Ericson Windlass Installation [Master Thread]

[footrope]

When the interior was built out on our boat, there were some major sections molded out (forepeak, settee area, aft berth, head module... that have long fore-n-aft areas that are heavily tabbed to the hull side. This provides strength along the long axis of the hull. On our port side, aft of the head compartment there was a lengthly storage shelf tabbed in (again, top and bottom) to the hull side to provide rigidity all the way aft. On the starboard side which is an open area for the aft cabin berth, they put in a foam blank about 9 feet long, from the back side of the after hanging locker all the way to the end of that berth with it's own tabbed-in bulkhead. That foam is about an inch high (i.e. stands proud from the inside of the hull molding) and about three inches across the base -- kind of a half-oval in shape. Then they ran heaving roving from end to end, and the "unidirectional" strength is fore and aft. At least that is the surface of the glass. All this was covered with glued on fabric, but we removed the lower section of the fabric after we brought out fixer-upper home in '94, due to mold that we could not clean out. This will also be the last major area of our boat to get the same new hull ceiling treatment as we recently finished in the forepeak.

I looked up some boatbuilding terms, and found this:
LONGITUDINALS
Those hull framing members that run the length of the boat (i.e. chine, keel, sheer, battens).

So, this "framing" has nothing to do with the lower hull and keel attachment. Like your Ericson's TAFG, we have an extensive internal "backbone" that lays against the bilge area and carries the keel bolts' weight and torque.

Regards,
Loren

Ok, so the stringers are basically above the waterline or close to it on your Ericson/Olson. What made me curious was the structure I noted in the lower bow area of a 1985 E38 when I was looking at a windlass installation option. The furthest forward open area below the v-berth looks like the attached picture. That is much different than my 1980, which has no stringers and no chain pipe. I have the owner's permission to post the pictures of the full windlass installation so perhaps I'll do that before much longer. It'll add another possibility to the library of windlass options.

 

[footrope]

Still hot

Here is a progress photo. The back part of the original pan is temporarily in place after some minor trimming from the original cut. The aft bulkhead is also set in temporarily and shimmed flat. And finally the trimmed-for-width shelf sitting on the adjusted cleats. It's starting to look like the plan is going to work.

The shelf was trimmed (a lot of work in that one word) to properly fit on the cleats. Despite the initial fears I had about what the gaps would be like it worked out very well. It did get worse and kind of confusing before it all settled in to place. The shelf has been smoothed a little on the back edge to sit against the vertical bulkhead. It will need a final small adjustment there before it's done. To make the new two-piece bulkhead flat I will have to shim it from the original plywood bulkhead, which is bowed.

The winch handle that comes with the windlass will clear all obstacles. It gets a little close on the left side, though.



Another view.

 

[footrope]

Ready to install the bulkhead

I took a few days off to attend a graduation party in faraway Utah. Weather was great in Seattle while we were gone, but it was also beautiful in Utah.

Since returning this week I have fit the windlass shelf one last time and applied the paper cutout template to line up with the intended path of the rode. Took all that home and cut a piece of 1/4" Starboard to sub for the aluminum plate. I clamped that and the shelf together and cut the two large holes and drilled the 3 holes for the studs. The instructions recommend using hole saws for the big cutouts and for once I went along with it. There are no 72mm or 100mm hole saws at the big box stores, but they do have 3" and 4" sizes which are both slightly larger than the metric. They worked great. It took longer to setup and clamp than to make the holes.



Final chain vs shelf angle checks at the boat today went great. Clearance with the door is good.



The chain drop is going to be about 13 inches. Plenty of space. But I will have to deal with how the chain passes the gearbox. I anticipated this and have some ideas. Regardless, it is time to put stuff in permanently. And find a crimper for #4 AWG wire with beefy lugs.

 

[footrope]

Boat Yoga

I rashly predicted that I would be permanently glassing in some anchor locker bulkhead pieces by now, but I got sidetracked by an awful realization. Once the shelf is glassed in and the anchor locker pan is likewise permanently mounted, that access to the pointy section of the bow below the deck would be difficult. The access would be a hundred times better than before this project started, because with the pan glued and screwed in place there was just a 6-inch round port, thoughtfully placed in the front wall of the pan. That area is still very tight and hard to get eyes and tools on regardless of how much room you have behind the opening of the locker. It's the inside of the apex of a triangular pyramid and you have to work very close to the "corner."



