Tips and Tricks – Elastatether Anchor Marker

Make sure the tether does not get pinched between the bow roller and chain upon deployment and retrieval. This can cause hidden damage, weakening the core that may separate in the future at lower loads.

Check that your rode/chain isn’t twisted causing your anchor to try and untwist as the anchor descends. This can cause the exposed core to get wrapped around the rode or chain during deployment leading to rapid chafing.

If you have already deployed the Elastatether and later notice debris in the water afterwards (e.g., branches, excessive seaweed) especially in current, you can disconnect the float it to prevent a potential fouling situation where you could loose the float. Even slow current in a river, with a large enough debris, can generate enough force to snap the tether, which is still preferable to a traditional marker with a strong tether tripping your anchor. From your dinghy, disconnect the float at the split ring. Allow the tether to retract into the water and lay at the bottom out of harm’s way. When you retrieve the anchor, the tether will come up with it and you can guide it back in as normal and reattach the float.

Anchor markers are not that common so many boaters who encounter one may not know exactly what it is. If you see someone trying to drop an anchor near the marker, simply pointing out that your anchor is there seems to help.

Occasionally, we have witnessed passerbys in dinghies/kayaks pick the Elastatether anchor marker up out of the water to look at it. In water depths less than the tether’s range (32 feet for a single tether, 64 feet if using an extension) this should not be an issue since the core will adjust. However, if the dinghy is moving at a decent speed when the float is picked up, enough force could be generated to snap the tether’s core. If you see someone near it, it is best to explain what it is so it will be left alone.