USER GUIDE / PRODUCT MANUAL

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1 1234 Main St. Swartz Creek, MI Phone support: support@sandaconda.com The Sandaconda Anchor System USER GUIDE / PRODUCT MANUAL For more information, please visit us atsandaconda.com 1

2 CHAPTER 1 0BThe Sandaconda Anchor System Introduction WELCOME TO THE SANDACONDA ANCHORING REVOLUTION! Our Sandaconda system has been specifically designed and engineered to improve the safety, precision, and overall quality of experience for those who anchor in shallow water environments. Please take the time to read this text and learn how to properly set, maintain, and release your new Sandaconda system. The tips and procedures provided in this guide will help to ensure that our system serves you well and remains a positive experience. The Sandaconda team would like to express our sincerest thanks to you, for supporting the progress and innovation of this product, by choosing our system! Bruce Harrod CEO & Creator of The Sandaconda Anchor System May your future boating expeditions be safer, more enjoyable, and blissfully stationary! "Set it, & Forget it!" 1

3 SETTING PROCEDURE Setting The Sandaconda Anchor Disc Expand the Disc Applicator to the appropriate length (Figure 1) Set the depth gauge to the appropriate position on the applicator Place anchor disc on the applicator drive hub Position the anchor disc flush on the sand bed surface (Figure 2) With both hands gripping the applicator handles, rapidly agitate back and forth, while applying downward force, until the depth gauge reaches a depth of 11 to 12. (Figure 3) Remove applicator with a swift, upward, pulling motion, removing it from the sand bed, leaving the anchor disc at the appropriate depth. Use your foot to pat loose sand over the anchor disc. Clip ratcheting hardware to appropriate location on your watercraft (transom/tow, eye, or rope loop from cleat). Pull slack end until the anchor line is taut and vertical. Pull a few extra clicks to establish Pre-load. 2

4 Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 3

5 HOOK UP PROCEDURE With calmer water and low wind/current, set-up will be an easy, single person job. The watercraft will wait for you to set the anchors and preload without the vessel drifting out of position, by force of wind or current. For enthusiasts who frequent rougher waters, stronger winds, and currents, you will need a second person to hold the boat in position, while the anchors are set. In congested scenes, you can also walk ahead and set your spot, then pull the vessel to your vertical anchor line floats and then hook up. There a couple of scenarios that can occur during the setting procedure that can compromise a successful anchor set. If you are using a 3 or 4 anchor system, try to avoid overloading any single anchor, prior to getting all anchors attached and pre-loaded. You can prevent this either by having a second person hold the boat while hooking up, or attaching one front anchor first (slack), and then attaching/pre-loading the rear 2 anchors. You may then return and preload the front. Avoid allowing the vessel to spin with either 2 front, or 2 rear anchors, as this will torque the lines and potentially fail the anchors. It is a good idea to be attentive for the initial minutes of anchoring, as this is where a failed set would become apparent. You may also continue to adjust pre-load during this time and establish your home position. 4

6 Rem REMOVAL PROCEDURE The simplest way to ensure an easy anchor removal, is by setting the discs to the correct depth during insertion. If your intent is to remove the disc at the end of the day, resist the urge to set deeper than needed. Setting our discs even 1 deeper than advised, will increase the work required to remove them by almost 50%. The design of our system offers no benefits for setting anchors to a holding strength greater than the rating of the load line to which they are attached. Removal of our anchors can be successfully accomplished, by manually pulling them out. Be sure to grab the lowest possible location of the load line encasing, when you pull. This gives you a large, soft surface to grab and won t allow the load line to store energy and recoil when the anchor becomes free. Do not jerk or give 100% strength (it is possible to break the paracord). Any sustained pulling force, exceeding the set strength, will effectively remove the anchor. Patiently extract the disc from the sandbed, using light, controlled tugs. It may take up to a minute for extraction, however, the anchor disc and paracord line will be unscathed. For assistance, you can pull additional tension on the load line, so it s force will be pulling with you. Lastly, you can use your foot to bore a hole over where the anchor is set and this will provide the anchor with a shortcut to fail. 5

