Sea Anchor for 26' Billfisher

[MaluLani3]

Can anyone share some knowledge on what size sea anchor I should get for a Billfisher? I'll be overnighting offshore on the tuna grounds in mild weather.

Thanks,
Terry

[Royal Hook]

A friend bought one rated for his 28 skippy from West Marine a few months back and we tested it one night out on the 209. We had some wind and swell to deal with and the sock showed its good and baad.
Deployed with ease and the return rope all good then discovered that the cheep plastic rope splice device failed and we had to bring in and repair with a solid bow line knot. Also the mainline seems to be another weak point so we replaced it too.
Check out carefully prior to purchase.
Worked great the rest of the night.
We drifted so. for 1.1 mi. and looped back .3 for a total drift .8 miles with 15-20mph winds.
Not sure what the current was doing as it was dark and hard to tell but probably pushing against the wind.
SHORT STORY.. Their all rated for there size.

[MaluLani3]

Any idea on the diameter of that chute? Boats behave different in wind and current depending on hull shape and topside cross-section. A rating soley based on boat length is not that accurate.

[Royal Hook]

The diameter was about 48". As I reported earler it worked well for the 28 ' Skipjack w/ pilot house and weighing around 7 tons. It was a little on the flimsy side and really would recommend a better quality design so there would be NO second guessing.
Saw some nice ones @ seaanchors .com and really liked the para techs. Alot of information about sea anchors, boat brakes and droughs in this web site.

[MaluLani3]

I talked to the guys at Paratech. They told me the 9' diameter chute was good enough. Interestingly, I found a manual for a Paratech 12' chute in my boat. It must have been the size the original owner chose. That seems pretty dang big!

[Royal Hook]

Hey great!
Just noticed that your a new member
SOOOOO a BIG welcome aboard skipper.

[MaluLani3]

Thanks, we are really enjoying the boat.

By the way, I was cleaning it out the other day and found some "hidden" compartments under the dinette seats one of which contained a 12' Paratech sea anchor. I guess that settles that.