The impact of that realization was that I decided to remove the old roller and design and install the new one now, instead of waiting until after this year's cruising season was over. I also decided to remove and inspect the forestay chainplate. My expectation is that the forestay chainplate will be able to be re-installed after inspection. It is still in place while I design the new roller.



Removing the original roller, which is a heavy piece of chromed bronze, was typically frustrating. The 3-1/2 inch screws were slotted head and went through over 2 inches of deck and (very wet) wood core, sealed with ancient 5200 most likely. The factory practice was that the holes were slightly undersized and the screws were screwed into the material, effectively cutting threads in the fiberglass and the core. There are seven of them on this old boat and five were removable with conventional tools and yoga. The nuts could be removed and then unscrewing the slotted screws worked. After some staring at the remaining two, I decided to cut the heads off. That would free the roller assembly, but the remaining shanks could not be driven downward or upward because of the corner situation. I tried a Dremel with a cutting wheel and the results were unsatisfactory. I borrowed a reciprocating saw with a metal cutting blade and was able to cut them both. The one on the right with the cutting wheel scars had to be cut twice. You can get vice-grips in there and they were helpful when working alone to get the nuts off of a couple of them that wanted to turn.

The new roller will be a slightly downsized version of those installed on later model E38s, made of welded 1/4" thick stainless steel but with a smaller roller. The roller will be 3-1/2 inches further forward than the original one, which is quite adequate for the 15 kg. Rocna and many other modern anchor designs. The roller width is the kicker in this area. The Ericson factory ones are angled to the right and have a 3-1/2 inch wide roller. The angle gets the lead of the rode away from the pulpit base. My roller will still point straight forward and is narrow enough to miss the base. I am making a full-size model of it out of my supply of 1/4" Starboard for fit purposes and to illustrate the desired shape for the metal fabricators. Another difference of my design, from the later E38 steel rollers, is that I will not weld my roller to the forestay chainplate.

 

[Ryan L]

We have limited internet access here so I'm sorry if this reply is too late for you to do anything about it...

We have the same windlass as you (except we chose the version with the capstan). This post is just some of our observations and things we've learned. We hope it's helpful.

The chain from our windlass drops down from about the same location as what you have planned except our windlass is deck mounted and we do not have the extra "floor" you installed (our chain drops all the way to the hull). These two factors give us considerable more chain "drop" distance than what you have planned. After almost 3 years cruising (at anchor the majority of the time) we've discovered we can only pile about 100' of 5/16 before encountering problems. With your set up my guess is you will max at less than that but I'm curious to hear what you find when you test.

We've found that weight forward has a significant impact on our E38-200s trim and performance. I know that's a subjective observation but there is an obvious difference in how she sails when we leave 80 to 100' of chain forward of the bulkhead vs when we pull it all aft (and down lower) into the forward v-berth storage area. Especially in rough seas and when going to weather. I mention this as something to consider before you purchase a bunch of expensive chain instead of lighter rode for your setup. I come from a performance sailing background so maybe I'm a bit more "sensitive" to the difference but in my opinion it is not a subtle difference. Perhaps because our boats have such narrow low-volume bows?

We've found a chain stopper to be invaluable, especially when anchoring (or weighing anchor) in gusty strong winds that can cause the boat to sort of surge back. The chain stopper protects the windlass from those additional loads. It is also VERY useful when backing down to set the anchor, again preventing the loads from going on the windlass and allowing us to set with shorter scope before playing out chain afterwords without having to take a snubber on and off. Finally, it's useful when you need to take twists out of your chain because you can move to deeper water, hang the anchor until the twists come out, then raise the anchor without having the windlass holding the load the entire time (especially 'bad' if the boat is gently bouncing up and down in swells).

