# Electric Anchor



## tobybul (Oct 31, 2009)

Hi, I just pposted replies on a couple of threads about anchor winches but i was wondering if anyone has any pictures of their systems. Also, has anyone rigged up a system on their own without using the sooped-up ones that costs $800+.

I'm trying to do one right now but after adding uop everything it might get up to $250 aby the time I'm done and that PowerWinch 25 is llooking better every minute.


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## wabakimi07 (Mar 13, 2009)

I have a powerwinch and it is pretty crappy. I had it for about 2 weeks and it broke. I sent it back and they fixed it but it is no longer free-falling. They told me this problem happens alot. I think it lifts up to 48lbs. which isn't enough (depending on type and size of your boat) for high water or fast gravel. I teamed it up with a anchor tower from tracy's in newagyo which ran about $125. So in all I have about $375 into it. Its been 3 years and it still works but gets tangled up and requires some maintinence. I would get a river larry or buy a aluminum anchor tower from tracys and get some kind of heavy duty winch to mount behind it. I think ATV winches might be too slow though. Those ones dfrom harbor freight might not be bad, I would find out the speed on them. If you plan on fishing our bigger rivers I would use at least 50lbs anchor. If you want it to work good and be electric, I don't know if there is any way to do it cheap. If you find a way let me know.


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## tobybul (Oct 31, 2009)

Thanks, W. 

river larry still does it but its a bit too much for my wallet. a new player is vans sports in grand rapids. they have something similar to river larry for a bit less and not as fancy but they make an aluminum tower. but I think u r still upwards of $500-$600 by the time u r done. River Larry is around $1000. Vans will sell u the parts to DIY. winch is $250 and alum davit/tower is $125.

I found a 2000 lb winch at Menards that holds about 49' of steel cable for $69 (I havent checked with Harbor Freight yet). it comes with remote wired up/dn switch. the winch will also free spool by pulling a lever on its side.Vans sells the anchor davit or tower for $125 that is set up to mount on the winch. I'll prob change the cable to rope. I already bench tested the winch and it is not overly noisy. Retrieve is 10 ft/min at no load.

other ones also available are ready-to-go power winches from Minnkota and PowerWinch that are rated for 40 lbs for about $280. Gander Mountain sells the Minnkota. But both are availble online.

I'm still playing with this Menards winch. I'll go see the HF winch tomorrow. But I think Vans' tower is not a bad deal.


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## The Fillet Show (Feb 26, 2008)

I bought a Trac Winch from ebay for $85 shipped and it will pull a 30lb anchor. Looks identical to the Powerwinch, but less expensive. I know Cabelas has them, but they want $150 for the 30lb one I believe.


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## samsteel (Oct 6, 2008)

Last year when I was in the market, I asked Van's about it, they told me they would do a winch system, but it was slow and loud and I was better off going to Larry's. You gotta do the best you can with the money you have. I had a MinnKota 25lb rated with a remote, it worked ok, was slower, but not loud, but really could not lift 25lbs, more like a 20lb capacity, which is not nearly enough for most rivers around here. The higher rated MinnKota, I think is a 40lb rated winch, may work on some rivers. I was on the Manistee the last 3 days and saw a lot of the manual style anchor systems with pulleys that work just fine as well. 



tobybul said:


> Thanks, W.
> 
> river larry still does it but its a bit too much for my wallet. a new player is vans sports in grand rapids. they have something similar to river larry for a bit less and not as fancy but they make an aluminum tower. but I think u r still upwards of $500-$600 by the time u r done. River Larry is around $1000. Vans will sell u the parts to DIY. winch is $250 and alum davit/tower is $125.
> 
> ...


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## DangerDan (Mar 10, 2005)

I've been dinkin with this whole anchor system idea for about a year now. I've come up with a fabricator that can build towers reasonably but the motor and drive always seems to be the catch driving the price to above what I believe would be reasonable.
The right angle gear motors run close to $500 a piece. This builds a winch for almost the same price of Tracy's.

I know Quest got a pretty good deal on his winch but I can't remember where he got it from...


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

samsteel said:


> Last year when I was in the market, I asked Van's about it, they told me they would do a winch system, but it was slow and loud and I was better off going to Larry's. You gotta do the best you can with the money you have. I had a MinnKota 25lb rated with a remote, it worked ok, was slower, but not loud, but really could not lift 25lbs, more like a 20lb capacity, which is not nearly enough for most rivers around here. The higher rated MinnKota, I think is a 40lb rated winch, may work on some rivers. I was on the Manistee the last 3 days and saw a lot of the manual style anchor systems with pulleys that work just fine as well.


Depends on the boat. I have a 14/40 with a 30hp jet and I use the Minnkota 40lb anchormate and love it...no issues what so ever. I typically run a 30lb pyramid and have 10lbs of chain that I'll add when the water is higher. I have the remote switch for it, made my own tower (or davit) and the results have been great in my book.


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## samsteel (Oct 6, 2008)

that makes sense. I have a 1448 with jet and the MinnKota 25 worked last year on the Manistee with 20+lbs of chain, but forget in faster holes and I don't think 25lbs will work on the Muskegon in March/April, would you agree? If your gonna go with the MinnKota, spend a few extra bucks and get the 40lb anchormate with switch. but again, depends on the boat, that might now work on a 19 foot Woolridge. 



thousandcasts said:


> Depends on the boat. I have a 14/40 with a 30hp jet and I use the Minnkota 40lb anchormate and love it...no issues what so ever. I typically run a 30lb pyramid and have 10lbs of chain that I'll add when the water is higher. I have the remote switch for it, made my own tower (or davit) and the results have been great in my book.


