windless and anchor issues

[BaseCampAnne]

I still don't get why I have an anchor problem. I have a Lewmar Pro Series Windlass and the normal roller (I think).
The anchor hangs up and the salesman told me everyone goes out on the bow or reaches through the window to release it. This seems counter intuitive to me...why spend the money for a windless if it is necessary to do this? Tom Elliot told me to get a different roller. Is that what others do, replace the factory roller? And then patch gelcoat holes from the existing roller?


Also, fortunately Tom Elliott and Susan discovered the hole drilled for the chain and rope to enter/exit is unfinished and the balsa is exposed. No damage so far since SEA COASTER lives indoors in the dry stack. What type of cylinder or ? do you use to seal off the exposed area so the chain and rope do no damage? And how do you keep water from entering the hole when it rains, for example?

Thanks in advance,
Anne

[flrockytop]

I am a lucky camper. I only live about 10 miles from Bob (thataway). He all but installed my Lewmar pro-fish on my cd19 last week. The windlass works great, however, using the "stock" roller, the anchor will not self launch with a danforth type anchor. There is just not enough weight up there to get it going. A plow type anchor, I would think, would work. Next "retirement" check I'm going to get the self launching roller. All should be well then.

Roger

[SEA3PO]

Yep...a new bow roller is what it takes....that one from the factory just won't do it... I replaced mine with a much larger, longer one from West Marine...

Joel
SEA3PO

[JamesTXSD]

Or, it may be the anchor. Our boat has the stock roller (may be different on the 25) and there is no problem with the 22# Delta self launching/retrieving. That said, our anchor drill is still similar to when we didn't have a windlass: Joan usually goes to the bow and give me hand signals, giving me direction and keeping a second set of eyes on how much rode we put out. If the water is clear enough that she can see the anchor set, she lets me know when to ease off on backing down. When we retrieve, she goes to the bow to watch the rode as it comes aboard to make sure we aren't bringing any seaweed or mud up with it. She also lets me know when the anchor clears the water so I can dip it back in if necessary to get the mud off, and then pull it into the roller. If the weather is nasty, we try to avoid having anyone on the bow.

HTH

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[colobear]

C-Cakes bow roller was set up by Les at EQ for a Bruce anchor. I switched to a Delta last year. Last month I installed a windlass and was concerned about whether the Delta would self deploy. My plan, if it didn't, was to change the CG by changing the angle the anchor sits in the bow roller. I would add a plate at the rear made of cutting board material. Turns out the Delta self deploys just fine with the stock Bruce type bow roller. But, I am pretty confident that if it hadn't the plate at the rear would change the CG enough to get the anchor out of there. So, before buying a new roller, etc. you might put a temporary surface of some kind at the rear of the roller and see if that will let the anchor self deploy. I don't think it has to be anything fancy, in fact regular wood or composite shims used for shimming doors and windows would probably work fine as test items, just try to keep the top of your brace fairly slippery. You may have to experiment with the amount you raise the rear of the anchor. Good luck.

[Robbi]

Anne, PM sent. Robbi

[BaseCampAnne]

Thanks to those who have shared great ideas. I keep wanting to be able to solo sometimes and that means anchoring alone sometimes, although it sure seems like it would be so much simpler with crew
If I switch to the pivoting bow roller or the universal bow roller I see in the West Marine catalog as a last resort might that work?

And regarding the hole in my bow deck what about a hinged deck pipe for the chain/line? If I am reading correctly it looks like it would protect the sides of the hole and the spring loaded cap will keep water out.

I am curious since if it is this easy surely others do this...?

Also it was suggested to me by a salesman that some "fixes" might make it more likely the anchor could severely damage the boat if not "locked" down somehow. Do you have a system for that?

Thanks, Anne

[Sea Wolf]

It's been my understanding that the Bruce and Delta style anchors have a low enough center of gravity that, when the chain is released, the larger amount of mass below the roller can raise the anchor shaft and initiate self-launch.

