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We've been chatting on
the Sailnet e-mail list on the desirability of a double-bow roller,
particularly for extended cruising, for over a year.
Catalina has recently responded by providing this feature on new
C380's & 390's. But what
to do if your boat doesn't have this?
Following is the first of at least two articles on retrofitting
your boat to gain the advantage of two bow rollers.
This is from Tom Lincoln, # 205 "Ridge Runner", who is on
quite an extended cruise.
We prepared our C380, Ridge Runner, for cruising and living aboard.
For the past year and a half we have cruised the Great Lakes, The
East Coast from NY to Florida and next year: The Bahamas. We have done
many things to make the boat a better and safer cruiser. One of the most
important, and possibly one of the easiest, was to remove the anemic
existing anchor roller and replace it with a double system. We spent a lot
of time about a year ago on the C380 sailnet site discussing the issues
with many C380 owners. We had tried to convince Catalina to design a
double roller for our boat, but to no avail. Catalina never could figure
out why it is necessary to carry two anchors on the bow. They don’t have
to anchor using a Bahamian moor in California. On the East Coast it’s a
different story. Often along the ICW the tidal range is high, about nine
feet in Georgia, plus the current is strong and the anchorages sometimes
are narrow and crowded. With a single anchor, every time the current
changes [about every six hours] the anchor will usually be pulled out and
then has to re-set itself. I don’t think so Vern!
I would be up all night with that arrangement. With two anchors
deployed about 180 degrees apart, the anchors always stay dug in; they
just alternate holding the boat every six hours. The worst problem is that
the rodes sometimes get twisted at the bow, but they can never trip each
other. By the way, we use all chain for one anchor and a combination of
nylon and chain for the other. I slide a 20-pound weight [aka:
"sentinel" - ed] ten feet down the nylon rode to hold it
below the keel when it is slack so there is no chance it can catch on the
keel.
I tried contacting several fabricators but finally realized that the C400
has a double roller. I
measured the roller on a C400 in our yard and to my surprise it seemed
like it would fit my boat. I
ordered one from Catalina and found it to be a good fit. The roller
assembly is beefy to say the least. It has two rollers and is fabricated
of much heavier material than the roller on the C380. We have used it for
about a year and a half anchoring often. In one storm with winds up to 65
knots, we dug the anchor in so deep we had to run over the anchor with
about half throttle to pull it out. Other times we have snagged logs and
other unknown debris with no damage. It is strong and gives me a great
secure feeling. I am sure we would have bent the standard roller down by
now.
The C400 roller is a completely different design than that of the C380. It
is a massive plate that is shaped like the deck at the bow and has about a
1.5” lip down on the sides and at the bow. It is designed to cap the
deck at the bow. It passes over the forestay chain plate and is
thru-bolted with massive bolts through the top of the deck and through
both sides where the 1.5” lip passes down the sides of the deck. The two
roller assemblies are the same length, an unfortunate drawback: it would
be better if they were staggered. We have, however, used it very
successfully.
The cutout in the deck plate fit exactly over the chain plate. I think
the architectural drawing for the two boats were the same at the
bow as far as the plan view is concerned. There is about a 0.75” gap on
each side of the turned down lip of the deck plate and the bow of the
C380. What is odd is that it seems that the C400 had a similar gap.
The following is a
step-by-step installation procedure:
1.
Secure the mast with heavy lines from the masthead to the two bow
cleats. I used the two Genoa halyards. Release the tension on the
mainsheet so it doesn’t pull the mast aft. Ease the backstays.
2.
Release the forestay and move the furler off to the side [you
may want to remove headsail first--Tom had no problem leaving it on
furler-ed]
3.
There is a small round inspection port at the bow inside the anchor
locker. I completely removed this port so I could have more room to
maneuver wrenches blindly under the deck. The port had to be demolished to
get it out but the replacement is cheap.
4.
Unbolt the old roller. Try to sell it to some one else. Anybody
need a second bow roller?
5.
The existing roller fits in a trench that is molded into the bow
plus there is a little bit of the foredeck that protrudes above the
deck proper on both sides of the trench. The roller is pitched up slightly
so that some of the trench is below the deck while a small amount is above
the deck.
6.
This is the point of no return. After removing the old roller
assembly, grind away the small protrusion where the old roller resided.
After the area is flush with the rest of the deck, seal this area with
epoxy. No need to worry about cosmetics: the new anchor roller completely
covers the bow including the ground out area.
7.
Make a tapered block of Starboard to fill the back part of the
trench that held the old roller. Take this all the way to the anchor
locker. The taper is necessary so that when fitted in the trench it is
flush with the deck.
8.
I also made small shaped blocks of starboard to fit on both sides
of the roller to fill the gap between the side deck and the turned down
lip of the roller assembly. I didn’t take enough time to make these
plates fit as nice as I should have. They really are only cosmetic. On the
C400 there is nothing to fill the gap, it just doesn’t look so good on
the C380. The 400 has a metal toe rail that buts up to the plate and hides
the gap.
9.
The roller has four countersunk holes on top and three stand holes
on each side of the turned down lip. Be sure to use flat head bolts on top
for the two center holes. Hex bolts would hang up the anchor chain as it
runs over the plate. I used
hex bolts for the other two because they are easier to tighten. Be careful
with your tools under the deck. If you drop any, it will disappear below
the anchor locker.
10.
I used 0.375" aluminum backing plates for the bolts. Of course
use lots of bedding compound and tighten the bolts.
11.
The anchor locker cover is a problem in that it does not accept two
anchor shanks very well. I did some custom hacking on it but it still
needs some refinement. It’s a little rough right now. It may be
necessary to remove some of the cover up front.
12.
Replace the small inspection/access port; reconnect the forestay
and you're done.
We have two anchors mounted and ready to run all the
time. [see photos 3, 4, 5]
The port anchor is the primary anchor and is
all chain, which is captive in the windlass. (This is another problem for
another time) The starboard roller is our secondary, which is 30 feet of
chain and 275 feet of 5/8" Nylon. I have fabricated a shelf that
holds the secondary anchor rode above the primary rode when stored in the
locker.
We use two style anchors at the bow: a 35-pound Delta and a FX37 Fortress.
Depending on the bottom types, I may switch the two. In soft oozy mud, I
use the Fortress as the primary and for nearly everything else the Delta
is the primary. Neither anchor will hit the boat when it is home in the
rollers.
Because the rollers are not staggered it is necessary
to rotate the starboard anchor (secondary anchor) so that its flukes are
vertical and point out to the starboard side. This is required so that the
secondary anchor does not interfere with the chain as the primary anchor
is hauled in. This is a minor nuisance but it is easier to do than it
sounds. Once the anchor is pulled in and rolled 90 degrees, the retainer
bar and side plate of the roller holds it so it doesn’t rotate back to
its natural position.
The primary anchor is pulled in using the windlass and, with careful use
of the foot switch, it is pulled home and locks the secondary anchor in
place.
That’s it. A fairly easy upgrade for a major issue, especially when
cruising the ICW and The Bahamas. |
