Drift boat - center or offset anchor bracket?

[santiamflyguy]

I'm looking at a Clacka with the offset system and under-floor Bo's release.

As I understand, the offset brackets allow you to mount a kicker without any modifications...handy for sure if I ever decide to slap a motor on there.

I'm curious as to whether people notice a difference with the offset bracket while anchored up in current? Does your boat sway more with the offset? It seems like it'd be more solid with the center mount, but I don't know if that's just a theoretical advantage over a practical one. All the boats I've been in have had center mount systems (that I can remember, anyway). I will primarily be fishing moving water and anchoring (flyfishing), so this is an important concern. The Clacka under-floor system is such that it'd be difficult to modify to a center-mount.

Thanks for any/all help.

[A-Boss]

I started out with a center bracket but switched to a sde bracket to run a kicker. I noticed more sway on anchor with the side mount than with the center mount.

An easy solution is to put some oar rights on you oars. Chop off a couple inches and then mount them above your normal pivit point so you can still feather the oars. When at anchor just leave your oars out with the oar rights engaged and no more sway.

[santiamflyguy]

Thanks for the tips, A-Boss!

With my little 10.5' pontoon, I do the oar-right, oar-out thing and it works pretty well in most circumstances.

I was thinking about it last night and if worst comes to worst and I can't stand the sway, I can always put on a side-pull, center-mount too. Or get out the power tools and perform open-deck surgery to add a second route for the under-foot one :eek:.

[Two Fister]

On my last two drifters I used thumb screws to hold the center anchor mount on. It took all of two minutes to take it off or to put it back on. I've found that the boat swings a lot with the side mounts and I can't stand having oar rights on my oars. I also had a 30 pound star anchor bang against my the kicker on my 16' boat a few times when it first had the side mount on it. The anchor always wins those battles. I added a front anchor release to both boats. If you really want to anchor from the stern with the motor on you can just pitch straight off the stern and still use the pulleys to hold the rope.
Some people love the side anchors, but I'm definitely not one of them.
TF

[shootfly]

I have a Clack 95 flyfisher with center pull and when I use a Kicker I stick on a front anchor pull that I got from Clack. It only takes two bolts and a couple of minutes. That way is the best of both worlds.

[Lurp]

I had a drift boat built by alumaweld back in 89 with a motor well it took a little room out of the boat but my anchor was off the center with the motor on
I had a friend with the same boat but no motor well, he said there was very little difference in how the two boats handled when using oars
I guess they quit making them that way, wasn't much market for them
I did notice mine handled better when running with the motor and I put my transducer in the well so it was protected, scraped bottom many times and never damaged the transducer

[santiamflyguy]

The boat I'm looking at is used, so I don't really have the option of asking 'em to build it differently. :)

The issue is that the Bo's floor system built in... so the in-floor tube is offset for the side-mount anchor. I could pretty easily remove the side-mount and replace it with a center mount, but the problem would be that the anchor rope coming out of the tube would be connecting up to the bracket at an awkward angle...

If it were my boat I'd take better pictures, but this should give an idea:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/4260/im002815yx9.jpg

[surfnfish]

The boat I'm looking at is used, so I don't really have the option of asking 'em to build it differently. :)

The issue is that the Bo's floor system built in... so the in-floor tube is offset for the side-mount anchor. I could pretty easily remove the side-mount and replace it with a center mount, but the problem would be that the anchor rope coming out of the tube would be connecting up to the bracket at an awkward angle...

If it were my boat I'd take better pictures, but this should give an idea:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/4260/im002815yx9.jpg

I have a 92' clack with a center mounted anchor arm with the side pulley system, and it works just fine. It would be realiatively easy to retrofit the boat in the picture. Just remove the rear anchor arm, and install an off-set arm and the side pulley system - cost from Clack for the parts would be $220. http://www.clackacraft.com/accessories/sidePull.htm and wouldn't take more then a couple of hours. If you trailer the boat over to Clack in Portland, Marty will set you up with the hardware and layout the mounting points on your boat so they are spot on.

I'll be retrofitting mine in the spring, installing a side anchor arm so I can run a small kicker on the boat in tidewater. I'll set-up the corner anchor arm on wingnuts so I can easily remove it during the winter as I would prefer to manage the boat with a center mounted anchor during higher flows downriver as it is more stable then corner mounted. So I'll just swap anchor arms on a seasonal basis based on fishing needs.

[Thomas Gilg]

I have an offset, and more than once have suffered sway that seems related to the offset. Your swayage may vary...

--tg

[santiamflyguy]

Thanks again for the feedback. Found out a friend has a kicker that I can use, so that sealed the deal. River tidewater, bays, big lakes, here I come! Mmm, trout, salmon, steelies, stripers, perch, crab... oh, the options!

