E26-2 : anchor roller

[vasuvius]

This is what the anchor roller looks like on my new to me boat. I have a small Danforths's anchor (touch under 10lbs I'd guess) - I can't see how it sits on the roller, ready for dropping. In an emergency, I can drop it off the side and cleat off the rode. There's a little less than 6' of chain and 170 ft of rode which is sufficient for my conditions. The anchor has a bunch of rust - I might get a new one as these are cheap.
Any thoughts on the roller setup?

 

[Loren Beach]

If you have an authentic "Danforth" fluke type anchor, those are a great design. One guess is that it will turn out to be an 8#. Same size I used for a decade on our former Niagara 26, but that was under 5K displacement. Your boat probably is more. That size might still be good for general use.
Our current boat came with a Danforth 12H model, and we restored it by having it sand blasted and regalvanized - less expensive than a new equivalent anchor would have cost.

Old 'rule of thumb' is to have chain as long as your boat's waterline, or longer. That is what we have, and it's more than our boat came with.

Speaking of cost, you can find new anchors at several 'price points' (trying to be tactful, here), and (just my opinion) you pretty much get what you pay for. We sleep better with good ground tackle to hold us. Do you anchor mostly in sand & mud? If so, you have a good style of anchor for that.

Aside: you did not ask, but since I have seen one ruined anchor locker lid on a sister ship, IF yours is flexing do not too long put off re-coring it. There are excellent past threads here on such projects......

 

[Brad Johnson]

I have a Bruce anchor and it works great on the roller as is , Its a more versatile anchor than a Danforth, if the Danforth you. have fits perfectly in the anchor well its a 13S

 

[vasuvius]

The anchor I have feels like it is less than 10lbs - I could be wrong. I can't even see how it would fit in that roller.
I need to find a pic online of that anchor sitting on a roller like mine to see how it would fit.
The anchor fits perfectly in the anchor well - almost like the well was sized for it
The anchor locker lid is fine - no soft spots.

 

[Christian Williams]

Bow rollers are designed for a curved shank, and don't accept Danforths. But you can hang yours by the stock on the bow pulpit, ready to go.

You can render a rusty anchor cosmetic by sanding and spraying with Rustoleum "cold galvanizing compound." Same for the chain.

 

[Loren Beach]

I have a Bruce anchor and it works great on the roller as is , Its a more versatile anchor than a Danforth, if the Danforth you. have fits perfectly in the anchor well its a 13S

Yup. Our molded-in recess in the anchor well FRP interior pan exactly fits either of our Danforth's. Altho... neither anchor can be securely chocked in our bow roller. (sigh)

Our anchor well with anchor in place is pictured in this prior thread: https://ericsonyachts.org/ie/threads/re-galvanizing-anchors.3951/#post-22764

 

[Gaviate]

I have a Danforth, 14ish pounds (don't know its designation) which I stow on a stock hangar on stern pulpit, 20 ft of chain rode stays with it but 200 ft. nylon gets stowed in lazarette, out of sun when I'm away from boat. Prepping for departure includes shackling nylon to chain. Having the anchor in stern is for access in emergency only, since I am mostly singlehanded. Anchoring in harbor or some cove, its easy to take entire kit forward in a relaxed fashion to drop over the bow, or drop the hook from stern and walk rode forward. Size does matter and if mine were any heavier, this would become more like a chore.
The Danforth, I can testify, will hold in soft or sandy bottoms. Having spent several nights through summer squalls, in semi-protected coves (rockin n rollin), the anchor never budged! After the immense relief wore off, I became thoroughly impressed I should include in my testimony that I was very diligent in setting anchor with 7:1 scope.
I only ever use the bow roller as a guide when hoisting anchor.

 

[Alan Gomes]

I have the identical roller. But my friend Neil (who sometimes posts on this forum despite not being an Ericson owner) added a "tunnel" to the forward part of my anchor locker lid. This allows it to accommodate the shank of my Rocna 10 kg. anchor while stowed on the roller. (The Rocna is a great anchor, by the way.)

My own fiberglassing/fabrication skills are pretty limited, but this mod was not hard for him to do, as I recall. Although this picture isn't ideal, it's one I had handy and should give you the idea. I've got additional pictures of how he modified the lid, if you are interested.

