How many feet and how do ya'll rig a bruce with chain. I'm guessing you connect to the small hole and use a small zip tie to attatch it to the other for break away purposes??

I really guess I would like to know how many feet of chain. Thanks..Hank

This is how much chain that I have on my Bruce claw anchor. I bought the chain and clevis pin at Lowes and I use two small zip ties. This is what it looks like.

thanks for the pic. Does that little bit of chain make a difference??

The chain does a couple of things which are probably insignificant, but I put the chain on long ago and I'm going to leave it on there. The chain adds a little bit of weight to the anchor and the chain will break through the zipties easier when needed.

If you don't go with the chain, you'll still find the clevis pin useful for attaching the rope to. If you get stuck and need to break through the zipties, the clevis pin will swivel up and allow the anchor to be pulled straight up out of a snag.

sweet. I guess I'm going to try that..It seems bullet proof..I appreciate your time and pics..Adios' for now..Hank

I wish three of my bruce claws knew this. LOL Some of the places I anchor my zip ties broke but the anchor was stuck then donated to become fishing structure.

I've seen another way of rigging the anchor where you tie (use good knots) a length of line between the top hole and the bottom hole on the anchor. Before you secure the line you put a steel ring (like for an anchor trolley, only smaller) on it, so that the ring can slide up and down the line, from the bottom to the top of the anchor. You attach your length of chain to anchor line on one end and to the ring (on the anchor) on the other.

The purpose of the chain is supposed to be to help keep the anchor line at a less steep angle (relative to the bottom you're anchored on) so that wave action will be less likely to pry the anchor up (picture the line laying on the bottom of the bay as opposed to going straight up and down like your fishing line when you fish a deep offshore reef).

I don't know if that chain that on the anchor below the zip tie is contributing much, other than adding overall weight to the anchor. Of course, zip tied along the shaft like that, the chain will be much less of a hassle in the yak.

Oh yeah, if you can't get your anchor up, you just paddle upwind/upcurrent until the ring slides to the bottom of the anchor, and, wallah!!!!. I've never tried this with a Bruce claw, but it works with Danforths.

The clevis pin has great utility value in this situation. The bruce claw is very effective, sometimes too effective.

The key also is to make sure you are directly above your anchor when you break the zipties. This ensures that your are pulling up vertically and it lets the clevis pin do its job. Think of it as your contribution to the habitat for barnacles and the oysters.

Danforth anchors have a ring which slide up and down on the anchor. Your description of creating your own sliding ring on an anchor is similar to the built in function of the Danforth sliding ring. The 1K Bruce claw does not have big holes to run rope through and tie knots for this sliding ring. I guess you could use 2 clevis pins for this purpose.

With a Bruce claw and ziptie/clevis pin setup, you can pull on the anchor rope until you're almost vertical above the anchor, and then yank to break the zipties. Once you break the zipties, you are immediately pulling from the clevis without having to move upstream of the snag.

With a Danforth you need to put yourself upstream of the snag to get the ring to move to the other end of the anchor. When there is current and wind, paddling upstream in a kayak, while negotiating the anchor rope to move the ring, is not an easy thing to do. I also have a Danforth anchor but I've never had it stuck before. I hope I never get it stuck with a Danforth while in a heavy current.

Excellent point.

Here is a picture from Team Ocean Kayak's web site http://www.teamoceankayak.com/

Excellent shot. I should have said that 'my' bruce claw doesn't have holes big enough. On my 1K anchor, the rear hole is big enough but I recall that the front hole is small. Thanks for the photo.

I drilled mine out then put on a thick coat of paint. When it starts to rust I hit it with a wire brush and paint again. I am using the chain and ziptie method.

x2, although I use a little more chain (about 30" - keeps the bruce's nose down so it buries in the bottom a little easier).

Yup!