Picked up the boat last night and it's oh-so-nice looking in the driveway. Should be even better in the next couple of days when I get it out on the river!:meme:

If my swayage is too annoying, $220 is a pretty reasonable price for a new side-pull, center mount bracket.

[Connelly]

Thanks again for the feedback. Found out a friend has a kicker that I can use, so that sealed the deal. River tidewater, bays, big lakes, here I come! Mmm, trout, salmon, steelies, stripers, perch, crab... oh, the options!

Picked up the boat last night and it's oh-so-nice looking in the driveway. Should be even better in the next couple of days when I get it out on the river!:meme:

If my swayage is too annoying, $220 is a pretty reasonable price for a new side-pull, center mount bracket.


Stay with the underfloor, install a center mount anchor arm and a bow anchor release. We don't anchor our sleds from the stern why would we anchor a drift boat from the stern?

[kruser91]

Do any of you have an extra anchor pulley system for a reasonable price? My new/used driftboat that I just purchased all of them were stolen. I went to fishermans and saw they were pretty expensive. Thanks, David

[steelhooked]

kruser i have a center mount from my willie boat but i dont have all the pulleys if your looking for a start.

keep in mind if you are going down the river in freezing weather like it is now you will have problem with the under floor system unless someone has a solution to the rope freezing up. went by a boat a couple of years ago and was watching three guys trying to get the anchor to move. probably not really a normal problem but something to keep in mind in these conditions.

[surfnfish]

Stay with the underfloor, install a center mount anchor arm and a bow anchor release. We don't anchor our sleds from the stern why would we anchor a drift boat from the stern?

we anchor drift boats from the stern because we always keep the bow pointed downstream - anchoring from the bow would spin the boat - bad idea - and when the anchor was pulled, the boat would begin to go downstream stern first - worse idea..

[weekender]

I've got a side mount anchor on my boat. It sways. If you just leave the oars out and positions the blades so they are vertical the current will pin the oars and they will remain in that position. It will resolve 90% of the swaying. Oar locks are un-needed for keeping the oars vertical.

[stupenny5]

Call Bo I am sure he has a fix 541-928-8541

[Hookset]

I've got a side mount anchor on my boat. It sways. If you just leave the oars out and positions the blades so they are vertical the current will pin the oars and they will remain in that position. It will resolve 90% of the swaying. Oar locks are un-needed for keeping the oars vertical.

:yeahthat:

steelhooked - keep in mind if you are going down the river in freezing weather like it is now you will have problem with the under floor system unless someone has a solution to the rope freezing up. went by a boat a couple of years ago and was watching three guys trying to get the anchor to move. probably not really a normal problem but something to keep in mind in these conditions.This can become a frequent problem while traveling early morning during freezing conditions. I used to fish with a person who had a Bo's under floor anchor and we often fought trying to get stiff kinked anchor line through the floor release. I prefer having all the anchor line exposed for this very reason. Another thing I do not like about the Bo's anchor release is it keeps all the rope at your feet. After constantly stepping on and moving the rope out of the way, the rope gets very gritty and dirty, which really chews up your hands after pulling the anchor during a day of fishing.

I most definitely prefer the side mounted anchor release and pulley system, the stern bracket is your choice, but I still like the side anchor bracket and adjust the oars to reduce sway. With the side release, you can lay the rope to the side, even place the rope in a bucket to keep it clean and out of the way.

Your definitely going to like your drifter, a very versatile boat that can fish a number of different styles and locations.

Good luck with your new boat, congrats!!

Gregg

[Connelly]

we anchor drift boats from the stern because we always keep the bow pointed downstream - anchoring from the bow would spin the boat - bad idea - and when the anchor was pulled, the boat would begin to go downstream stern first - worse idea..


If your in a heavy river like the Columbia or Willamette anchored by the stern with 100lb motor and 200lb man = low free board. Bad idea. When you throw a bouy in a hog line the boat goes down the river stern first. Good idea. In a lake...good idea. In a white water river..could be a bad idea.

The weight of the motor and fisheman in the stern with a offset anchor creates sway.

[secrets]

Lots of good feedback on this...If I have to employ an anchor on my fishing trip I usually keep it inside the boat until it is needed, I never did like an anchor swaying around in the back and put the weight back in the boat, you have enough weight on you transom with the motor back there, as you see here I have a short modified side anchor mount, just a wheel and a cleat, pretty simple, you basically pull on one wheel, less resistance, less gadgets (wheels, under the floor, all that unnecessary cool stuff, and less money spent). Oars pinned vertical in the oar locks usually help the with less sway. Good Luck

[jimh]

I tried the offset mount, but didn't like the sway. Since the motor I use is an electric, I found that I could use a center mount and offset the motor which works much better.