SOT Kayak Rigging 101 - Anchor Trolley

[erayyak]

One of the biggest questions about rigging revolves around Anchor Trolleys. Should you or shouldn't you. But the Anchor Trolley is more than just that. I used mine as a wading tether so that I can attach myself to the kayak when I am wading. Rather than staking it off and having to go back for it later. It can be used to attach yourself to other kayakers in case of emergency. To tie off to structure or to attach a drift shute to control drift in fast moving waters. And of course, either with an anchor.....or even with a stake out pole.

The anchor trolley can be fancy or simple. The fancy version use bungy and harken blocks which gives a tighter fit and more control. Since I rarely use the anchor, it went with the simple (and cheap) version.

To make sure I dont lose my anchor or drfit shute, I attach a clip at the end and tie off some of the slack to a cleat on the side of my kayak.

The reason for the trolley is to allow you to slide the anchor to either end of the boat depending on the area you are fishing and which direction you need to be facing. The installation is easy. Attach pad eyes to either end of the boat, run a lenght of line between the two and attach with a ring and caribiner.