Fore Deck Design

[changer]

Good morning. I am now on to my next project and would some ideas about how to determine grand tackle gear on the foredeck. Currently i have a weak pulpit that must be replaced. a bollard type sampson post, a electric capstan that doesn't work along with a rope locker beneath with a drop hole and cap. from to forward aft the configuration is.... pulpit, bollard, hole then separately mounted on a piece of wood ( 6" square x 5") the capstan.

Appreciate any pictures or thoughts on successful, appropriate configurations.

Thanks very much.

doug
Changer
27FC '85

[JT48348]

Similar question here, and some photos:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=7803&p=47195&hilit ... orm#p47195

Here's what I came up with: I reinforced the teak bowsprit with a stainless steel frame. I'm connecting the the bowsprit via frame to the hull with a stainless compression strut which is kinda like one of the stainless supports for the stern platform. Sized up the roller on the bowsprit.

The order goes as follows: anchor line to bow roller, to SeaTiger 555 manual windlass, to chain pipe which drops rode into the anchor locker. On deck, either side of bowsprit are new 10" stainless cleats in addition to stainless line chocks on the toe rail.

The anchor locker needs a drain vent and a sloped bottom to run out water/muck. And you may as well reinforce your bow ring.

[Beta Don]

One thing I would keep in mind, especially since you're starting from scratch. Buy the anchor first and design the length of the bowsprit so that the aft end of the anchor ends up in front of the hawse hole where the rode goes below into the locker - If the bowsprit is even a few inches too short, you'll have a bit of a mess stowing the anchor and rode

You'll want to mount an anchor retainer on the bowsprit to secure the aft end of the anchor when it's on the roller. I welded up a few pieces of stainless in an 'H' configuration where the horizontal bar of the H holds the anchor shank at the correct height off the deck and the width of the H closely fits the anchor shank. Holes drilled in the top enable a snap pin to go through the tops of the H which holds the anchor secure no matter how much the boat slams around in a rough sea. The bottom legs of the H are welded to a flat plate with 2 holes so it can be lag screwed to the bowsprit. The holder is mounted as far aft as possible so the anchor shackle keeps it pinned aft, holding it firmly on the roller - The anchor couldn't come loose even if the boat flipped upside down! I would post a picture if I had one, but the boat is sold - Hopefully you can design something similar from my feeble description

Don

[WillieC]

Aw shucks! I was hoping we'd see a picture of your boat upside down!

"The anchor couldn't come loose even if the boat flipped upside down! I would post a picture if I had one..."

[Beta Don]

Well, there are few things worse than an anchor which deploys itself when you don't want it to - It always seems to happen when you already have your hands full trying to keep the bow pointed in the direction you'd like to go!

Don

[DesertAlbin736]

I inherited something similar on our boat.

Here's what a DPO one or two generations back had installed for our 10kg Bruce anchor. In the 2nd photo the two small fittings just aft of the sampson post are the forestay & head sail chain plates for the sailing rig that came with this boat.

0306141616.jpg

Bow pulpit.jpg

I thought it was nuts to have a bow sprit that long, sticking 3 feet out, especially without a solid rod bobstay supporting it. And what was the deal with hanging two jerry cans for extra fuel on the bowsprit? I can go almost 200 miles on the 20 gallon fuel tank with 5 gallons left in reserve before absolutely needing to refuel. So I whacked off 16 inches & eliminated the fuel cans.

This is how it looks now, (actually with the old dinghy on the stern & before the new lifting davits were installed, but that's another story) very similar to what you're talking about, stock bow cleat replaced by bollard type sampson post, but two hawse pipes ("drop hole" as you call it) instead of one, a vertical manual sailboat type sheet winch, which helps with raising the anchor, but only up to the point where the chain starts. It does have a chain stopper plate like what Beta Don talks about.

20160630_182736 (1024x576).jpg

I would have preferred to shorten the bowsprit even more, but in addition to through bolts the genius who installed this thing used permanent 5200 type adhesive, and nothing short of a sawzall & grinder could remove it.

In addition to the slot chain retainer I always hook a rubber bungie strap from the crown of the anchor back to the pulpit cross bar.

In this last photo you can see the anchor rode flaked out on deck, which I always do after anchoring to let the rode dry out before stowing it down the hawse pipe into the anchor locker.

