A27- Anchor Platform/bowsprit

[JT48348]

One of the reasons I love the A27 is the anchor paltform/bowsprit. But to me a proper vessal has robust ground tackle and an overbuilt bowsprit. I think I'm going to transition to no (or really limited) exterior wood. Whether I keep the wood anchor platform or not, it needs a little support underneath, because you should be able to stand on it and jump off it. I thought about adding a plate underneath. Then I thought about getting rid of the wood altogether.

I think I can get a piece of stainless or aluminum the same size as the existing platform (1/4"x15x30"?) Then have someone weld two lengthwise stringers on the bottom of plate to strengthen the plate. On top of the plate I would attach thin strips of hdpe in a tread pattern. The anchor platfrom would be bulletproof then. This is similar to a anchor platfrom design I used my Alber 30 sailboat, except that one was made of mahogany. It looked beautiful, no doubt, but was alot of upkeep.

anchor platform2.jpg

[don123]

I built a new one out of ipe wood. Longer (in both directions) wider and thicker. It's strips of wood about 2 X 2 and they are laminated with epoxy and through bolted with 5/16ths threaded rod. I don't intend to paint it - Ipe lasts a long time in it's natural state

Your metal one may be simpler to build and no doubt maintenance free - Should look great too

Don

[sail149]

JT
Have you checked out these guy from NY
http://www.ebay.com/itm/King-Starboard- ... 1635996115

Can't beat the price..
I will probably go this route to save time and money over making it my self
W

[JT48348]

I am of the opinion that you should be able to stand on your bow pulpit and jump off it.
Which I don't think hdpe is the material of choice.

[sail149]

Did you see the stainless steel inserts they added to the bottom?
W

[JT48348]

Warren: I rechecked your post because i missed the extra photos. Not sure what i think about that ...

[don123]

Starboard is a wonderful material which is perfect for use many places aboard all types of boats - My buddy has found a dozen uses for it on his bluewater cruising boat. A couple years ago while anchored in the Bahamas he had a bowsprit/anchor roller failure which required replacing the bowsprit at a cost of almost $3K. Luckily, his insurance paid for part of it. He did a ton of research to make sure the new one he had custom built would be stronger than the OEM teak one which failed and he looked into using Starboard for the new one. He even went so far as to get recommendations from Shannon Yachts, the builder of his boat. Nobody he talked to recommended Starboard for this application. He had a new, more robust one made of laminated teak

The fact that the builder of these saw the need to add the stainless straps hidden on the underside tells you all you need to know. It's not the correct material for structural use, especially in a critical area like supporting your anchor and rode. You should not only be able to jump up and down on your bowsprit, it really should be several times stronger than that if you are going to sleep well when anchored in a blow. The stresses involved when the anchored boat is being tossed around are several times more than weight of the skipper

If you are going to use stainless to reinforce a material which is too weak for the intended use, why not just make it from 100% stainless and be done with it?

They are a pretty nice looking anchor roller, the price is reasonable and if you're never going offshore and/or if you only anchor in sheltered places, you might consider it and never need to worry. For me personally, I would pass. I built my own and I wanted it much stronger than the old one I removed. Starboard isn't the answer

Don

[Nepidae]

If you are considering a backing plate to 'stiffen' your pulpit I'd suggest FRP from McMaster/Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/#fiberglass-plates/=umtyd6).
Just got a piece to 'stiffen' my 1" teak pulpit.
Good luck.

[billheadjr]

Hi Folks,
I agree with you all about beefing up the stock anchor platform on the A27. The factory teak platform will not stand up to any severe loading, I know first hand. Unfortunately, mine was completely destroyed before I had a chance to reinforce it.

Annemarie_damage_01_LowRes.jpg

I thought of the different options available but in the end I decided to use teak to replace my damaged platform, I simply like the look of teak, though I hate refinishing it. Replacement construction was a bit more robust - glue, screws & biscuits.

New_Anchor_Pilpit_27_LowRes.jpg

I'll upload the plan and bill of materials listing, along with construction photos to the A25/A27 Files section once I get the OK from the group moderator. This is a simple winter project and can be done with basic carpentry skills/tools.

Just another option I'm putting out there for consideration.

[JT48348]

So after careful review, I decided my wood was in very good condition and it seemed a shame(not to mention more work) to swap everything out to hdpe or stainless. I decided to keep my teak bowsprit and reinforce it with a stainless steel frame. I will probably regret this, as this means I'll be keeping all my teak handrails, hatches, etc. But I guess a little bit of woodwork is a good thing.

cutting 2.jpg

I purchased about $100 worth of 316 stainless steel angle bar and flat bar, 1/8"x1.5" online. I plan to cut the pieces myself and then have a welder put it together. The stainless frame will bolt to the teak bowsprit. The seatiger 555 windlass looks nice and I think everything will fit nicely on the box. I plan to put the bollard immediately aft of the bowsprit, on a 1" raised hdpe pad.

[DesertAlbin736]

When we bought our boat previous owners had installed a 3 ft anchor platform/bowsprit. Not sure if it was the guy we bought from or a DPO* prior to him who had the brilliant idea to make it that long. I thought it was overly long, so I shortened it by 16 inches, which was as much as I could and still fit the anchor roller on. It does have a sailboat winch mounted on it to help raise the rope part of the anchor rode. They had hung 2 spare 5 gallon jerry cans on the bowsprit for extra fuel. Isn't that crazy? Seemed to me to be a fuel spill waiting to happen.

The bowsprit is made with laminated 1 x 2 strips of some kind of wood that is red in color, maybe mahogony? I tried removing it to replace it with something better, but the durn fool who installed it must have used 5200 adhesive, so short of taking a Sawzall and a grinder to it, it won't budge. The stock bow cleat was replaced with a Samson post. It still sticks out more than I'd like it to, but I can live with it for now.

*DPO = Dreaded Previous Owner

[JT48348]

How you gonna walk the plank on a stubby bowsprit?

[Panhdjoe]

Hard to belive anybody would think that was a good place to carry spare fuel.

[neilrewiredvt]

Not sure this is exactly what you are looking at but I ran across this from a fellow in Sweden. I thought it was somewhat unique and emailed him.
If you are interested in talking to him his email is: Bjørn Aadnøy <aadnoy65@.com>
Bjorn's Profile:
I am a board member of the Swedish Albin25 Club http://www.albin25.se and we are running a Project called World Wide Albin25 where we will create a World map of all A25s that have spread over so many countries. I am in charge of this Project and have gotten great feedback from Irland, UK, Estonia, US, Canada and even Croatia in the Mediterranean Sea! The WWA25 will be no-charge and open to even non-members of our club.

Neil Manders
Albin 25 - Knot Yet - #506

[JT48348]

Dry fit of the rebuilt bowsprit/anchor platform. Trying to get an idea where the oversized chocks and cleats will go. My bowsprit has a haws pipe at the aft most end which dumps chain/rode into the anchor locker. The bulkhead is just inches behind where the aft end of the bowsprit ends.

Thinking of placing a cleat on a raised 3/4" standoff block on each side of the bowsprit. I can back the deck easily in the anchor locker with coosa board. This would keep the lines at the correct angles for the chocks.

I like the center post bollard that came with the boat but there's no way to mount it with the Seatiger 555 windlass and the haws pipe as is.

Any other ideas?