You may discover with this windlass manually weighing chain/anchor using the winch handle is prohibitively difficult (or at the very least take a tremendous amount of time.) We ended up switching to a system incorporating a long snubber with chain hook that leads back to a proper winch on the mast. That allows us to more easily winch up about 15' of chain at a time (yet another benefit of a chain stopper) from a more "powerful" position- standing with longer winch handle and self tailing 2-speed winch.

You may want to consider adding a length of pvc or something to help guide the chain away from your windlass motor. Please do not underestimate how quickly and easily these motors corrode in the hot salty environment in the chain locker, especially when they will be directly sprayed by droplets as may happen when the chain drops as close to the motor as it appears in your planned setup.

Sorry if you already mentioned this but are you doing anything to reinforce the bow cleats?

Thanks for sharing your process and design!! I wish I had it to reference when we were planning our installation!

Ryan

I took a few days off to attend a graduation party in faraway Utah. Weather was great in Seattle while we were gone, but it was also beautiful in Utah.

Since returning this week I have fit the windlass shelf one last time and applied the paper cutout template to line up with the intended path of the rode. Took all that home and cut a piece of 1/4" Starboard to sub for the aluminum plate. I clamped that and the shelf together and cut the two large holes and drilled the 3 holes for the studs. The instructions recommend using hole saws for the big cutouts and for once I went along with it. There are no 72mm or 100mm hole saws at the big box stores, but they do have 3" and 4" sizes which are both slightly larger than the metric. They worked great. It took longer to setup and clamp than to make the holes.

View attachment 22165View attachment 22166

Final chain vs shelf angle checks at the boat today went great. Clearance with the door is good.

View attachment 22167

The chain drop is going to be about 13 inches. Plenty of space. But I will have to deal with how the chain passes the gearbox. I anticipated this and have some ideas. Regardless, it is time to put stuff in permanently. And find a crimper for #4 AWG wire with beefy lugs.

View attachment 22168View attachment 22169

 

[Ryan L]

A few more thoughts.

What have you decided to do about drainage? Please do not underestimate that amount of water that may flood that space, especially from waves washing over the bow. We only have the small semi-protected opening for the chain under the windlass and still must often run the forward bilge pump in rough weather. With your set up I imagine there will be a tremendous amount of water (and weight) in that section from even just a few waves washing over deck!

On the other hand, we really like how your system allows access to the chain from deck (to push over the pile etc). Maybe there's a way to better seal the openings and/or a very effective way to drain? We've heard of people using large inflatable beach balls etc to take up some of the volume when underway but have never tried something like that.

 

[footrope]

We have limited internet access here so I'm sorry if this reply is too late for you to do anything about it...

We have the same windlass as you (except we chose the version with the capstan). This post is just some of our observations and things we've learned. We hope it's helpful.

The chain from our windlass drops down from about the same location as what you have planned except our windlass is deck mounted and we do not have the extra "floor" you installed (our chain drops all the way to the hull). These two factors give us considerable more chain "drop" distance than what you have planned. After almost 3 years cruising (at anchor the majority of the time) we've discovered we can only pile about 100' of 5/16 before encountering problems. With your set up my guess is you will max at less than that but I'm curious to hear what you find when you test.

We've found that weight forward has a significant impact on our E38-200s trim and performance. I know that's a subjective observation but there is an obvious difference in how she sails when we leave 80 to 100' of chain forward of the bulkhead vs when we pull it all aft (and down lower) into the forward v-berth storage area. Especially in rough seas and when going to weather. I mention this as something to consider before you purchase a bunch of expensive chain instead of lighter rode for your setup. I come from a performance sailing background so maybe I'm a bit more "sensitive" to the difference but in my opinion it is not a subtle difference. Perhaps because our boats have such narrow low-volume bows?

We've found a chain stopper to be invaluable, especially when anchoring (or weighing anchor) in gusty strong winds that can cause the boat to sort of surge back. The chain stopper protects the windlass from those additional loads. It is also VERY useful when backing down to set the anchor, again preventing the loads from going on the windlass and allowing us to set with shorter scope before playing out chain afterwords without having to take a snubber on and off. Finally, it's useful when you need to take twists out of your chain because you can move to deeper water, hang the anchor until the twists come out, then raise the anchor without having the windlass holding the load the entire time (especially 'bad' if the boat is gently bouncing up and down in swells).