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## tobybul (Oct 31, 2009)

Mine is a 1648 MV flat bottom. Whether its Minnkota, Powerwinch or put together at home, I think my dilemma right now is how best to support the system at the bow of the boat. My boat has what is referred to as a casting deck at the bow. Presently, there is a Dierks bow anchor davit/bracket that the PO put in there. There is also a metal plate underneath where the everything is bolted on to. I'm wondering if this is enough to keep a tower system in place.

It would be nice to see a boat up close similar to mine that has a tower type set up. I'm actually thinking about getting a tower and use regular power winch mounted to the tower.

I just picked up a power winch from Harbor Freight for $49 and am gonna try to set it up. I also got their 2-yr wty just in case it does not work out.

Anyone have a used system out there they want to sell or part out?


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

samsteel said:


> that makes sense. I have a 1448 with jet and the MinnKota 25 worked last year on the Manistee with 20+lbs of chain, but forget in faster holes and I don't think 25lbs will work on the Muskegon in March/April, would you agree? If your gonna go with the MinnKota, spend a few extra bucks and get the 40lb anchormate with switch. but again, depends on the boat, that might now work on a 19 foot Woolridge.


That higher water in the spring on the Mo is when I add the 10lbs of chain to my 30lb pyramid.


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## fallguy (Jan 30, 2007)

tobybul said:


> Hi, I just pposted replies on a couple of threads about
> 
> ```
> anchor winches but i was wondering if anyone has any pictures of their systems
> ...


I uploaded a photo of my anchor winch, Mark Chmura out of Manistee is the person who installed and made it. You have to go to my photos to see it, not sure why I can't upload yet?


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## Frantz (Dec 9, 2003)

Seems to me that Adjusted or one of the guys down there on the St Joe had a small ATV winch for his anchor. You could hear the damn thing 2 miles down river but he catches fish and it was dirt cheap, so there ya go. I like pretty, but like pretty cheap even more as long as it works.


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## StiffNeckRob (Apr 19, 2007)

I'd post some pics but I honestly don't know how. Everyone has their own opinion and is entilted to them. If I could have found something that did the job for $300 I'd be all over it.

I have a 16' Wooldridge and a standard 40 lbs of chain that I have added additional chain or a 10# mushroom to when needed (mainly below one of the coffers on the dam in fast current/gravel).

I have a Churma winch that works ok. Its old and slow but bought it used on eBay for a smoking price. I then had Larry build my tower and then threw a couple of KC off road lights for the early morning/after dark runs. I don't think Mark is still building these, hence my previous comment about waiting for this one to die to get a Larry's.

I will say this, holding a spot in fast current and screwing with a manual anchor or an anchor problem SUCKS. One thing to remmeber if you have to go up front to pull a free fall switch, who has control of the boat if you're fishing solo? Also having an achor come up slower then heck can sometimes be asking for problems. 

I'm not loaded and tend to shop for a deal. I looked for a manual pull system with a lock, tried a manual anchor mate, a MinKota, and looked into a Columbia River anchor system. I then went to a few motor manufacturers and gear box set ups. I'm ok in the shop but would rather spend $600 on a good which that has been tried, proven, and parts are readily available for then $500 on something that I cobbled that gave me headaches.


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## DangerDan (Mar 10, 2005)

StiffNeckRob said:


> I then went to a few motor manufacturers and gear box set ups. I'm ok in the shop but would rather spend $600 on a good which that has been tried, proven, and parts are readily available for then $500 on something that I cobbled that gave me headaches.


I'd agree with that but where for 6 bills can you find a well made winch that retrieves at a decent rate? The best price I've seen was closer to $800 although I havent shopped very hard.


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## 2manyfish (Feb 17, 2003)

DangerDan said:


> I'd agree with that but where for 6 bills can you find a well made winch that retrieves at a decent rate? The best price I've seen was closer to $800 although I havent shopped very hard.


Do it right the first time and go see Larry. Cheap ones cost money.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## driftfisher (May 1, 2008)

Spent three years wasting time to figure out a cheap system, don't waste your time go see Larry. There is a reason that very guide on the Mo has a River Larry. High water 80 ponds of chain all day long. The best money I have ever spent. I would give up my jet before I gave up my winch.


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

driftfisher said:


> Spent three years wasting time to figure out a cheap system, don't waste your time go see Larry. There is a reason that very guide on the Mo has a River Larry. High water 80 ponds of chain all day long. The best money I have ever spent. I would give up my jet before I gave up my winch.


Pretty much. 40lbs holds my boat just fine, so I can get away with the winch I have, but if I had a bigger boat that needed anymore weight than that, I'd be going to Larry before that boat ever saw the water.


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## SullyFloats1 (Dec 25, 2007)

Agreed. If you can get away with a hand pull and cleat system or simple electric winch on your boat, might as well do it. But if you want a no-hassle system that saves your back and hands from unnecessary pain....do it right the first time and invest a little more money. It will be worth it in the long run, and your days on the river will be a little more enjoyable.


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## belkowski (Oct 30, 2009)

when i set up my atv winch system, i changed the cable to a very high strenth rope 1500 lbs at 3/16" because i could fit more on. I am lucky I did when I pinned my anchor fishing the upper st Marys with a gale blow coming and i was able to put a knife to the rig thank god. I may not be here if i hadn't .THINK YOUR SET UP THROUGH SAFELY, pass it on.


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## SullyFloats1 (Dec 25, 2007)

Always always always run some sort of rope and keep something on you or in the front of the boat to make the cut if you have to. I've heard horror stories of being stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time. Cutting a rope and losing $100 in an anchor and rope setup is nothing compared to what could potentially happen if you didn't cut the rope. Cable sounds good and compact at first, but it is not the safest option for the river.


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