 

[Alan Gomes]

I have the identical roller. But my friend Neil (who sometimes posts on this forum despite not being an Ericson owner) added a "tunnel" to the forward part of my anchor locker lid. This allows it to accommodate the shank of my Rocna 10 kg. anchor while stowed on the roller. (The Rocna is a great anchor, by the way.)

My own fiberglassing/fabrication skills are pretty limited, but this mod was not hard for him to do, as I recall. Although this picture isn't ideal, it's one I had handy and should give you the idea. I've got additional pictures of how he modified the lid, if you are interested.

View attachment 39283

Here is a picture of the modified lid:

 

[Christian Williams]

The shank of my Bruce wobbled in the stock bow roller. Normally not an issue, but in a seaway the anchor swung back and forth.

The answer was insert blocks specifically sized. A line keeps them mated. Trex plastic deck material proved a good choice.

......

 

[Alan Gomes]

The shank of my Bruce wobbled in the stock bow roller. Normally not an issue, but in a seaway the anchor swung back and forth.

The answer was insert blocks specifically sized. A line keeps them mated. Trex plastic deck material proved a good choice.

View attachment 39284...View attachment 39285...

Right. Neil addressed the wobbling on mine with an anchor "shoe" that attaches to the starboard pulpit leg and against which the shank can be secured with velcro straps. (The straps can been seen in the photo I posted earlier.) It is totally solid and wobbles not a bit. The solution pictured above looks quite good also.

 

[Mr. Scarlett]

I've seen this hanger system for smaller, spare Danforths on the stern of some boats. In my opinion the anchor in the pic is too big for this application but yours might fit just right.

 

[dandimm]

Hello All - I also have the same anchor roller on my 30+ I am struggling to find the correct type of anchor to use with the roller. I already have a Fortress FX-11 but that does not work well and the flukes damage the fiberglass. I would appreciate any recommendations on the right anchor to use. Any pictures of your anchor setup or links to product would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[bigd14]

I also have the same anchor roller on my 30+ I am struggling to find the correct type of anchor to use with the roller. I

I can tell you that a Mantus M1 17lb does NOT fit well on the stock roller. The boat came with a Bruce that fit nicely but set only once out of the 5 times we tried it in our sandy river channel before giving up on it. I store it in the anchor locker that I modified by adding a bulkhead. The Mantus digs instantly, btw. Plans to remedy the poor fit are in the distant future.

 

[dandimm]

I can tell you that a Mantus M1 17lb does NOT fit well on the stock roller. The boat came with a Bruce that fit nicely but set only once out of the 5 times we tried it in our sandy river channel before giving up on it. I store it in the anchor locker that I modified by adding a bulkhead. The Mantus digs instantly, btw. Plans to remedy the poor fit are in the distant future.

Thanks. Was the bruce anchor standard with the boat? I have my boat on Lake Lanier GA. The bottom is generally muddy. I don't know how the bruce anchor would perform for this bottom type but my fortress anchor seem to set rather easily.

 

[Loren Beach]

Was the bruce anchor standard with the boat?

It is good to recall that 40 years ago almost no builder equipped their boats with a "standard" style of anchor. Danforth (and all the similar knock offs) were pretty much the market choice, with the "plow" anchor (and it's own legion of knock offs) the main alternative. When small versions of the totally different "north sea oil rig" anchor came on the market, owners liked them for holding but had storage problems and difficulties chocking one on a bow.
By the late 80's, EY was producing the O-34, with its anchor locker floor having a molded-in mounting recess to accommodate a Danforth 13S or a 12H. No help at all an owner needed a new-shape anchor, tho, like the Bruce.

The 80's Ericson's do have fairly deep anchor wells, giving owners choice of anchors.... albeit with hassles storing designs like the Bruce on the roller, ready-to-go.
If you anchor, generally, in mud or sand, you can use a "fluke type" (aka Danforth) anchor just fine. I have seen other boat makes where the owners added an SS chafe plate of a square foot or so, on the top of the bow side, adjacent to the roller. I do not love the way our Danforth wanders around in the air before I can reach over the roller and grab the shank and haul it in and store it. We just changed to a Fortress that fits our locker, but will not have an in-use report for it until later this fall.