You may discover with this windlass manually weighing chain/anchor using the winch handle is prohibitively difficult (or at the very least take a tremendous amount of time.) We ended up switching to a system incorporating a long snubber with chain hook that leads back to a proper winch on the mast. That allows us to more easily winch up about 15' of chain at a time (yet another benefit of a chain stopper) from a more "powerful" position- standing with longer winch handle and self tailing 2-speed winch.

You may want to consider adding a length of pvc or something to help guide the chain away from your windlass motor. Please do not underestimate how quickly and easily these motors corrode in the hot salty environment in the chain locker, especially when they will be directly sprayed by droplets as may happen when the chain drops as close to the motor as it appears in your planned setup.

Sorry if you already mentioned this but are you doing anything to reinforce the bow cleats?

Thanks for sharing your process and design!! I wish I had it to reference when we were planning our installation!

Ryan

Hi Ryan,
Thank you for your observations and comments. You have provided some data that I didn't have. While I may not make changes, for one reason or another, your experiences will help me when I get out there and stir up the mud (our typical sea floor).

Chain drop. I am carrying 60 feet of 5/16 HT initially and 300 feet of 5/8 inch 8-plait. I do expect to clear a pile when weighing anchor and I expect I might even have to clear the rope rode away before the chain starts dropping. I will report on this after testing. Having the area forward of the windlass open should be a big help. Good data point about how much chain you can bring aboard before the pile is a problem. I will let you know how it goes.

Weight forward. I am also concerned about this, even in the small steep seas we encounter in the Salish Sea. My 1980 model does not have a way to easily move chain out of the locker. A friend has a 1985 model that has a PVC conduit for this purpose and it sounds like Naoma does too. His looks like a factory installation. I will be using the 60 feet of 5/16 HT and 300 feet of 8-plait for the foreseeable future. It'll be interesting, but I already have been carrying the 60 feet of HT all these years and used to have a non-operable windlass on the foredeck. I'm thinking there won't be a big difference from the past.

Chain Stopper. I bought a chain stopper and converted it to a roller for the directional change when the rode comes over the edge of the locker. It can be easily switched back to a stopper if needed. I'll be testing both configurations. I didn't know that it can be used to help un-twist the chain.

Manual windlass operation. The low-profile windlass version is pretty much 1:1 but the handle hole is offset a couple inches, which will help. I expect we will have to adapt as you suggested and use a mast mounted winch.

Protecting the motor and gearbox. I just want to put two zip-lock bags around the motor and heat seal them closed. I do plan to use a PVC coupling and possibly a short piece of pipe to guide the chain away from the gearbox. I'm trying to get away with just the coupling, but I haven't mocked it up yet.

Bow cleats. I don't have a plan to beef them up, but I can get to the bottom of the cleats now that the pan is out.

 

[footrope]

What have you decided to do about drainage? Please do not underestimate that amount of water that may flood that space, especially from waves washing over the bow. We only have the small semi-protected opening for the chain under the windlass and still must often run the forward bilge pump in rough weather. With your set up I imagine there will be a tremendous amount of water (and weight) in that section from even just a few waves washing over deck!

On the other hand, we really like how your system allows access to the chain from deck (to push over the pile etc). Maybe there's a way to better seal the openings and/or a very effective way to drain? We've heard of people using large inflatable beach balls etc to take up some of the volume when underway but have never tried something like that.

Ah, drainage. I don't know how my ideas will work. The plan is to put a gasket around the entire lip of the opening, or maybe attached to the door (to reduce the potential for damage). This is the main effort to keep water out. The chain will exit the little cutout near the starboard cleat. Hard to fix that leak. The locker floor will have a drain hole just above the new floor as far forward as possible. Others have done that, with a little stainless cowl facing backwards and a little downward.

The windlass shelf will drain at the aft edge via two or three slots. The remnant of the pan at the far aft will probably have to drain forward through a couple holes through the new bulkhead. That's where I am on that important subject.

You should consider making a video of your ground tackle and windlass setup. Also, how you prepare that for a passage. Thanks again for the comments!

