If you’re currently looking into South Florida boats for sale in the hopes of someday calling one your own, there are a few things you should be brushing up on in preparation for your purchase.
Of course, you’ll need a boating license and some solid experience with navigating the South Florida waters, but there are also some smaller details you might be overlooking.
For instance, do you know how to anchor your boat overnight? Not many boat dealers in Boca Raton, Florida, are going to teach you how to do that, so you’ll want to know how to do it before you go boat shopping. Don’t worry, though; it’s fairly simple if you just follow these tips.
In movies and TV, you’ll see people just throwing their anchors over the side of the boat wherever they please. While you can also do this, it won’t work out nearly as well as you want it to. You need to find a good place to anchor, or you may wake up to a serious disaster.
You want to pick a spot that has good protection from whatever wind and weather is expected overnight. You also want it to be shallow enough that you can get the right anchor scope.
Anchor scope is the ratio of the amount of anchor rode deployed to the distance from your bow roller to the sea bottom. You want, at the very least, a 5:1 ratio, but 7:1 or better is preferred if you have enough room for it.
You also want to give your boat some room to swing should wind pick up and cause it to drift, and you do not want to anchor in a tight area that doesn’t allow you to deploy enough anchor rode.
Once you know where you’d like your boat to be, you’ll head your boat upwind toward the point where the anchor needs to drop. This requires you to calculate the estimated anchor scope. The distance between where the anchor drops and where your boat will be spending the night will be that calculated scope.
When you’re at the drop point, and the boat is still, slowly begin lowering the anchor and allow the wind to carry the boat back. As you drift back, pay out the anchor rode slowly and carefully so that you don’t pile up the chain.
When your anchor scope has reached a 3:1 ratio, you can secure the rode and then gently reverse with some power to set the anchor in place. When the chain begins pulling, you know your anchor is set. You can then continue back, letting out more rode until you’ve reached the desired scope.
If you’ve properly set your anchor, your boat should be safe for an overnight stay. However, that doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. You’ll want to keep a close eye on the wind, traffic, tide, and any changing conditions that may cause issues.
Make sure you or someone else are always on watch and perform regular check-ins. It’s also critical to keep your lights on so that you remain visible to others overnight.
Boating can be the most relaxing experience on the planet, but there are plenty of things to know and precautions to take to ensure your ride through paradise doesn’t become a living nightmare.
When choosing a boat for overnight stays, take into consideration the Grady-White Express 370; this boat is designed for performance, comfort, and luxury. As well as has plenty of room for overnight stays and an ample amount of space to be out in the cockpit area.
Once you’ve found the boat of your dreams, remember to always take that extra precautionary measure and never take your safety for granted.
