How we Anchor a House Boat
We are by no means an expert when it comes to anchoring a houseboat. But I remember my first trip to Powell in 2004 and we were blown of the beach the very first day. I have been an avid sailor for most of my younger life. My family owned a few sail boats and we would sail over to Catalina every chance we got. But this method of anchoring is completely different.
If this is your first trip to Powell via a rental at either Aramark or Antelope, please watch their free videos on how to anchor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sWi2TM1qtg Also, before you put your bow on the sand have your anchor lines ready. This year, 2021, we had quite a few rentals try to anchor near us. Neither had any of their anchor lines ready and both didn't have a clue on how to anchor.
Our very first night in 2004 I made a few mistakes and paid dearly for them.
1) I had our stern facing padre bay and had a large fetch which made large waves hit my stern when the storm hit.
2) I didn't burry my anchors at all. I stupidly just laid them on the beach. (thought I was still in Catalina where I just dropped the anchor overboard)
3) I didn't tie the anchor lines tight at all. Heck I think they were probably touching the ground under the water.
Lessons learned and we blew sideways in about 5 seconds when the wind hit! And every year I still see newbies doing the same thing we did many years ago.
So to do it right:
First you need to find a well protected site, preferably in a South or South West direction. This is usually the prevailing wind direction. But believe me the wind can come from any direction during a storm! The storms are infrequent but if they do come, be prepared. They normally start up around 3 pm or so. We always try to be fully anchored by 2 pm during the monsoon season (normally late June, July and August). Please make sure your anchors and anchor lines are ready to be deployed.
In the picture above, our houseboat stern is facing almost due north and seems exposed to most of Dungeon Canyon, the main channel and Rock Creek to the north with a very long fetch. Just outside to the right of this picture there is a large rock outcropping that gave me protection from any large waves that may form during a storm. We had no real storms this trip but the rock outcropping (not in picture) did save us from the tour boat wake that would roll by 4 times a day. If the water is rising during your stay make sure your anchors will not be buried by the water as the water rises. The water at Lake Powell normally only rises in late May, June and July and occasionally in August in big water years or during large monsoons.
Second, once you find your beach, scout it out on how you will anchor your houseboat. Make sure there are no underwater rocks that will destroy your house boat engines. Try to have a peninsula or rock out cropping behind your house boat to prevent any waves building into your houseboat. Many smaller bays are also great to anchor in and offer great protection from the wind and waves. Normally I would suggest to not anchor on the main channel. Boat traffic, especially the tour boat, can put waves on your beach and make for an unenjoyable and potentially dangerous anchorage.
Third, approach the beach slowly. Use just enough speed to nudge the bow of the boat onto the sand a few inches. Have a one to two people jump off the houseboat with shovels. We always keep a captain at the helm of the houseboat while people are digging anchors. If even the slightest breeze starts to blow the houseboat will go sideways. The captain can use the engines to keep the bow of the house boat on the sand and 90 degrees to the beach. Make sure all people and ropes stay away from the props!
Third, do one of the following:
Below are some pics of how we have been anchoring our house boat over the past 15 years.
If this is your first trip to Powell via a rental at either Aramark or Antelope, please watch their free videos on how to anchor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sWi2TM1qtg Also, before you put your bow on the sand have your anchor lines ready. This year, 2021, we had quite a few rentals try to anchor near us. Neither had any of their anchor lines ready and both didn't have a clue on how to anchor.
Our very first night in 2004 I made a few mistakes and paid dearly for them.
1) I had our stern facing padre bay and had a large fetch which made large waves hit my stern when the storm hit.
2) I didn't burry my anchors at all. I stupidly just laid them on the beach. (thought I was still in Catalina where I just dropped the anchor overboard)
3) I didn't tie the anchor lines tight at all. Heck I think they were probably touching the ground under the water.
Lessons learned and we blew sideways in about 5 seconds when the wind hit! And every year I still see newbies doing the same thing we did many years ago.
So to do it right:
First you need to find a well protected site, preferably in a South or South West direction. This is usually the prevailing wind direction. But believe me the wind can come from any direction during a storm! The storms are infrequent but if they do come, be prepared. They normally start up around 3 pm or so. We always try to be fully anchored by 2 pm during the monsoon season (normally late June, July and August). Please make sure your anchors and anchor lines are ready to be deployed.
In the picture above, our houseboat stern is facing almost due north and seems exposed to most of Dungeon Canyon, the main channel and Rock Creek to the north with a very long fetch. Just outside to the right of this picture there is a large rock outcropping that gave me protection from any large waves that may form during a storm. We had no real storms this trip but the rock outcropping (not in picture) did save us from the tour boat wake that would roll by 4 times a day. If the water is rising during your stay make sure your anchors will not be buried by the water as the water rises. The water at Lake Powell normally only rises in late May, June and July and occasionally in August in big water years or during large monsoons.
Second, once you find your beach, scout it out on how you will anchor your houseboat. Make sure there are no underwater rocks that will destroy your house boat engines. Try to have a peninsula or rock out cropping behind your house boat to prevent any waves building into your houseboat. Many smaller bays are also great to anchor in and offer great protection from the wind and waves. Normally I would suggest to not anchor on the main channel. Boat traffic, especially the tour boat, can put waves on your beach and make for an unenjoyable and potentially dangerous anchorage.
Third, approach the beach slowly. Use just enough speed to nudge the bow of the boat onto the sand a few inches. Have a one to two people jump off the houseboat with shovels. We always keep a captain at the helm of the houseboat while people are digging anchors. If even the slightest breeze starts to blow the houseboat will go sideways. The captain can use the engines to keep the bow of the house boat on the sand and 90 degrees to the beach. Make sure all people and ropes stay away from the props!
