"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:lszjc.337$Lm3.227@lakeread04...

To measure the set distance I need some means of
marking exactly the location that the anchor was dropped. I am
invisioning some sort of pointed weight with a boyant shaft that can be
dropped as the anchor is released.

One of the problems that you may have is getting your marker weight to drop
straight down. A weight that has any flat surfaces can angle through the
water and land a fair distance from the point you dropped it. A recommend a
bullet shaped diving weight. The same is true for the anchor you are
testing, unless you lower it slowly it can veer off some amount as well.
Unless you can hold your position accurately long enough to drop two things
slowly you will always have a problem

The best solution would be to use a diver to mark the spot underwater. Get
the diver out of the way, drop the anchor, then have the diver come set a
marker next to the anchor. Do your set/drag test then have the diver
measure the distance along the bottom. That will assure that current, wind
and drop issues are not a factor.

If you can't do that, then I would recommend attaching a marker float to the
anchor. Use a light weight line attached to a spot on the anchor where it
would interfere. Drop the anchor and a second marker float. Once things
have settled measure the distance between the anchor float and the secondary
marker float. Set the anchor, and measure again. The difference between
the first and second measurements is how much the anchor moved. Since both
floats are subject to the same current and wind the effects should cancel.

For the floats themselves, I would recommend a pulley system. The rope
comes up from the bottom and passes through a small pulley on the bottom of
the float and then attaches to another weight. This allows the float to
automatically adjust for water depth and keeps the scope to an absolute
minimum.

Rod