Top photo Wahweap Marina, Lake Powell, Page, Arizona, bottom photo Port Sidney Marina, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada

[changer]

Thanks all for your responses... lots to think about. Still open question. Any other thoughts please forward. Think this will start in the new year. have some time to design.

Merry Christmas
changer

[Sunsetrider]

Here's a few pics of what I dod to install a windlass behind the pre-existing anchor roller. I removed the floor of the anchor locker to give the rode a high clear drop as recommended by many. The windlass and re-positioned rode cleat sits on a hardwood base.

[Sunsetrider]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbxVfBW7M-Y

[changer]

Thanks Sunsetrider... I like the less complicated approach of your design. I assume your hardwood base is through bolted, bedded and backed?

best, changer

[Sunsetrider]

Yes, yes and yes. The bolts connect the windlass base through the hardwood and decking, and through the SS backing plate in the locker. The bedding is the flexible type. The original cleat is repositioned beside the windlass to secure the rode when deployed.

[DesertAlbin736]

Ooohh, I like that. Oh boy, another future project! I have pretty much the same size & type anchor, a 22 lb Bruce, so something like that would be a big plus.

Questions:

a) What gauge electrical cable did you use for power supply?

b) Any idea what your amperage draw & voltage drop is? I have a 100 amp/1200 watt alternator on my engine, so I'm not worried about it being able to keep up with the electrical load.

c) Is your rode all chain or chain+ rope?

d) Have you had any problems getting the rode to feed down into the anchor locker & paying out without bunching/piling up?

And finally,

e) what type of wood/material did you use for the bowsprit?

[Sunsetrider]

Desert: re the Lewmar 550 Sport

1. I was just into the 4 ga requirement of the instructions so I went with that, from battery to the contactor box which I secured to a wooden block inside the anchor locker. I wanted to minimize the distance from the contactor box to the windlass because the leads coming from the windlass were small gauge. That meant I had to have my electrician do the crimping etc. of the cables.

2. The online manual at Lewmar will give you the electrical details, I can't remember except to say my alternator is 60 amp and has no difficulty. Yours is well within specs.

3. To avoid ANY possibility of a mismatch between the rode and the gypsy, I stowed my 100 ft braided rode and 10-ft. chain as a backup system and ordered the matching kit - 150 ft 3-strand 1/2-inch nylon with 15-ft. 1/4-inch chain.

4. All research indicated that the height of the drop into the locker is crucial to minimize rode fouling. So I simply removed the floor of the chain locker to increase the depth. No fouling whatever with this deep locker.

5. For the hardwood: I found a retail location in Ottawa that specializes in exotic woods. I went there and simply looked for a plank of African hardwood that was the right size (thickness and width) and I wish I could remember the name of the wood but it was completely unfamiliar to me. (found it: makore) It doesn't really matter, there are a large number of exotic hardwoods that meet the requirements. There is a slight wow across the deck at the bow so I took special care to caulk the outside seam with Life Calk.

The kit comes with a dashboard toggle, and a contactor with provision for a remote. To save BIG dollars I bought a $10 up/off/down toggle and wired it to the contactor with about 10-15 feet of 16ga. I store the remote toggle in the cabinet close to the anchor locker and simply feed it up through the forward hatch to control the windlass at the bow per the video.

electrical diagram attached below. The circuit breaker is also included in the kit.

[Sunsetrider]

Additional pics to show pre-drilling, and the replacement bolts for the cleat.

[DesertAlbin736]

All research indicated that the height of the drop into the locker is crucial to minimize rode fouling. So I simply removed the floor of the chain locker to increase the depth. No fouling whatever with this deep locker.

I would guess modifying the anchor locker for a straight drop would be necessary.

We have a local retail outfit in the Phoenix called "Woodworkers Source" that has all sorts of exotic woods, like the Iroko I used to frame the overhead hatches on my wheelhouse hard top project and mahogany for the name boards. Also have a jointer for truing up boards as well as a radial arm saw for cutting and ripping boards to size & access to a planer & can borrow when needed. I would have to remove the sampson post bollard on my boat & replace it with cleats to make room, but I'd use two cleats, one on either side instead of just one. Teak dowel cleats matching the Albin originals are available from Plastimo via the US distributor Bainbridge International USA.

http://bainbridgeintusa.com/catalogs/

Teak bar cleats identical to Albin OEM can be found at lower right of page 152 in this pdf catalog

http://bainbridgeintusa.com/wp-content/ ... og-web.pdf