Third, do one of the following:
- Dig holes in the sand (preferably wet sand) at a 45 degree angle from your houseboat.
- Bury your anchors a minimum 2' preferable 3' deep.
- Tie around a huge boulder at a 45 degree angle from your houseboat
- Tie around a large Tamarisk Plant (I have never used this method but heard it works)
- In 2018 I learned that drilling a hole into a rock (pinning) is against the law at Lake Powell so we don't do that!
- Use Water bags supplied by company located in link below (new method as of 2018 or so)
Below are some pics of how we have been anchoring our house boat over the past 15 years.
Here we buried two of our anchors at about a 45 degree angle from the stern of our houseboat. After digging a minimum 2', preferably 3' hole in the sand, preferably wet sand, then put the anchor in it and tied the anchor line to the anchor using a modified truckers knot.
We use the third truckers knot in this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvgFyqFZK54 This modified truckers knot helps keep our lines good and tight. You can see in my pic my anchor lines are not touching the water at all. Keep your lines good and tight!!!
Here is Jeff showing how we tie our anchor lines to make them good and tight https://youtu.be/RzemkRcRzNQ
Fourth:
We then turn our steering wheel with engines in reverse and make the engines set the anchor in place by having the house boat engines pull the anchor deeper into the sand. We then retie all our anchors and make them good and tight. They are so tight you can almost walk on them. Two of our anchors on our port side were done this way on this trip.
We use the third truckers knot in this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvgFyqFZK54 This modified truckers knot helps keep our lines good and tight. You can see in my pic my anchor lines are not touching the water at all. Keep your lines good and tight!!!
Here is Jeff showing how we tie our anchor lines to make them good and tight https://youtu.be/RzemkRcRzNQ
Fourth:
We then turn our steering wheel with engines in reverse and make the engines set the anchor in place by having the house boat engines pull the anchor deeper into the sand. We then retie all our anchors and make them good and tight. They are so tight you can almost walk on them. Two of our anchors on our port side were done this way on this trip.
Here I used a pole in a hole that was previously drilled by another houseboat captain. (I repeat I did not drill this hole!) This is what they call pinning and is now against the law. You can see other holes near this one in the pic from other captains over the years. The hole that was predrilled by another houseboat captain and was a good 1" in diameter and my poles are 3/4". It was very deep and my pole went a good 8 inches into the hole. I was not worried about this anchor point at all.
I had these poles made some years ago and I take them on every trip. They are a great help if and when the winds pick up. I have them always in the same hole as my anchors so people don't trip over the lines. I also use two of them to anchor the bow of the boat into the sand.
To many people have been using rebar (pinning) and are unable to pull the rebar back out after using it. Just down the beach from this location was a 1 foot long rebar stuck in the sandstone by a previous houseboat that I could not pull out. The rebar could later impale a human or a boat when the water level changes. Per the NPS the drilled holes due actually destroy the sandstone and also leave very ugly pot marks. Some canyons have quite a few old pot marks in them.
I had these poles made some years ago and I take them on every trip. They are a great help if and when the winds pick up. I have them always in the same hole as my anchors so people don't trip over the lines. I also use two of them to anchor the bow of the boat into the sand.
To many people have been using rebar (pinning) and are unable to pull the rebar back out after using it. Just down the beach from this location was a 1 foot long rebar stuck in the sandstone by a previous houseboat that I could not pull out. The rebar could later impale a human or a boat when the water level changes. Per the NPS the drilled holes due actually destroy the sandstone and also leave very ugly pot marks. Some canyons have quite a few old pot marks in them.
Here I wedged the anchor into a layer of rock at once again a 45 degree angle. After I put this anchor in the slotted rock I once again tightened the line with my engines and set the anchor even further into the rock. I have never anchored this way before and was not to to comfortable with how well it would hold. I can usually just find a large boulder, say 3' x 3' or larger and tie around it. This rock was to smooth and the line would have slipped off of it to easily. Luckily there were no bad storms this week.
Don't want to dig a hole? Then try this new company out beachbagsanchors.com/ We will try this system out one day.
That's it! If a storm comes and gets bad turn your engines into the wind. The engines help a lot during bad storms. Just wait the storms out. They are normally only an hour long and can be quite fun and beautiful. And they really cool the weather down to!
During your stay if the water is lowering you may need to back up your houseboat. You don't want to be high and dry during your stay as the water lowers. And if the water is rising then remember to tighten your lines and keep your bow on the beach. Make sure the raising waters don't cover up your anchors. That would make it very difficult to dig them out later.
The Dooley at Lake Powell Blog is for pleasure use only. We are not Boating or Anchoring experts and are only reporting on the issues that are brought to our attention while vacationing at Lake Powell. We assume no liability for misinformation regarding our blog on vacationing at Lake Powell.
Don't want to dig a hole? Then try this new company out beachbagsanchors.com/ We will try this system out one day.
That's it! If a storm comes and gets bad turn your engines into the wind. The engines help a lot during bad storms. Just wait the storms out. They are normally only an hour long and can be quite fun and beautiful. And they really cool the weather down to!
During your stay if the water is lowering you may need to back up your houseboat. You don't want to be high and dry during your stay as the water lowers. And if the water is rising then remember to tighten your lines and keep your bow on the beach. Make sure the raising waters don't cover up your anchors. That would make it very difficult to dig them out later.
The Dooley at Lake Powell Blog is for pleasure use only. We are not Boating or Anchoring experts and are only reporting on the issues that are brought to our attention while vacationing at Lake Powell. We assume no liability for misinformation regarding our blog on vacationing at Lake Powell.