The anchor buddy system is not something I'd use in the Chesapeake Bay,
but
I can see where it would be handy in a calm, shallow lake. It would seem
as
though a strong wind will have your boat beating against the rocks on the
shore. Without the chain, what's to keep your anchor at the appropriate
angle to the bottom? Any tug on the boat will tend to pull the anchor up,
not along, the bottom.

It looks like a convenient system, useful for only the mildest of
conditions, while under the watchful eye of the boat owner. I wouldn't go
to sleep and leave my boat anchored thusly, regardless of the weather
forecast.


One needs to realize that the "Anchor Buddy" is nothing more than a
component of a ground tackle system of any configuration. It doesn't
necessarily have to be the entire rode. What it brings to the table is its
spring action, which simply allows the boat to be easily hauled toward shore
using a line from the boat to shore, for those who camp ashore and prefer to
anchor off shore rather than beach the boat. Theoretically, one could drop
an anchor 200' off shore using 20' of chain, 150' of nylon line and then the
Anchor Buddy as the last component of the rode. A bit extreme, but it
illustrates my point. I don't own one, and have no use for it because I
never camp ashore, but I can envision the application.