RB wrote:
I have approx 600' of anchor line on my primary anchor, and 20' of chain
ahead of the anchor. The anchor, chain, and line are all stowed in a bow
compartment on my 18' center console boat.

Not surprisingly, I have tangling problems when we attempt to anchor down.
I always start out taking all the line out, at the house, and then putting
it neatly back into the anchor locker. Doesn't matter. Next time the line
comes out, for whatever reason, there's invariably several snarls in the
line.

Any tricks anyone knows of that might help me keep the line organized to
where it will pay out reliably without fouling?

I'm struggling to imagine a bow compartment on an 18' center console
boat that will hold 600 feet of rode, a length of chain, and an anchor
without somebody having to virtually stuff it in. That's probably where
you tangle occurs.

Up this way, a lot of us carry stern tie lines that involve a few to
several hundred feet of rope wrapped around a drum. Some of the more
common adaptations are from garden hose reels, electrical cord reels,
etc. Lots of fishboats and work boats wrap the rode around a drum on
the foredeck. It wouldn't look as nice as stuffing everything into the
compartment, but it would probably cut down on the tanglemares. And of
course you wouldn't have to permanently affix the drum to your boat.