Power anchor installed under the deck

[Flanker]

Nice Job and who doesn't love "The Champagne of Bottled Beer"

[cleatus]

I haven't posted on here in a while, so here's an update...

The power anchor has been working fine all summer... until about 3 weeks ago, the remote control function took a crap. The switch on the unit itself still worked, but the remote button on the dash quit, I checked the remote battery and it was good. I called Trac customer service and they shipped a new unit to me in less than a week. I replaced the control unit on the winch and the remote on the dash and it's working as it should.

I also replaced the 15lb river anchor with a 20lb mushroom.

Ezygoing and Capt Sully, If you are mounting one on the rear deck, be aware the anchor swings a bit before it reaches the davit, give it clearance so it doesn't bang into your log, also use plenty of silicone sealant on ALL electrical conections, and grease the davit roller.

good luck with your projects,
I'll be back on the forum more, when I'm on the water less, we are loving the pontoon!
cleatus

[killerkernrich]

check this out for your winch lines.
http://www.amsteelblue.com/synthetic-winch-lines/

[Ezgoing]

--- clip----
Ezygoing and Capt Sully, If you are mounting one on the rear deck, be aware the anchor swings a bit before it reaches the davit, give it clearance so it doesn't bang into your log, also use plenty of silicone sealant on ALL electrical connections, and grease the davit roller.

good luck with your projects,
I'll be back on the forum more, when I'm on the water less, we are loving the pontoon!
cleatus

Thanks for responding. I understand not wanting to miss time on the water. It is so hot here that I find it hard to stay out past noon each day. So I spend time on a few forums, learning as much about a pontoon as I can. They are totally different from the "deep v's" I have owned for years.

I think I will cut a small piece of PVC pipe to run the connections through, then fill the PVC pipe with silicone sealant. I checked and there seems to be enough room in the winch enclosure to allow this. But you don't know for sure until you actually try it.

I am using a 20# box anchor so I am stopping the winch 5' before it hits surface. I don't want the spikes on the box anchor hitting the log so I then lift the anchor manually the last few feet. While it would be nice to have the winch do everything lifting the last few feet myself is not that bad.

It's much easier than lifting it the entire distance, which I did before I finished the install of the winch.

I think I am going to move it under deck the next time I trailer the pontoon. I like the thought of having the unit under the deck, out of the way. Plus I would prefer to have the anchor pull from the rear instead of the right rear side the way it does now.

I use a 15# mushroom anchor up front to prevent side to side movement. After using this unit I am planning on buying a second unit to put up front for that anchor. It is definitely going underneath when I install it.

My wife is going to kill me if I don't quit buying so many "toys" for the pontoon. She loves to fish but she doesn't think you need all the toys to fish for crappie.

[lakerunner]

Buy a can of Fluid Film and spray everything electronic. This will prevent corrosion as it was developed for nuke subs to battle corrosion.

[Capt Sully]

OK, what would be the pros and cons of mounting this system on the rear deck of the pontoon ??? I mostly use the toon on a lake and anchor in coves. I'm thinking of doing this simply because of the short run of the power cable to the battery.

[Capt Sully]

my new Trac Pontoon 35 was left at my door today. 2 day delivery, not bad. I had to do a double take on the rode when I saw it. Dang, hope it doesn't break it's rated at 500lbs Guess we'll see this weekend.

[BartMan]

Yep, mine started fraying after a year, I replaced it with a single braid that has held up since. Not sure what that blue rode was, but it looked like the blue part was just for looks and the inside was white nylon. Not very strong.

[Capt Sully]

I installed the Trac 35 today. I was going to set it up on the front and looked under the decking to see maybe doing an underside mounting ? Well two things changed my mind. First I have under skin and didn't want to do battle with that, second, the wiring supplied wasn't long enough to reach the rear of the pontoon to the batteries. I didn't want to splice more wire and make it water proof, so on and so on. So, I just made a simple install on the rear deck. Only needed about 3' of wire to reach the battery, and it's basically out of the way. I will only be using the anchor in cove areas so really don't need too much, just enough to hold the toon still while we chill. That remote control is cool, I'm going to enjoy that the most.

