Every boat should carry at least two temporary anchors even if the boat is small. Many anchors are available in the folding variety for easy storage. Most boats will also use some kind of manual, electric or power winch to easily drop anchor and reel it back in.

Anchors hold a boat in position in the water by either shear weight or by digging into the seafloor. An anchor is "aweigh" when it is being retracted from the sea floor. Anchors come in many varieties including specialty anchors just for river or mud bottom lakes and also dead weight used for permanent mooring. Many anchors are made of galvanized steel and are coated so that they do not corrode easily. The mushroomed shaped anchor is very popular amongst experienced mariners. One of the most commonly used anchors is the fluke style, which is a stock with two large flat pieces of metal attached. Once set it is very stable. Another common anchor is the fisherman anchor or kedge. It is the one most people think of when they hear anchor. It is what we refer to as anchor shaped. It does not bury into the seabed. The claw shaped anchor is also commonly used by small boaters. It will set quickly into most seafloors. The grapnel style anchor is very popular because of its ease of use. It attaches on quickly no matter what way it lands on the seafloor and it can also attach to other surfaces such as coral. A deadweight or a screw anchor can be used for a permanent anchoring which is called mooring. Mooring usually requires professional help to set up and take down.

Manual winches wind the anchor rope back onto a pulley, something like a fishing line and reel and also let it out or if needed hold it in place. An electric winch can handle up to a 40 lb. anchor, and it can also sense the bottom and allow for controlled drifting. An electric winch can drop or retract an anchor at the touch of a switch and keeps the anchor away from the boat. A power winch can hold approximately 1000 lbs. and can operated with a foot control. Power winches can be used to haul in other things such as crab pots.

Depending on the winch and anchor, additional parts such as reins and anchor control locks can be used if needed or as an added convenience. There are also other necessary items such as the anchor mounts and buoys. The buoy allows the anchors position to be seen. Mounts attach the anchor to the boat. The rein can mount under your gunwale or deck and acts as a pulley system to help keep your anchor in place as you are dropping it or reeling it in. A control lock is a lift and pulley system that allows you to control the speed at which your anchor moves by ratcheting it and preventing it from unwinding. Other braking methods can be used such as a solenoid or mechanical brake.