Anchor roller

[Reverie27]

This spring I am building an anchor sprit for my '83 Mirage 27 (Perry) and I am looking for advise on a "cost effective" anchor roller that I can install on the new wooden platform. My anchor is a 22lb Bruce. I plan to fabricate the sprit from 2" thick strips of white oak. I have a photo of a sprit on a similar boat, a Miragw 26.

[rwidman]

If you buy one from West Marine and it doesn't fit you can take it back for an exchange or refund.

[Reverie27]

Hi rwidman,
Thanks for your quick reply, but West Marine is a web purchase for me as I am in Quebec, so returning is a real pain. I was interested in hearing what others have done to address this issue on a boat around the same size as mine and using a Bruce anchor. I will post a better picture of the anchor sprit I have in mind, this is my first post and I did not manage to upload the best pic. A bit embarrassing really as I am IT guy (more of a database specialist).
Cheers,
Kevin


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[Reverie27]

Hi Ron,
Sorry for addressing you with your username rather than your name, but I replied via my iPhone app and it didn't show your signature.

This is a better picture of the sprit I have in mind, the boat is very similar to mine (mine is really just a foot longer via a reverse transom), however the type of anchor is different. The second photo is of my bow (taken two weeks with the cover still on in arctic conditions). The bow configuration slightly different, with my hawse hole being to port rather centered as on the Mirage 26. I will compensate for that when building the sprit.
Cheers,
Kevin

[Matt sachs]

If you have not built the sprit yet, I would buy the roller first, and build the sprit to fit it. That way you know it fits.

[Reverie27]

Hi Matt,
I agree as I am kinda expecting to build the sprit around the anchor roller, among other things, as I feel that the constraining factors are foredeck configuration, anchor type and my ability to implement the eventual design. I was planning to build a template using particle board to hopefully provide me with an opportunity to my make mistakes with cheap wood rather than the expensive white oak. One advantage of constructing the sprit with strips is that I can more easily fit the wood to both the roller, stemhead fitting and the general form of the foredeck.

I would like to hear what kind of bow roller other sailors are using with a Bruce anchor, as perusing the internet has left me with more questions than answers. I have seen vendors selling/recommending a roller like the one pictured below, but have also seen pictures of actual boats with a variety of anchor roller types. Also, the vendor recommended rollers always seem the be the most expensive. I keep having to spend my boat-bucks on anchoring, new seacocks, standing rigging, diesel motors parts and a host of other things; while admittedly important, definitely not the new suit of sails I desire!

[Matt sachs]

I used 1/4 steel. After blasting I'll either fare them and paint with hull paint or galvanize them and install the 2 inch stainless rollers I built. Heres the rough draft. Thats a 12v RC12 Maxwell windlass. The port side cradle is still on the layout table. The port side wildlass has not been purchased yet. Everything is primed, not finish painted yet.

[Reverie27]

That is a nice setup and I am envious of the room you have on the foredeck. What I have noticed from perusing photos of anchor rollers on the Internet is that there does not seem to be a "standard" configuration. I also spent some time this weekend at my local independent chandler, the Boathouse, fiddling with anchor rollers and a Bruce anchor of the same size that I use. The Bruce anchor type roller is big, heavy and very expensive. I tried a few other rollers and they seem to work fine with a Bruce anchor. Given that I would not want to add any more weight forward than necessary, and that the anchor sprit will be 2" x ~12" x 30" white oak, as well as the fact that the roller is really just to get the anchor on and off the boat. I am inclined to probably go with an anchor roller of the design below. The locking pin does not line up but I have been told that it probably better to use another method of securing the anchor in the roller because the pin can get bent by the constant motion of the boat.



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[Matt sachs]

I custom made 316 stainless bow rollers for my project.

[toddedger]

Check out the anchor rollers at Garhauer. Thats where I got mine. Good value.

[Cheechako]

you're pretty narrow up there. I'm not sure I see any advantage (or roller?) on the picture you posted similar to what you want to build..?
I might be tempted to just build a thick sprit to support the new roller to one side of the headstay just long enough for the Bruce to keep from chipping the bow and no longer.
I guess you are not asking for this advice .. sorry for the drift.
BTW.. oak turns black from water intrusion in some cases and is not that rot resistant in some species. I doubt I would use it for that. A good piece of real white oak might work well ..... but need finishing often in that location....