anchor platforms

windrose · Post by **windrose** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 6:07 am

I want to build an anchor platform for Windrose, I have been studying Tim's installation and checking out different ones I see and like in the yard.
Anybody else have photos of ones they have built? How big did you make the backing plates? I have some left over starboard I was planning to use for the backing plates. Problems you ran into? Things I should consider?

Thanks,
Ang

Hirilondë · Post by **Hirilondë** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 8:48 am

King Starboard makes a terrible backing plate for things that need large ones. In warm weather starboard gets soft and bends easily. As such it won't transfer load over much of an area like a stiff material will. I use stainless and fiberglass reinforce panels (premade fiberglass as a sheet good) most for serious structural backing. Aluminum, bronze and painted or epoxy saturated plywood work also.

By anchor platform do you mean a mini bowsprit type appendage with a roller on the end?

Peter · Post by **Peter** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:47 pm

Here is a twin anchor setup/pulpit support/forestay chainplate setup custom made for an Albin Vega . ..no, Vega's don't have square concrete decks ;-)

CharlieJ · Post by **CharlieJ** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 12:51 pm

going to the boat today- I'll take some pics of the one I built for the Meridian.

windrose · Post by **windrose** » Mon Feb 05, 2007 9:58 am

Thanks for the heads up on the starboard. I guess I will go with the epoxy saturated plywood. Would love to see more photos, can't wait to see what you did on the Meridian, Charlie.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 1:10 pm

Peter, Wow!

Ang, what sort of anchor(s) do you want to carry up there?

I opted for a simple windline roller for my bruce anchor rather than the full platform. The roller sits just to starboard of the forestay fitting. I like the platform idea but I have seen a couple of them break in the past couple of years.

-Britton

windrose · Post by **windrose** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 2:15 pm

Currently my ground tackle consist of a Danforth Fortress and another standard 20# Danforth, so I guess I would add a CQR/Bruce to compliment what ground tackle I already have and carry the new anchor on the roller and the Danforth off the pushpit as a back up. Primarily, the boat will be used in areas with muddy bottoms.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:31 pm

That sounds fine. I definitely don't want to start another thread on the ultimate ground tackle system I just wondered how many anchors you planned on mounting up forward.

For a couple of plow type anchors I think platforms are the way to go but for me, since I only carry one plow and one Danforth I felt I could get by with less. My Danforth hangs from the pulpit at the moment so I only need one anchor off the bow.

If you can excuse the mess and clutter this is what I came up with.

The boat is tarped and has the wooden frame around it so the picture gets a little convoluted. In addition that aluminum thingy is the roller furler on deck being stored temporarily.

Basically I mounted the anchor roller right next to the stemhead fitting. Since there is a short wooden block for the first couple of inches of deck on the bow on the Triton I added an additional section of mahogony to provide a level base for the roller to mount to. The roller furler connects via a roughly 12 inch extension so the furling mechanism is up above the roller and there isn't a conflict between the two.

Here is an old side view picture.

It kinda looks like a battering ram doesn't it? Someone wouldn't be happy if I T-boned them with this rig I bet.

An anchor platform does look nice though and I freely admit it has its advantages. I wouldn't blame you if you decided to go that route either.

-Britton

windrose · Post by **windrose** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:54 pm

Damn, that's a "hog daddy"!!!

I suppose I am more inclined to a nice roller on a big ol hunk of mahogany with some threaded rod and epoxy holding it together pushed out front in front of what I hope is, the soon to be, roller furler. That way, the mooring lines can break it off in a big ol Nor'eastern, but that's just me.;-)

In addition, I have this fantasy of being able to somehow attach a hose so that the anchor/rode, etc is all getting hosed off as it comes back aboard with my new deck wash. I think that if it were all more forward, most of it would not drain down the deck to the rear scuppers.

We have thick Chessie mud with lots of critters always looking for a new home and the damn barnacles seem to grow overnight, so it can really stink up the boat in a hurry. A gal has to have a dream!