Trac 35.jpg (111.19 KiB) Viewed 6100 times

[Rascal]

Getting ready to launch soon so I finally mounted my power anchor. My kids gave it to me for xmas and I just got around to installing it today. I didn't want to mount it topsides because of tripping over it and drilling holes in the deck. I got a 1ft.x 2ft. 1/4" thick aluminum plate to span the floor joists and bolted it up. I had to modify the davit to make it work upside down, ran the power wire down the port tube to the battery, and the easy part...stuck the wireless remote on the dash.

It's a Trac 35 for pontoons, I read the bad reviews about the plastic drive gear failing in the older models, so the company upgraded to steel gears. I opened up the gear box just to be sure, and it had the metal gears. I was concerned about the strength of the 1/4" braided anchor line, (I always used half inch line on a fluke w/ 5ft. of chain) but I anchor mostly in sand or mud, and shallow, so I'll try a river anchor. We shall see, I'll let ya know how it works out.

I sometimes have guests sitting in the bow seat where I stow the anchor and line, so they have to move when I toss or retrieve it, it's gonna be neat to just "push a button" and motor away.

DSCF1502 (Custom).JPG

side view.JPG

remote.JPG

the size of the remote

dash mount.JPG

Is this still working for you. Are you in a salt water area? I have a bad back.... I need this. But, my home port is in salt water. I rack store the boat. I wonder if the fork lift will hit it?

Rascal

[cleatus]

"Is this still working for you. Are you in a salt water area? I have a bad back.... I need this. But, my home port is in salt water. I rack store the boat. I wonder if the fork lift will hit it?

Rascal"

Still working, we anchored practically every time we went out this season. I boat in brackish water in the upper Chesapeake Bay, no corrosion issues yet, but Trac does makes a saltwater version. As for the forklift hitting it, that depends on the length of the forks, if that's a problem, mount it above deck like Capt Sully did. I didn't mount mine in the middle because the bow eye is there for the trailer winch.

One problem I did have was the anchor line got stuck between the davit roller and it's bracket when I was retrieving on a 90 angle. I may add a larger diameter line in the off season to prevent that happening again...no biggy. I never had a boat with a windlass, it's really nice to be able to raise and lower the anchor from the helm seat, especially if you have any physical limitations, but not having to deal with a dirty anchor and a tangled line is also a plus.

We just pulled the toon this past week for the season and brought it home. We don't have internet access at our summer place, so I wasn't on here much (missed you guys!).

[playcat]

sounds like a plan!

I've seen a vid of a guy who mounted one under a seat, and ran the anchor line through a hole in the deck.. to a pulley mounted to a cross member.. to a davit mounted under the bow.
worked good, i think he was using a fluke.

good luck w/ your project.

That's how I mounted mine. The winch could not hold large enough rope for my anchor, so its back to a cleat on the deck and manual hoisting...

[Rascal]

"Is this still working for you. Are you in a salt water area? I have a bad back.... I need this. But, my home port is in salt water. I rack store the boat. I wonder if the fork lift will hit it?

Rascal"

Still working, we anchored practically every time we went out this season. I boat in brackish water in the upper Chesapeake Bay, no corrosion issues yet, but Trac does makes a saltwater version. As for the forklift hitting it, that depends on the length of the forks, if that's a problem, mount it above deck like Capt Sully did. I didn't mount mine in the middle because the bow eye is there for the trailer winch.

One problem I did have was the anchor line got stuck between the davit roller and it's bracket when I was retrieving on a 90 angle. I may add a larger diameter line in the off season to prevent that happening again...no biggy. I never had a boat with a windlass, it's really nice to be able to raise and lower the anchor from the helm seat, especially if you have any physical limitations, but not having to deal with a dirty anchor and a tangled line is also a plus.

We just pulled the toon this past week for the season and brought it home. We don't have internet access at our summer place, so I wasn't on here much (missed you guys!).

If I could, considering the location of the bow eve and the rack store fork lift situation, install it underneath... that's way cool.
I wouln't get the boat for another week or so. Its in WI, being flat bed trucked to Ft Myers. After the wave shield the windless goes in. I'm too old for that anchor B.S.

kind regards,

Rascal

[Piper5314]

I think the 1/4" Aluminum plate will be too week, and will get snatched off and be lost. I like the idea, just fear it will be weak.