7 TIPS *Rinse off the Telescoping anchor disc applicator after each use. (Sand is not a friend of moving or sliding parts.) Once you have finished using your applicator, take it apart and flush it out with water. It is much easier to do while you are standing in the water and everything is still wet. If sand gets a chance to dry in your applicator, it can prevent it from sliding. *Rinse the anchor discs off after removal. Particularly in the drive hub recess. This is much easier to do when the sand hasn t had a chance to dry. *Do not pull the vessel by the ratcheting hardware while in the water. While positioning the boat into place, do not use our hardware to pull it. Squeezing the body of the ratcheting hardware has been shown to damage the internal alignment of the ratcheting mechanisms. *Work to monitor and perfect your insertion technique. There is a sweet spot in the tempo, a frequency if you will, that sinks these anchors very easily. Rapid and short strokes, with a small amount of downward force. 6

8 FAQs "Which is the proper anchor set, for my needs?" We will be offering sets in many varieties based on strength, application, and the environment of intended use. All sets will come with a telescoping applicator assembly. We will have sets with one, two, three (standard boat), or four discs (pontoon or large raft) and load line assemblies (based on how many you will need for your anchoring application). Pontoons and rafts require four anchor discs, standard boats require three anchor discs, and other, smaller watercraft or vessels, require two, or even one anchor disc. Also, our sets will come in 3 load ranges: Light Duty (50 pound each), Heavy Duty (75 pound each), and Ultra Heavy Duty (100 pound each). "What does the load line rating mean?" Load lines are available in 3 different sizes: Light duty-50 pound, heavy duty-75 pound, and ultra-heavy duty-100 pounds. The pound rating for each line represents the amount of pulling force required to reach the maximum intended travel of the line. At this point, the safety encasing of the line will assume the load of the line and allow the anchor to safely fail under over-loaded conditions without suffering equipment failures. Suction discs are intended to be set to a value slightly greater than the attached load line rating to ensure full load line travel without causing an anchor failure. "Why is there a depth gauge?" When installed properly, our anchors are both predictable and extremely powerful. Set too shallow and you risk pulling an anchor under normal operating conditions. Set too deep and you run the risk of breaking ropes or hardware if you reach the maximum travel of the load line. Also, deeper set depths make anchor removal more difficult. Proper use of the depth gauge ensures that you have a precise set every time, hence our slogan, Set it and forget it. 7

9 "Can I use this anchor system in deep water?" Although there are plans for a deeper water application in the works, initially these will be hand installed sets. In the event you traditionally dive to set your anchor, these will still function as well in deeper water. "Can I still tie off in groups or lines with the Sandaconda System?" I will save the why would you? and answer the question. No, any boat using a scoped anchor line is drifting and shifting with wind and current. If not tens of feet, at least several feet. We recommend using personal judgement as to how much space to give them. In the future, look for the Sandaconda area of your sandbar and relax with them. "Will I need to buy any other accessories or equipment, to anchor with the Sandaconda System?" No. Our systems include all line, hardware, and other materials needed to begin immediate use. "How can such a small anchor hold my heavy/huge boat?" The truth is that the weight of any floating vessel would tend to keep it stationary, not move it. The forces that we are contending against while anchored are primarily wind and current (water motion). Mooring standards provide accurate assessments of these anticipated loads. There are also water level fluctuations (tide/wake) to be compensated for. Absorbing these fluctuations has always been the role of the angle in traditional scoped anchor line systems. Our system utilizes calibrated resistance to allow the motion to exist without having to address the enormous buoyancy capabilities of the anchored vessel. The absorbed energy of the motion in the load lines helps to return the vessel to its home position, thus making the vertical anchor line possible. 8

10 "What is pre-load and why do we use it?" Pre-load is mechanism to ensure that whatever is anchored with our systems remains centered over its anchor points while in its home position. Further, proper preloading ensures that the load of the anchored vessel is shared equally amongst all anchor assemblies. The cumulative pre-load of all anchors determines the energy threshold that must be overcome to move out of home position. Pre-load is established in our system by tightening our ratcheting rope assemblies a few clicks beyond taut upon initial install. "Can I use these systems in materials other than sand?" These discs are designed specifically to exploit the properties of granular substrates (sand). Although they have been found to be effective in environments with small amounts of gravel or clay, they are at their best when installed in primarily sand environments. If you have questions, concerns, issues, or need support, feel free to contact the Sandaconda Team at our website. Sandaconda.com 9

LOW ANGLE ROPE RESCUE OPERATIONAL

LOW ANGLE ROPE RESCUE OPERATIONAL Scope: This chapter serves as an introduction to anchor systems. Terminal Learning Objective (TLO): At the end of this chapter, the student will be aware of anchor selection and anchor system construction.