Rachel · Post by **Rachel** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 6:22 pm

windrose wrote: We have thick Chessie mud with lots of critters always looking for a new home and the damn barnacles seem to grow overnight...!

First the mosquitoes; now this! What else wasn't in the brochure? ;-)

windrose · Post by **windrose** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:08 am

"there's a hell'uva a lot of things they didn't tell me when I hired on this job"....... what can I say? You learn to love that sulfur smell at low tide.....

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:54 am

You learn to love that sulfur smell at low tide.....

You have your oysters, we have our clams. My local area is quite famous for the soft shell clam and their ... fragrant... mud flat homes. The locals really do seem to get nostalgic for the particular odor of clam flats. It doesn't bother me but I don't get all warm and fuzzy about it neither.

Damn, that's a "hog daddy"!!!

Ummm... is that good? I think you just infered that my boat's nose resembles a pig's nose. Where I come from that isn't exactly a complement. It must be different down there in Dixie land.

Yes, washing the chain and anchor on my system definitely dirties up the deck. Hanging it out if front on a platform, maybe with those drainage slots cut into it, might be a better option for you.

I was thinking about some local boats near me that have had problems with anchor platforms (we get a wicked chop when a nor'easter runs up against our 4 knot (storm)tides in the Plum Island Sound) but Tim or Nathan can also probably add a thing or two about anchor platforms. as well. They both run twin anchors up forward so they have a clear reason for sticking with real platforms. Besides, they have pretty boats and apparently boats sporting only anchor rollers look like pigs to some people! :-)

-Britton

Damn! When I go back and look at that picture now it really does look sorta ugly. It looks better when everything else is back on the boat.

You cursed me. Now I see the roller even from here! I will get even for this...

Post by **dasein668** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 9:51 am

If you moor your boat somewhere that might ever have a nasty chop, do as Britton has done, or at least use a very, very short platform. When I actually get around to rebuilding ::rollseyes:: my platform, it will be the same width as previously, but it will only extend basically to the end of the stem fitting, just to give me a surface on which to mount the rollers.

A big platform sticking out there with big rollers and anchors hanging off it is just an invitation for disaster if the chop builds up while you are on a mooring.

Shoalcove · Post by **Shoalcove** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 10:06 pm

Britton,
That is a great looking boat. I really like the colour. What kind of paint did you use and what is the name of the shade? There was a classic styled cruiser I saw in Nova Scotia a couple years ago a similar colour scheme that was also very sharp.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 12:27 am

hehe, that is forty year old gelcoat under some very flattering lighting. That is probably my favorite picture of the boat taken by Nathan two years ago. yeah, the jibsheet lead should be moved forward a bit- It was moved a little later in the season.

I think the color was seafoam green initially. The boat was stored indoors for most of its life only coming out for a couple of months a season - or so I am told- which might explain why it doesn't look too bad. A year and a half in the boatyard has faded it a bit more.

I was planning on painting it this summer using a darker green like Awlgrip's "Jade Mist" but someone else mentioned that the current color wasn't too bad and I should try and buff it and see what would happen. The dark green is also terribly common in my area and while I still like it, the light green might be more interesting. Then I have thoughts of doing something very unconventional but I go back and forth with that. Maybe I should leave well enough alone and concentrate on more important things (like a galley, electrical system, new rigging, interior cosmetics, ...

The deck is an awful patchwork though so I know I at least have to paint that much. (what color would I paint the non-skid to match the seafoam?)

-Britton

Post by **Tim** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:36 am

bcooke wrote:You cursed me. Now I see the roller even from here! I will get even for this...

No one ever called anchors and anchor rollers hanging off various parts of a cruising boat attractive, but their utility more than makes up for the eyesore, fortunately. It's just one of those necessities, I guess.

Post by **Tim** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:45 am

bcooke wrote:The boat was stored indoors for most of its life only coming out for a couple of months a season - or so I am told

Apparently, it was owned by a little old lady who only used it to drive to the grocery store for cat food.

Post by **dasein668** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:42 am

bcooke wrote:The deck is an awful patchwork though so I know I at least have to paint that much. (what color would I paint the non-skid to match the seafoam?)