At this point I have finally concluded that designing an appropriate roller and chocking "system" is probably equal or more important than the anchor choice itself, altho anchor choice seems to generate all of the smoke and angst on sailing forums.

 

[dandimm]

It is good to recall that 40 years ago almost no builder equipped their boats with a "standard" style of anchor. Danforth (and all the similar knock offs) were pretty much the market choice, with the "plow" anchor (and it's own legion of knock offs) the main alternative. When small versions of the totally different "north sea oil rig" anchor came on the market, owners liked them for holding but had storage problems and difficulties chocking one on a bow.
By the late 80's, EY was producing the O-34, with its anchor locker floor having a molded-in mounting recess to accommodate a Danforth 13S or a 12H. No help at all an owner needed a new-shape anchor, tho, like the Bruce.

The 80's Ericson's do have fairly deep anchor wells, giving owners choice of anchors.... albeit with hassles storing designs like the Bruce on the roller, ready-to-go.
If you anchor, generally, in mud or sand, you can use a "fluke type" (aka Danforth) anchor just fine. I have seen other boat makes where the owners added an SS chafe plate of a square foot or so, on the top of the bow side, adjacent to the roller. I do not love the way our Danforth wanders around in the air before I can reach over the roller and grab the shank and haul it in and store it. We just changed to a Fortress that fits our locker, but will not have an in-use report for it until later this fall.

At this point I have finally concluded that designing an appropriate roller and chocking "system" is probably equal or more important than the anchor choice itself, altho anchor choice seems to generate all of the smoke and angst on sailing forums.

Thanks - I was considering a chaff plate to protect the fiberglass.

The first picture on this post has a quick release pin and the the second picture of the boat, it looks like the anchor roller has some type of bail in place of the pin. Which is correct?

I know from messing around with my anchor and a quick release pin, the pin is too low on the anchor shaft to drill a hole and pass through. I can see that maybe the bail would be useful in keeping the anchor better secured.

 

[jtsai]

Bail on the anchor roller is to prevent the anchor from jumping out of the roller during the retrieval process. However, it is also a snag point for the anchor shackle, especially on a roller with narrow footprint.

The position of the release pin rarely matches an anchor that did not come with the boat. There are several types of anchor tie down hardware you can install ahead of the anchor well that match the geometry of the anchor you have, if there is room. A simpler alternative is a line to the bow cleat.

The Fortress FX11 is a good anchor for Lake Lanier's muddy bottom and lake's general condition. It is only 7 lbs. so storing it in the anchor well and deploy it without going through the anchor roller is quite feasible. Nobody says you have to use the anchor roller.

If you are looking for a different style anchor, borrow one to test if the clearance between the anchor roller and the roller furling drum is adequate for the entire deployment and retrieval process. Don't just measure it.

 

[dandimm]

Bail on the anchor roller is to prevent the anchor from jumping out of the roller during the retrieval process. However, it is also a snag point for the anchor shackle, especially on a roller with narrow footprint.

The position of the release pin rarely matches an anchor that did not come with the boat. There are several types of anchor tie down hardware you can install ahead of the anchor well that match the geometry of the anchor you have, if there is room. A simpler alternative is a line to the bow cleat.

The Fortress FX11 is a good anchor for Lake Lanier's muddy bottom and lake's general condition. It is only 7 lbs. so storing it in the anchor well and deploy it without going through the anchor roller is quite feasible. Nobody says you have to use the anchor roller.

If you are looking for a different style anchor, borrow one to test if the clearance between the anchor roller and the roller furling drum is adequate for the entire deployment and retrieval process. Don't just measure it.

Thanks for the input. Would you mind providing a link to an example of an anchor tie down hardware?

The Fortress is quick good and easy to put in the locker. It when I am trying to put out the anchor or have some else drop anchor is the issue. It's a real tight squeeze around the roller furling and the stanchions that make it a pain.

 

[jtsai]

Here is the type of anchor lock I have that works very well with 15 kg Rocna. Your 26's bow may not have the space for such hardware.

Instead of deploying and retrieving the anchor and rode under the roller furling drum and the foremost bow stanchion, use the space between the 1st and 2nd bow stanchions but route the anchor rode through the anchor roller and secure at the bow cleat. I had to do that on a Sabre 28 which comes from factory without a bow roller.