An anchor that drags usually isn't a bad anchor — it's a good anchor rigged wrong. Greenfield's anchor kits exist because holding depends on the anchor, chain, line, and shackles working as one system, and the surest way to get that right is to put the whole system in one box, already matched.
The short answer: A boat anchor kit is the four parts of a working anchor system — anchor, coated chain, 100 ft of anchor line, and shackles — matched and ready to rig. The fluke kits cover sand-and-mud boats to 22 ft, the river kit covers current and pontoons, and the Richter kit covers mixed and rocky bottoms to 26 ft.
Why an anchor is a system, not a hunk of metal
An anchor doesn't hold because it's heavy. It holds because it digs in — and it can only dig if the pull comes in low and flat along the bottom. Two things make that happen. Chain at the anchor end weighs the pull down. Line length — boaters call it scope — keeps the angle shallow: for a fluke anchor, the working rule is about 7 feet of line for every foot of depth, measured from your bow cleat to the bottom.
Quick math: in 8 feet of water with a 2-foot bow height, that's roughly 70 feet of line. That's why the kits include 100 feet — enough to anchor properly, not just enough to reach the bottom. The full drop, set, and retrieve sequence is in how to anchor a boat.
What mismatched gear actually costs
The most common anchoring failure isn't a broken anchor — it's a good anchor on too little line. Tie 30 feet of rope to an anchor in 8 feet of water and the pull comes in high; the flukes lever out of the bottom and the anchor skips along instead of burying. From the deck, that looks exactly like a defective anchor. It isn't. We've been making anchors in Ohio since 1959 — long enough to know that most "bad anchor" stories are really bad setup stories.
Skipping the chain fails the same way from the other end of the rode: rope tied straight to the shank pulls the anchor upward instead of along the bottom. Chain weight keeps the pull low and flat so the flukes dig in instead of skipping — it's the unsung hero of the rig, and it gets its own anchor chain guide.
A kit closes both gaps at once: the chain is in the box, and 100 feet of line reaches a proper 7:1 scope in typical lake and bay depths. Not a courtesy coil.
What comes in a Greenfield anchor kit?
Four things, each with a job: a coated anchor, coated anchor chain, 100 feet of anchor line, and the shackles that connect them — matched to work together.
- The anchor. A slip-ring fluke, a cast tri-fluke river anchor, or the Richter, depending on the kit — coated so it won't chew up your deck or gelcoat.
- Coated chain. The unsung hero: its weight keeps the pull on the anchor low and flat so it digs instead of skating.
- 100 ft of anchor line. Enough rode to anchor properly in typical lake and bay depths.
- Shackles. Rigged and ready. Nothing else to buy at the marina store.
Do you still need to buy anything? No. You need a cleat to tie to, and that came with the boat. Rigging is a two-shackle job you can finish on the dock: anchor to chain, chain to line, line to cleat.
In the fluke and river kits, the anchor and chain are made and coated in the USA — coating is done at Greenfield Products in Greenfield, Ohio. In the Richter kit, the chain is made and coated in the USA and the Richter anchor is coated in the USA. Every kit also includes anchor line and shackles.
Fluke, Richter, or river: which kit fits your boat?
Match the kit to the bottom you anchor over first, then to your boat's length.
| Fluke kit | Richter kit | River kit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best bottom | Sand, mud | Rocks, mud, weeds, sand — mixed or unknown | Soft to moderate bottoms, plus rocks and structure |
| Duty | Light/medium | High performance | Medium |
| Boat class | Small (#6) → 16 ft · Large (#11) → 22 ft | 18 lb → 22 ft · 25 lb → 26 ft | 15 lb → 18 ft · 20 lb → 22 ft |
| Scope (line per foot of depth) | 7:1 | 4:1 — the least line in the lineup | 5:1 |
| Home water | Lakes, bays, slow rivers | Wherever the fish are | Rivers and current; pontoons |
| Retrieval | Easy (slip-ring) | Easiest (patented release) | Standard |
The fluke kit is the sand-and-mud specialist: the flukes knife in, and the harder you pull, the deeper they set. The small kit fits runabouts, jon boats, and small fishing boats — roughly the "tow it behind the SUV" class, up to 16 feet. The large kit fits full-size fishing boats, deck boats, and pontoons in the low-20-foot range, up to 22 feet.
The Richter kit combines three designs in one casting — river-anchor weight, grapnel-style tines, and a slip-ring that reverses the pull for retrieval — so it grabs in rocks, mud, weeds, and sand where ordinary anchors skate. At 4:1 scope, it holds with less line than traditional anchors.
The river kit is the honest mid-duty pick for current and bottom structure. Pontoons catch wind like a sail — when in doubt, take the heavier kit.
Wind, current, and bottom type matter as much as length, so size up for rough duty. Still weighing anchor families rather than kits? Start with how to choose a boat anchor.
If you regularly anchor where you can't let out enough line — deep water, tight coves, crowded anchorages — a 7:1 fluke setup isn't your tool. The Richter Anchor Kit holds at 4:1 scope, so it needs less line out than traditional anchors.
Complete Fluke Anchor Kit
USA-made anchor and chain, 100 ft of line, shackles — for sand and mud, boats to 22 ft.
See the kit
Richter Anchor Kit
Rocks, mud, weeds, sand — high-performance holding at 4:1 scope, boats to 26 ft.
See the kit
River Anchor Kit
USA-made anchor and chain for current and pontoons — boats to 22 ft.
See the kit
Common questions
Do I need to add anything to this kit?
No — anchor, chain, line, and shackles are included and matched. You just need a cleat to tie to. The chain is already sized to the anchor, and the shackles connect chain to anchor and line to chain, so rigging is a two-shackle job you can finish on the dock in a couple of minutes.
Why does the kit include so much line?
Because holding depends on scope: about 7 feet of line per foot of depth for a fluke anchor, measured from your bow cleat to the bottom. In 8 feet of water with a 2-foot bow height, that's roughly 70 feet of line. The kit's 100 feet covers typical lake and bay anchoring with room to spare — enough to anchor properly, not just enough to reach the bottom.
Is the kit made in the USA?
In the fluke and river kits, the anchor and coated chain are made and coated in the USA — coating is done at Greenfield Products in Greenfield, Ohio. In the Richter kit, the chain is made and coated in the USA and the Richter anchor is coated in the USA. Every kit also includes anchor line and shackles.
What size anchor kit do I need for my boat?
Boats to 16 ft: the small fluke kit. Boats to 22 ft: the large fluke kit, the 20 lb river kit, or the 18 lb Richter kit, depending on your bottom type. Boats to 26 ft: the 25 lb Richter kit, the largest rating in the line. Wind, current, and bottom type matter as much as length, so size up for rough duty.