Unusual Anchor Question

[JLR]

I have an anchor and all chain rode. When the windlass pulls up the anchor and it is all the way up all under the pulpit, all is well. However, when I go to re-deploy the anchor, it is balanced such that the windlass feeds out chain but the anchor itself does not drop down from the pulpit. Unless I go from the bridge and give the anchor a nudge, it is balanced in such a way that she will not drop. I do not want to pull the anchor up so that it is NOT tight to the pulpit (i.e. leaving a little slack in the chain) because I do want the anchor moving around under the pulpit underway. Backing down really fast to get it drop does not work well. There has to be a really simple solution to get the anchor to want to drop but I just do not know what it is. Any ideas?

 

[madhatter1]

I use a hinged davit roller that allows the initial drop to get everything moving. This needs to be a solid quality piece or it can easily be destroyed. They do make a small hinged rocker I have seen for on top of a pulpit where the rode goes through rather than of the end.

 

[Pascal]

It s about the weight balance of the anchor on the roller unfortunately some anchors and pulpits do not work well together. I ve seen this on some boat and the only way besides modifying the roller is to prelaunch the anchor coming in the anchorage

 

[JLR]

Still trying to figure this out. As Pascal said, perhaps I need to drop the anchor just a few inches before leaving the dock. My high school physics teacher must be laughing at me now.

 

[doc g]

Had the same problem on another boat we had and I moved the end roller down two inches. It was painful to drill that thick SS but it worked fine after.....Pat

 

[Boatsb]

add a weight to the anchor somehow. Its the tip point that needs to be changed. Probably not a huge amount of weight either.Might be a pound or two.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Suppose you slowly fed the chain out, a little at a time, while watching the anchor from up close to determine the tipping point where it drops- could you add a pad of some kind, either a rubber bumper or add some additional fiberglass for the anchor to rest against when it is fully pulled up? That way, when you started to pay out the chain, the anchor would already be past its tip point and would drop as you want it to.

 

[JLR]

All good suggestions. Paying the chain out slowly though will not work because the anchor simply will not tip. Move the roller down could work and adding a weight could also work. I guess I will just need to experiment some. Thanks for identifying the "tipping point" as the issue.

 

[Pascal]

The weight may work, you can probably attach it to the hole for a trip line which most anchors have

 

[JonHupp]

You guys are all spoiled. My windless (original) only goes up, so somebody always needs to go forward and untie the anchor and give it a nudge. I thought that was part of anchoring? ....

 

[SEVEN]

Still trying to figure this out. As Pascal said, perhaps I need to drop the anchor just a few inches before leaving the dock. My high school physics teacher must be laughing at me now.

Exact.

 

[JLR]

The weight may work, you can probably attach it to the hole for a trip line which most anchors have

I think I will give that a try. Any idea what to use for a weight that might not be too unsightly. After all, it is the first think you see when I am bow in to the dock.

 

[krush]

Simple solutions are the most eloquent. Add a rubber bump stop that stops the anchor further out and allows you to pull it tight for travel.

 

[Pascal]

It s not that easy... the rubber can not be in contact with the chain or it will be shredded after a dozen time anchoring and since anchor chutes are often made of SS, driling and securint anything isnt an easy job...

 

[34Hatt]

It s not that easy... the rubber can not be in contact with the chain or it will be shredded after a dozen time anchoring and since anchor chutes are often made of SS, driling and securint anything isnt an easy job...

Don't think Krush means it to touch chain put it on the front underside of pulpit so anchor stays angled down some.

 

[brico]

You guys are all spoiled. My windless (original) only goes up, so somebody always needs to go forward and untie the anchor and give it a nudge. I thought that was part of anchoring? ....

Jon is right, and if your windlass is GM that requires the anchor to be dropped by loosening the nut on the capstan and not paid out by windlass power then someone must be on the fore deck, so pulling few inches of chain to help it around the gypsy wheel should do the trick.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Suppose you slowly fed the chain out, a little at a time, while watching the anchor from up close to determine the tipping point where it drops- could you add a pad of some kind, either a rubber bumper or add some additional fiberglass for the anchor to rest against when it is fully pulled up? That way, when you started to pay out the chain, the anchor would already be past its tip point and would drop as you want it to.

My suggestion was to watch it at the dock, while you let the chain out slowly, to find the tipping point. Then add something to the roller to have the anchor rest just beyond that point, so that when it's drawn up by the windlass it is ready to drop when the chain is loosened. I think some of the other ideas are similar.

 

[doc g]

John, so do you kill the breaker after every use or no?? If not what are you using to keep the anchor secure in the anchor roller ?? My point is that if you were using a chain stopper, or some other device to make sure the anchor doesn't deploy by itself you'd have to go to the fore deck to ready it for use. I don't trust those switches , if one shorts out the windlass turns on. Seems like giving the anchor a little kick is not a big deal. I rarely deploy the anchor from the helm. Only if it is really deep and I have to keep the boat on station while I drop enough chain to hit the bottom.......Pat

 

[JLR]

Pat - I do use a chain stopper. So, before I leave the dock, I could let out a little chain. But, once I retrieve the anchor and want to move to a new spot, I would have to also leave a little more chain out so that the anchor is not flush with the pulpit to be able to drop it again. I am exploring the weight option as we speak. It is not a huge deal but I do not want to be going to and from the bow while fishing since I am almost always fishing alone. Kind of a safety issue for me.

 

[JLR]

I thought I found the solution. But, nooooo,! I added two round rudder zincs on either side of the hole already existing at the 90 degree angle point of my Lewmar Claw. It sure helped the anchor drop/no drop issue. However, for some reason, the added weight at that point of the anchor totally prevented the anchor from setting properly. I tried five times in five different spots. No dice. I then removed the rudder zincs and she held fine again. Who knew anchors were designed with such precision.