However, the results may vary with the anchor roller used. (YMMV)

As Colobear points out, some have found that raising the shaft of the anchor helps tilt the center of gravity down, and, at the same time, initially raise the anchor shank, helping the self-deployment. He used a plastic HDPE cutting board piece to raise the shank, but others have used a roller to do the job (See top left below).



It's harder to get a Danforth or Fortress to self-launch. The center of gravity is higher, and the shaft is longer, adding to the problem.

If you find that raising the shank won't solve the problem, the best solution is the Simpson-Lawrence (Lewmar) or Windline pivoting anchor roller, as others have said.(See bottom center above.) This pivoting drops the anchor down, lowering it's center of gravity and raising the shaft enough to insure fast deployment.

Each anchor, roller, windlass, and rode combination is unique, and usually requires some fine tuning before the installation is complete.

Joe.

[Valkyrie]

We have the pivoting roller on Valkyrie and are very pleased with it. It has always self-launched our Delta with absolutely no problems.

Nick
"Valkyrie"

[Dora~Jean]

I used Sea Wolf's picture #4 roller (left to right, starting at top) to lift my 22 lb Delta's anchor shank to more in-line with the windlass. Turned it upside down from the picture, drilled two holes to mount to my existing (factory) anchor roller, then later cut off and rounded the "ears" that stuck up (that sometimes hung up the chain coming in). Self-launches everytime -- glad, because some of us don't have "The Blonde" like Wild Blue has.

[thataway]

The C Dories seem to be best set up for the Bruce Anchor. Agree that most Danforths/Fortress will not self launch from most C Dory anchor pulpits. Some of the pulpits have double rollers, and for the Delta to fit properly, the smaller/ inner roller will have to be removed. Also sometimes the bail (piece that goes over the end of the pulpit) has to be removed or position changed for self launching. The Deltas, Bruces and Manson Supremes all seem to self launch.

As for the core in the deck--C Dory has still not gotten that right. The area around the hole in the deck should be undercut and that area filled with a mixture of epoxy resin and a thickening agent. Marine Tex can be used as an alternate. Ideally all of the holes in the deck should be filled. Unfortunately it is difficult to remove the windlass and fill the bolt and wire holes. If these are well bedded, then just under cutting the large chain/rode hole will suffice. The rode and chain needs to be removed and the under cutting can be done from underneath, if it is difficult to remove the windlass which is bedded down with sealant. I would put tape on the top of the hole, where the chain comes in. I would also mask around the inside edges of the hole. When doing the cutting, use goggles, a mask and hood.

I find that putting some of the foam which is used for insulation of water pipe over the chain will pretty much water proof the hole where the chain falls thru. The other option is to build a windlass cover of Sunbrella. Fairly easy to sew and put some shock cored around the bottom, with a small hook and loop.

When trailering, it is safest to put a line or shock cord from the anchor shank to the foredeck cleate to make sure that the anchor will not "deploy". Before getting ready to anchor, you should remove the keeper from the anchor. This allows the windlass to keep the anchor in place, and a simple "power down" will get the anchor on its way. This works well for single handing. As for bringing the anchor up, it should do fine, but you may need to wash off mud. There should be no damage to the hull from an anchor as deployed or retrieved.

[colobear]

Anne,

I think your concerns about the "hole" in your deck have been a little ignored because all were focusing on the anchor problem. I'm not quite sure what hole you are referring to. Before your boat had a windlass, the anchor chain and line (rode) probably came up through a fixture on the starboard side of your deck. Usually this is about 3-4 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide with a spring loaded cover that allowed you to pull the rode out and replace it in the anchor locker under the bow. If that is what you have, installing the windlass made it superfluous as the line comes up through the windlass. The cover is adequate to keep out rain and spray but if the bow goes under a big wave some water could get inside through the hole. I have opted to just leave mine alone for now. I may install a cover if I feel necessary but for now it just gives the vee berth some ventilation. If you have just an open hole, please describe it in terms of location and size and the wise folks on the site, like Joe and others, will I'm sure come up with a solution.