 

[markvone]

Larger Bow Cleats and Nav lights

Hi Craig,

Thanks for documenting your project! Very useful information.

Here is a link to an article I read in SAIL magazine on upgrading bow cleats:

http://www.sailmagazine.com/diy/know-upgrading-cleats-mooring-security/

I found the reasons for upgrading to larger cleats compelling. For me, the ability to easily feed my dock lines through the much larger space of a larger cleat is worth the effort in addition to those listed in the article.

Also, I would consider moving the two bow navigation lights off the deck and up to the pulpit (and switch to led) to get them out of the 'chain management area'. My boat already has the light on the pulpit and off the deck. The only two negatives are the potential for reflection back from the pulpit tubing and this can be eliminated with black tape if it is an issue. And the light is more exposed to damage if you bump anything with the pulpit.

Just a thought while you are working in that area.

Mark

 

[footrope]

Hi Craig,

Thanks for documenting your project! Very useful information.

Here is a link to an article I read in SAIL magazine on upgrading bow cleats:

http://www.sailmagazine.com/diy/know-upgrading-cleats-mooring-security/

I found the reasons for upgrading to larger cleats compelling. For me, the ability to easily feed my dock lines through the much larger space of a larger cleat is worth the effort in addition to those listed in the article.

Also, I would consider moving the two bow navigation lights off the deck and up to the pulpit (and switch to led) to get them out of the 'chain management area'. My boat already has the light on the pulpit and off the deck. The only two negatives are the potential for reflection back from the pulpit tubing and this can be eliminated with black tape if it is an issue. And the light is more exposed to damage if you bump anything with the pulpit.

Just a thought while you are working in that area.

Mark

Thanks for the article reference, Mark. That guy certainly is selling epoxy for use as a bedding compound.

I have briefly thought of doing a cleat upgrade along with this project. I will eventually upgrade, probably on all four corners of the boat at once. The priority and time crunch I'm headed for will likely convince me to wait. I can easily get to the area even after the windlass job is complete.

As for the navigation lights, they've never been a problem so far with the various lines and anchoring activities in the bow. The pulpit bases keep the anchor rode away from them. They do need to be rebedded and I may get to that this summer. I inspected and cleaned the fixtures in 2015.

 

[Ryan L]

Chain drop. I am carrying 60 feet of 5/16 HT initially and 300 feet of 5/8 inch 8-plait. I do expect to clear a pile when weighing anchor and I expect I might even have to clear the rope rode away before the chain starts dropping. I will report on this after testing. Having the area forward of the windlass open should be a big help. Good data point about how much chain you can bring aboard before the pile is a problem. I will let you know how it goes.

Thank you! It will be good to know if the flat "floor" and/or having access to the pile makes a difference.

Weight forward. I am also concerned about this, even in the small steep seas we encounter in the Salish Sea. My 1980 model does not have a way to easily move chain out of the locker. A friend has a 1985 model that has a PVC conduit for this purpose and it sounds like Naoma does too. His looks like a factory installation. I will be using the 60 feet of 5/16 HT and 300 feet of 8-plait for the foreseeable future. It'll be interesting, but I already have been carrying the 60 feet of HT all these years and used to have a non-operable windlass on the foredeck. I'm thinking there won't be a big difference from the past.

Naoma is a 1988 model and does not have a PVC conduit. But there was a small gap under the forward bulkhead that we enlarged as much as possible. Then we added a few layers of glass to the inside of the hull. Finally we installed a small diameter pvc tube in the "crack" running along the bottom the hull to the bow. That pvc helps keep chain from sort-of jamming into the crack and it helps it slide back more easily into the v-berth storage.

Chain Stopper. I bought a chain stopper and converted it to a roller for the directional change when the rode comes over the edge of the locker. It can be easily switched back to a stopper if needed. I'll be testing both configurations. I didn't know that it can be used to help un-twist the chain.

Without a chain stopper you can hang the chain from a snubber (or a line tied through or around a link) to let it untwist without leaving all the weight on the windlass. It's just a lot more convenient with a stopper...


Protecting the motor and gearbox. I just want to put two zip-lock bags around the motor and heat seal them closed. I do plan to use a PVC coupling and possibly a short piece of pipe to guide the chain away from the gearbox. I'm trying to get away with just the coupling, but I haven't mocked it up yet.

