bow plate anchor protector

[Buster405]

We bought a Cruiser Yachts 405 last year and the people before us put a lot of small nicks in the bow with the anchor. They are small but right on the top of the bow. A bow plate would cover this very easily, but not sure where to get one that we know will fit our bow? Any ideas, would like stainless steel.

[Jim Cate]

We had the same problem when we bought this boat... our first with a nearly plumb bow. Our first response was to have a stainless shield made that was a close fit to the bow profile. Cost a bunch but looked quite smart... until the dents started appearing. Seems that the edges of the anchor (Manson Supreme) were small enough to put pretty big spot loads on t he s/s, and dents kept proliferating, and it looked pretty daggy.

Replaced it with a PVC matting material, about 6 mm thick, similar in colour to the hull. Stuff was allegedly fairly UV resistant, soft enough to absorb the blows without marking, fairly inexpensive and easy to install. Quite unobtrusive, too! This is now around 10 years old. It has some minor staining and the surface is getting a few small cracks, likely UV damage, but it is still completely functional. I'm quite happy with this solution.

Jim

[ranger58sb]

Call Cruisers?

And there's a Cruisers owners group on line somewhere...

-Chris

[Onemoreproject]

That sounds like a great solution! I don’t know exactly that is and I am trying to find some. Can you desribe it’s purpose and where you got it did you got it?

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Onemoreproject

That sounds like a great solution! I don’t know exactly that is and I am trying to find some. Can you desribe it’s purpose and where you got it did you got it?

If this was directed at me, sorry, can't really help you with specifics. I got it from the shipwright who built our boat and he got it somewhere in Australia, over twenty years ago.

However, I would look at Grainger or such a supplier in the States.

As I recall, after making a cardboard pattern and fitting it to the bow, I cut out the shape and used a heat gun to warm the center line (where it wrapped around the stem) to soften it and bent it to shape. Used some small self-tapping screws along the edges to hold it in place and some sort of Sikaflex to seal the edges to the hull. The exact means of attaching are not important for there is little force trying to separate the guard from the hull.

Good luck!

Jim

[markxengineerin]

I wonder if the same lexan used for hatches (scratch and UV resistant) would be a good material for the same thing described above. I have bent it using a heat gun (or very carefully with a blow torch). The transparency would make it extra un-obtrusive, and obviously it's very tough stuff.

[Onemoreproject]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

If this was directed at me, sorry, can't really help you with specifics. I got it from the shipwright who built our boat and he got it somewhere in Australia, over twenty years ago.

However, I would look at Grainger or such a supplier in the States.

As I recall, after making a cardboard pattern and fitting it to the bow, I cut out the shape and used a heat gun to warm the center line (where it wrapped around the stem) to soften it and bent it to shape. Used some small self-tapping screws along the edges to hold it in place and some sort of Sikaflex to seal the edges to the hull. The exact means of attaching are not important for there is little force trying to separate the guard from the hull.

Good luck!

Jim

When I googled PVC MATTING, floor mats came. Is that the same thing as what you used?