Windlass on an offshore boat

is there a large casting deck where it would be in your way? if not, do you want to get off the helm to drop anchor non the sand bar., If not, get one.

We had one. Took it off before it impaled someone. Wasn't worth it since we used a trolling motor while fishing.

Are you in Louisiana? If you are somewhere like the keys and fish often in 200 ft or less on a larger boat then I think they make a lot of sense.

They are more 1990s though, with spot lock trolling motors and auto pilot ability to use the outboards now to lock in place they just are kinda outdated.

I would never get a windless unless MAYBE I lived in Florida.

I don’t think I ever even carried an anchor on our contender

But if you’re a big sand bar kinda guy then go for it. That being said if you’d only be using it a handful of times a year, I would just go with old school anchor and chain.

Thanks for the replies

I’m going to put a trolling motor on it. I think I’ve made up my mind that anchoring 10-12 times on an island/sandbar isnt worth something else mechanical to break

You need to be doing A LOT of anchoring for the pros of a windlass to outweigh the cons. As someone who has to handle many different boats for my job, the biggest issue that I have with a windlass is getting boats on and off of the trailer. They almost always interfere with the bow stop and winch. I always have to deploy the anchor some and set it in the boat before coming off or on the trailer. This is especially no fun when I’m doing it single-handedly. Don’t get me started on replacing the motors or solenoids.

Going with a spot lock trolling motor or a virtual anchor option like Optimus SeaStation, Mercury’s Joystick Piloting or Yamaha’s version would be a much better choice. Look up Sea Swivel if you’re going with a trolling motor. It does a great job of getting the motor out of harm’s way. Don’t sleep on a joystick/virtual anchor setup if you have the funds. They hold much better than a trolling motor and there’s nothing extra on the bow to fight fish around. We have installed and maintained plenty of them since Mercury released their version over a decade ago and becoming an Optimus certified installer. Contrary to popular belief, lower unit problems are no worse with joystick boats than those without. This is assuming that you stay on top of maintenance. That can’t be said for everyone though, joystick or not. The maintenance schedules are no different than a non-joystick application.

If you need an anchor for the sandbars and absolutely dread retrieving one, get an anchor lift buoy setup. They work very well.

If you’d like any more advice on this subject or any others on your upcoming build, look us up on Instagram or Facebook and send me a message. Great choice on SeaVee. They’re one of maybe 3 mono-hull brands that I’d spend money on if I were in the market.