I strongly recommend you reconsider the sealed bag idea as I think you may experience problems with the motor overheating. Ours is in a wide open compartment and still sometimes runs hot when bringing in a lot of chain.

Bow cleats. I don't have a plan to beef them up, but I can get to the bottom of the cleats now that the pan is out.[/QUOTE]

That access is certainly convenient! I lost count of how many hours Nicole spent somewhat miserably stuffed into the space forward to the bulkhead (I don't fit...)

 

[Ryan L]

Thanks for your detailed description of how you plan to handle drainage. I'm especially looking forward to hearing how the forward drain hole works. Drainage is something I don't feel I addressed optimally. Our system works (bilge pump forward with elevated overflow limber holes leading to the bilge) but it is too dependent on both electricity and keeping the forward area relatively clean to prevent clogs (when appropriate we rinse the chain as we weigh anchor). I like how your drainage plan doesn't have a single mechanical component!

You should consider making a video of your ground tackle and windlass setup. Also, how you prepare that for a passage. Thanks again for the comments![/QUOTE]

We may do that, thanks for the suggestion. The challenge we face is that only a small portion of our audience are actually active sailors who appreciate the level of detail and information we think is necessary to make a useful informative video. For example, we think we did ok on our Overboard episodes but you might have noticed that part 2 had far fewer viewers than part 1... You can see our ground tackle in action in "Our Gas Problem". But I digress...

Thanks for your thoughtful and thorough posts and ideas!

 

[footrope]

First, I promise not to use plastic bags to protect the windlass motor. Bad joke. I am thinking of facing the terminals out, towards the bow, so I can see them from the deck. Then I can clean them when they start to get encrusted or turn green. I will look at a clear spray-on seal or coating for the terminals for corrosion prevention.

Regarding the drainage I'm also thinking about the moisture that will be held in the locker, keeping things damp and moldy. This problem affects all of us to some degree. A friend has an older Santana 37, which has high sides and the bow space forward of the v-berth is huge and deep. When I was helping him seal up some deck leaks up there I noticed he has coils of rode hanging along the hull. When I asked him about it he said that coiling and hanging them does help dry it out. Plus, the rode can be fed off the hangers through the windlass without going below to pull the coils down. He has no deck-level access to the locker, so this is an important feature. I'll post some pictures of his locker later in the thread and see if it is something that will benefit others. The door to access the locker from the v-berth is larger than ours on the E38s.

 

[footrope]

Waiting for estimates

For some reason, I'm getting impatient while waiting for estimates for the roller and shelf. I do have one estimate for the roller which is from a high-cost shop - $1500. Not going to pay that. I'll buy the plate and cut it myself and take it to a welder before I go there. It sure would be nice to get someone to cut the three pieces on a band saw. The drilling also is a problem for my meager tool supply. I have decided not to countersink the mounting holes except the ones in the chain path. It is pretty expensive to countersink. The roller assembly also has to be fit around the new chainplate, which might grow to 2 inches wide to reduce the cost of the chainplate by eliminating a milling process. This is a minor issue once I have the roller base so that I can check the fit and transfer the hole pattern. Doing the drill and countersink work before the welding is necessary due to the narrow width of the chain path.

I also have one shop looking at the aluminum shelf, to see if they have a cheaper source of aluminum plate than the retailer I talked to recently that wants $132 for a 39x11 inch piece and the cuts to match my pattern. I'm going to make the windlass mounting holes myself. My favored place for plate and cut-to-shape service won't have any in until the middle of next week. But, they're starting to look like the best option.

Anyway, rant over. These shops are busy with series production work with the good economy and I am sort of interrupting them. Delivery times are about 2 weeks, but maybe they would beat that.

 

[footrope]

While waiting for estimates on the bow roller assembly to come in I've made progress on the 4 gauge wiring for the windlass motor. The 6 terminals are installed and the negative wire has been trimmed to length. I borrowed a stone-age crimper, below. Remember to look at what you're hitting. It took a few bashes per terminal, but it worked. I also did a dry-run of the windlass parts installation, with a helper.



