Anchor construction

An anchor construction for fishing and pleasure craft, especially those with a power anchor line winch, which includes a center swivel plate in a plane transverse to an anchor blade. The centerplate has a V-slot in which slides a clevis attached to an anchor line to effect release of a snagged anchor without moving the boat over or past the anchor. A stop lobe on the anchor blade cooperates with the center plate to limit relative motion.

FIELD OF INVENTION 
Anchors which are particularly useful with recreational fishing boats and 
pleasure craft, and more particularly anchors with a sliding shackle. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Boat anchors of various types have been known since antiquity and man has 
constantly sought to improve the efficiency of anchors and to make them 
more practical. A major advance in the art took place when the Danforth 
anchor came into being. The Danforth anchor has the flukes pivoted in 
relation to the shank and may also include crown elements or plates 
positioned rigidly on the fluke structure. The Danforth anchor, as well as 
others of the same general type, can be made much lighter than traditional 
types while still maintaining deep penetrating ability due to the 
construction and geometry of the anchor. Anchors of the Danforth type have 
found great utility in connection with smaller boats used for fishing 
and/or recreation. 
A recognized attribute of all pivoted fluke anchors and particularly those 
possessing crown elements is that the anchors are non-fouling in 
comparison to rigid traditional types and much more easily retrievable 
when fouled on the bottom. The development of loop or pocket shanks has 
increased the retrivability of pivoted fluke anchors still further in the 
recent prior art. 
Prior U.S. patents of interest include the following: 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,651,277 (1953) Jenshak 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,722,191 (1955) Johnson 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,263,642 (1966) Wilson 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,092 (1980) Battersby 
An object and feature of the present invention is the provision of a 
sliding shackle anchor which will respond to the pull on an anchor line in 
a manner to free the anchor blade from overlying obstructions in a quick 
response. When a power winch is utilized for an anchor, it is extremely 
important that the anchor release quickly. Otherwise, the power winch can 
act to pull the boat down into the water and possibly capsize the craft. 
When utilizing a power winch or hand crank to reel in the anchor cable, a 
tension develops which tends to pull the boat down, especially when the 
anchor is fouled on the bottom by a rock or a root or other obstruction. 
Under these conditions, the boat is generally downwind from the anchor and 
a wave hitting the prow of the boat will put a sharp and sudden load on 
the cable and the anchor. This very often will snap the cable or break the 
anchor itself or the fastening links. 
Thus, it is an object and feature of the invention that, as the anchor 
cable is reeled in, the cable connection to the anchor will move into a 
self-releasing position before the boat gets directly above or crosses 
over the anchor. The anchor is lightweight but designed to grab into the 
bottom of the body of water. 
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide an anchor 
construction which is sturdy and disposed to grab the lake bottom readily 
but also to function for quick release. 
Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent in the 
following description and claims in which the invention is described 
together with details to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the 
invention, all in connection with the best mode presently contemplated for 
the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER AND PROCESS OF USING 
IT 
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the anchor construction consists of three 
basic parts. First is a center plate shown generally at 20; second is a 
blade 30; third is a slide member preferably in the form of a clevis 40. 
The center plate is shaped somewhat like a stubby arrow. From a forward 
point 60, two wings 62 and 64 extend rearwardly each at about 30.degree. 
to the axis of the arrow. These wings each have slots 66 and 68 which 
merge at the nose portion 60. The central shaft portion 70 has a 
non-functional slot 72 which serves to lighten the anchor and save 
material. The shaft portion terminates in diverging tail portions 74 and 
76 which are shaped to form a rearwardly open recess 78 which, at each 
end, has angled stop extensions 80 and 82. 
The blade 30 has L-shaped top bars 90 and 92 each of which terminates 
centrally on each side of the center plates 20 in rearwardly extending 
legs 94 and 96 carrying between them a stop lobe 100 which will cooperate 
with the stop extensions 80 and 82. The legs 94, 96 are transfixed by a 
pivot bolt 102 which passes through the center plate between tail portions 
74, 76. 
Fastened securely to the top bars 90, 92 on either side of the center plate 
20 are anchor blades formed of spikes 94 connected by plates 96 with 
reinforcing strips 98. Thus, it will be seen that the blade 30 is pivoted 
for free movement about the pivot bolt 102 limited, of course, by the stop 
lobe and the stop extensions 80, 82. 
The shackle clevis 40 is formed by two spaced plates 110, 112 connected by 
an integral web 114 which lies fairly close to the outside edges of the 
center plate with sufficient clearance to permit free movement. A 
traveling bolt 116 transfixes the plates 110, 112 at one end and passes 
through the merging slots 66, 68. At the other end of the clevis is a bolt 
120 between plates 110, 112. A cable or line 130 has a closed loop 132 
around the bolt 120. 
THE OPERATION 
In FIG. 1, the anchor is shown with the blade lodged under a stone S. 
Similarly in FIG. 3, the blade is lodged under a stone S. The line or 
cable 130 is connected to a power winch W mounted on the prow of a boat B. 
In FIG. 3, the anchor has been lowered and dragged along the bottom until 
the blade 30 has caught on a stone or some other obstruction on the lake 
bottom. 
It is desirable that an anchor line have an overall length about three 
times the depth in which a water craft is to be anchored. 
When it is desired to release the anchor, the power winch is actuated. It 
will be noted that the anchor position is governed by the stop lobe 100 
acting against the stop extension 80. Thus, the relationship of the center 
plate 20 and the anchor blade is established. When the anchor line 130 is 
drawn in by the power winch W, the boat is pulled in the water closer to 
the anchor location. This is illustrated in FIG. 4. As the boat approaches 
the anchor point, the clevis 40, because of the increasing vertical 
component, starts climbing the slot 66. In FIG. 5, the clevis has reached 
the top of the slot. Further cable tension causes the entire assembly to 
pivot counterclockwise, thereby pulling the anchor blade upwardly and out 
of the lodged position under the stone or obstruction S. 
Accordingly, it will be seen that it is not necessary to power the boat and 
move it to the right side of the obstruction to obtain release of the 
anchor. The spaced stop extensions 80 and 82 allow the anchor to fall on 
either side and the stop lobe will limit and control the angular 
relationship of the center plate and blade. The blade is thus positioned 
to plow into the lobe bottom or under an obstruction to reach a holding 
position.