I think you'll have an awful time getting the gel coat buffed out to the point where it will stand up to gleaming white awlgrip on the decks... but maybe that's just me.

I'm still pulling for the mystery color. What are ya? Chicken? Bwarck-bwarck-bwarck!

;-P

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:10 am

Y'see what we need here is a bit of creative thinking.

Grab that saw over there....

That is one VERY flattering photo of the hull color. For some reason I had it in my head that your hull was an off-white beige. Is it really a seafoam, just warmed up by the low morning light in that pic? That's a great soft-earthy green. For some reason, I can't think of any better phrase than "yesterday's guacamole". That color is to emerald green as Fighting Lady Yellow is to schoolbus yellow. I dig it.

I think you should do the portside nonskid in red and the starboard in green.

Post by **dasein668** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 10:24 am

Figment wrote:YFor some reason, I can't think of any better phrase than "yesterday's guacamole".

It's clear you don't work in marketing...

Robert The Gray · Post by **Robert The Gray** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:25 pm

For those high speed carrier landings?
For a cool jet ski style rooster tail when on a starboard reach?

Shoalcove · Post by **Shoalcove** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 8:45 pm

Britton,
Your 40 year old sea foam looks fine. I redid the cabin top and decks on our CL35 last year (outside,in the wettest spring ever...) in white with cream nonskid on the cabin top. I am really pleased with the look and it goes with most traditional colours. I'm sure it would look great on your boat. I used Perfection and thought it came out well but now the hull looks even worse! Another project coming up.
Cheers,
David

CharlieJ · Post by **CharlieJ** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 11:17 pm

Windrose- My appologies. I got to the boat and took the pics, but then quite suddenly had to go out of town. My mom is selling her house, the appraisers refused to make the loan until she got the eaves repainted. They gave her a quote of 2200 bucks for a 2 bedroom house with boxed eaves!!!

So my stepson and I drove over, scraped it down and repainted. All reappraised, and approved now. They should close next week, when I'll have to drive her back over for the signing.

Maybe tomorrow I can get the anchor pics out of the camera and post them for you. I'm too whipped tonight- took me an hour and a half to cross Houston PRE rush hour!! Mostly in first and second gear. Plus I've been sleeping on the floor in an empty house since the weekend. *grin*

catamount · Post by **catamount** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 2:06 am

I'm having a new bow platform fabricated for my boat that will be integrated with my headstay chainplate/stem fitting:

Actually, the second channel, instead of being an anchor roller, will support a "prod" or pole for tacking asymmetric spinnakers or other free-flying sails ahead of the bow pulpit.

Regards,

JSmith · Post by **JSmith** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 7:25 am

Is it customary (?) to leave the anchor line in the roller when at anchor/on a mooring?

We always take the rode out of the roller and "double" it back through the closed chock to a cleat. I'm always worried about chafe and this way everything swings clear under the roller..

Post by **Tim** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 7:29 am

Figment wrote:Y'see what we need here is a bit of creative thinking.

That looks like a great lobster pot catcher when on starboard tack.

Quetzalsailor · Post by **Quetzalsailor** » Fri Feb 09, 2007 10:39 am

Well! That's certainly original and just the thing if you normally moor Bahamian style or in a narrow river. Surely he could have arranged that fancy carrier to invert the anchor and maybe even have it more flush.

When my dad used to single hand his Morgan 27; he'd to leave the anchor sitting on the rear porch like this boat has. The rode was led forward to the bow chock. Meant that he did not have to leave the cockpit to toss it.

Despite the suggestion, I never did it that way when I had that boat. The chain portion would certainly never have stayed put, let alone the rest of the rode.

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:30 pm

Oh, come on, fellas. A hook for carrier landings? Crab pot fishing line? No, No, No! That's for those times when they sail into a narrow channel between two marinas with a not-so-tall bridge not too far ahead and their fancy new in-mast mains'l rollerfurling rig jammed up with the sail all the way out...kinda like an emergency break :-)