I've decided to get the aluminum sheet for the windlass shelf from a place that can cut the final shape ($5 a cut) and sells by the pound. Once I confirm that they have the material I'll make sure I am not mistaken about the price. This is a while-U-wait deal, which I like.

I made a decision on the brackets for the ends of the shelf, which will tie it into the deck and the bulkhead behind. I was going to have a wedge-shaped box made of welded aluminum to tie that all together. But, I was looking at a pretty expensive pair of brackets, based on estimates I'm getting so far for other work. I decided to look at another solution. I bought a 4" x 4" x 27" block of UHMW (ultra-high molecular weight) plastic from the remnant bin at a big plastics shop. Once I get the final measurements for the space between the deck and the shelf, I'll cut it with a bandsaw. It'll fit snugly, won't bend, and won't react with the steel fasteners or the aluminum shelf.

 

[footrope]

Aluminum shelf

I got the aluminum shelf for about $55, cut to shape and it fits. It is about 39" on the aft edge and 10-1/2" front-to-back. I cut the holes for the windlass and made a test fit of it with the windlass and the Coosa board shelf. All looks good.

I borrowed a router and bought a couple bits to use to round the leading edge and to cut the drain slots in the back edge. This is 5052 marine grade aluminum. The router and bits worked fine, although the 1/4" round bit left some rough spots that need to be sanded or otherwise smoothed. I don't want a mirror finish on the shelf so I am thinking about a brush finish or something similar. Maybe I could do it myself. It has some scars from some fitting I was doing for the end brackets, so they could be hidden by working the surface to dull it a little. I don't want to paint it. I may decide to put some non-slip stickers on it, too.

 

[footrope]

Assembly begins

The bow chainplate replacement and link adjustment/stay tension is done - see the other thread I started if you're interested in titanium and the perils of "duplicating" a part. The new bow anchor roller, which is a related project to the windlass, will be touched on in this thread in a separate post after this one. The repair of the mounting spots (fill and re-drill mounting holes) for the four bow pulpit bases is done and was fairly easy. Typically, drilling all three holes for a base before accounting for the alignment required for the backing plate made this a bit more of a chore. Getting the bases done was a requirement due to the fact that the windlass shelf, which is below deck level, is tied into the two aft bases via a plastic bracket or "cheese brick." More on that in a moment.

The current status is that the new aft bulkhead is glassed in with the first of two layers of cloth and epoxy. Before committing to the second layer, I fit checked the remnant of the original locker pan behind the bulkhead, which is the part that sits over the front of the v-berth. I made significant adjustments to the forward edges of the pan so it wouldn't push the new bulkhead forward or warp it at the outside edges. The wiring standpipe coming out of the new floor of the locker is cut and ready to go in. It can be fit easily with the shelf installed. The standpipe for the washdown hose is not ready yet. I'm still deciding on the final hose outlet location. With the pan adjusted and in place, the shelf brackets, which are made of white UHMW plastic blocks, have been drilled to pick up the aft pulpit bases. The aluminum shelf top and the doubled Coosa layers were drilled to match. I hope the alignment is not too bad because the fit is tight and I don't have a long enough drill bit if I have to clean up the alignment on final assembly. Update: I did not secure the bulkheads to the plastic blocks with the ceramic coated screws. I decided it was not necessary after deciding to use three steel brackets under the shelf that tied the shelf to the new bulkhead. The plastic blocks will be secured through the bulkheads by one ceramic coated steel construction screw on each side. The screws are 5/16" diameter and 3 inches long. I'll drill from the v-berth through the outer part of the original bulkhead and the new Coosa bulkhead. The plastic works great with these screws.

This isn't a great picture of the bulkhead due to the sun angle, but all four seams are glassed. Floor, sides, and the split over on the right side. Edges of the cloth are just visible.


The wire standpipe is ready. The up-down wires will come out to the right in the picture and I'll use a wired hand-held switch at first. Not sure if I'll do foot switches. Having the locker door open makes for less room to stand.


