramp to free the parachute cord after I had untied the knot (the cord was tied through the hole in the middle and was pinned to the anchor). I wanted to put the 100 ft cord in the car so it didn't fly all over the place on the way to town. That magnet is so strong, I couldn't begin to move it with my bare hands, it has an incredible amount of force, but that 18 inch long piece of 1x2 gave me the leverage that I needed.

 

[littledavid123]

Just keeping the magnet around is a hazard in itself, get to close to watch or phone and it will fry them and don't even want to think about a kid getting his fingers caught by the thing. Might screw it onto an aluminum hard hat to keep aliens from reading your thoughts!

But seriously, unless looking for a lost anchor or disrupting the migration pattern of a few birds, what else can you do with that thing?

Dave

 

[mcnerney]

Dave
My thoughts exactly, I now have no use for it, so what I thought I would do was take it over to Gary at Mountain Driftboats in Victor, ID, the next time I pass through there. That way, if he has a client that loses an anchor he can offer up a possible solution for retrieval.

 

[honyuk96]

Dave
My thoughts exactly, I now have no use for it, so what I thought I would do was take it over to Gary at Mountain Driftboats in Victor, ID, the next time I pass through there. That way, if he has a client that loses an anchor he can offer up a possible solution for retrieval.

But what are you going to do next time you lose yours ?

 

[Bigfly]

Good job Larry!
The good news is....it wasn't a lead anchor.
Plastic splitting wedge maybe?
Glad to hear you don't have the knot tied while on moving water...........

Jim

 

[fredaevans]

Good job Larry!
The good news is....it wasn't a lead anchor.
Plastic splitting wedge maybe?
Glad to hear you don't have the knot tied while on moving water...........

Jim

Oh sooo yes! I watched (actually several of us watched) some knuckle head do that on the Cowlitz River He and his fishing partner were very drunk at the time.

 

[mcnerney]

I think it was the Hyde DVD on learning to row a drift boat where they demonstrate what happens when you accidentally release your anchor in fast water and the anchor snags up. I always make sure there is no knots in that anchor rope when I'm floating rivers.