The "cheese brick" bracket was hard to shape due to the difficulty of measuring the area and how crazy it was to cut the angles properly. This area under the deck with the shelf on a slant and all the other angles ... I'll stop short of a rant. This was my most questionable decision. Now that it's over, I got a nice snug fit at the outer edges under the deck and a nice surface against the aft bulkhead. Cutting and trimming of the plastic was done with wood saws. The last trims were done with a makeshift table saw. The plastic shavings were a nightmare but a hand saw was out of the question when the large upper surface had to be shaved at a small angle. The second picture is the original shape after cutting to my too-large templates. The only surface that had to be trimmed was the top, under the cardboard templates. Too big was better than too small, though.


Details of the forward edge of the windlass shelf and holes in both for the bracket. This is the worst side. I'll have to epoxy on a little piece of Coosa to provide a surface for the washers. The aluminum shelf has been media blasted to take the shine off. It has good traction and will take my weight

 

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Anchor roller details

The new bow anchor roller was necessary because the original chrome bronze unit was too short for the new 33 lb. Rocna I bought. The roller wheel really needed to be about 3.5 inches further forward to give good clearance for the tip of the anchor. Other types of anchors also interfere with the bow cap or could hit the boat below the cap. The new roller also puts the chain out far enough that it should not hit the bow cap any more.

I copied the design of later E38 rollers but down-sized it to fit the needs of my installation. What that means, mostly, is that the newer stainless steel units are very wide - over 3.5 inches in the path of the rode. They have a standard, wide hard plastic "wheel." I kept my rode path about 1.8 inches in width, which is similar to the original and fits an available replacement rubber wheel that has a plain brass insert. The axle is a 12mm hex bolt which fits the wheel insert perfectly. The new roller fits exactly in the place of the old one and the rode path matches, too. The rode will miss the pulpit tube.

Steel plate warps when it is welded. Straightening it is a process that requires heat and force applied skillfully. We did pretty well. Prior to welding, I took the bottom plate to get the right alignment and to transfer the existing 7-hole pattern to the bottom plate. The holes were drilled prior to welding and the machinist and I did the bending afterwards.

The original roller with Rocna 15 kg. template.


The main pieces of the roller are 1/4" stainless plate, cut on a water jet.


A test-fit after drilling and welding and bending. The triangular space at the tip of the bow, like the rest of the foredeck, is crowned slightly. Epoxy was used to build a pad on the boat to fix the slight mis-match between the curve of the bottom plate and the crown of the bow.


Finished installation. The roller assembly was media blasted to create a uniform matte finish and then glass blasted to create a little lighter surface.

 

[footrope]

The windlass shelf will be removable - with effort

Early on in the design of this locker and windlass installation, I planned to build this Coosa board windlass shelf and glass/epoxy it into place. The fiberglass and epoxy joints would secure it to the new aft bulkhead and the the hull. As I moved forward with the construction of the pieces, I changed the design to include a 1/4" aluminum layer on top of the Coosa shelf, for durability against the chain rubbing against the shelf, and for additional stiffness or weight bearing capacity. Then I had this idea to use a pair of solid plastic pieces that would act as brackets, or more accurately, wedges, to tie the shelf to the deck with friction and the pulpit base bolts. After a struggle with the final dimensions, this plastic bracket idea is working great. Final fit checks today with the 6" bolts went well. A minor alignment problem on the left side where it ties to the shelf will be worked out easily.

To support the middle of the shelf, I made three steel brackets that will go under the shelf and through the new bulkhead. They're simple, made of 1.5 inch wide plate about 2mm thick and bent to match the shelf-bulkhead angle. I'll use 5/16" hardware. The center bracket will pick up the aft stud of the windlass. These brackets, plus the tie-in to the deck on either side, will allow me to stand on the shelf. The bulkhead penetrations are inside the remainder of the locker pan (a storage area behind the bulkhead), above its floor. That means that I won't be introducing any new holes into the v-berth. Any removal effort will be dealing with that pan that is glassed into the space above the v-berth. I'll try to make that pan tabbing easy to cut so that the pan can be removed - with effort.

Please help the new owner if I am unavailable to explain the finer points of this installation.

New steel brackets, plastic blocks fit just right



New lanyard for the roller pin

 

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Say cheese