Anchor bow roller

ggrizzard · Dec 31, 2019

I've installed two bow rollers and seen hundreds...
Not sure you could match up your existing holes with the pre-drilled holes from
the roller factory.
But hey, stranger things have happened.

jssailem · Dec 31, 2019

Scotty... I hate to think I am missing something, but I do not see any holes in the bow plate to install your roller. I would think you will need to set the roller on the bow and then drill holes where placed in the roller. I would then back up the bolt holes with backing material (not just washers) to help the thru bolts to hold the roller in place.

Practical Sailor magazine had a good article on backing materials... You can find it using a google search.

Looks like you have the room. It is not a difficult DIY task. maybe 2 :beer:

. One for you and your sailing buddy.

David in Sandusky · Jan 1, 2020

We installed a roller on our ‘77 h27. The bow had a similar layout, except a fiberglass “plate“ covered the tip of the bow where your 31 has a steel plate.

jssailem got it right. Careful layout mindful of interferences on and especially inside the bow where you need a backing plate is key. Our deck has no core in the bow area, which simplified drilling and sealing the holes. If you do need to drill through a wooden core, then you should drill a one inch hole (probably from inside to avoid one inch hole in the steel cover), fill it with epoxy, then drill the hardened epoxy and steel cover for your selected bolt size. This seals the core from water intrusion after the job is done.

In our case, we mounted the new roller assembly on the port side of the forestay. This interfered with the port bow cleat which we removed, and replaced a few feet aft on the toerail. It looks like you may not have this issue on your larger bow area.

Good luck! Carrying the anchor on a bow roller certainly made the anchoring process a lot easier for us.

sail sfbay · Jan 1, 2020

You might be interested in the SailboatOwners forum threads on this subject below:

How to mount an anchor bow roller on Hunter 31

After 5 years of sailing my 87 model Hunter Legend 31, I finally decided to have mercy on my wife and install a bow roller for our 22 lb Bruce Anchor. I know you will say, why is my wife heaving the anchor? She wants me at the helm during anchoring so she is willing to heave the thing over...

forums.sailboatowners.com

attachment options for an anchor roller for H-31

I have an 85 Hunter 31. I will be putting a 24" Gauhauer anchor roller on my bow. I would like to attach it with backing plates and thru deck bolting but cannot find an access to the under deck area there. Does anyone know if I can cut a hole either thru the anchor locker or from the vee...

forums.sailboatowners.com

jssailem · Jan 1, 2020

Ok. Well there is nothing stopping you from just drilling holes in the base of the roller that match up.

I had to drill a couple on my roller base when I installed it. Recognize that the screws in the roller base are located so they manage the stress from the anchor hanging out over the end of the boat.

In physics terms "You are securing a lever to the bow of your boat". You need to make certain it is attached with through bolts and the underside of the deck has backing plates to stiffen the deck preventing the roller from damaging the deck. You do not want screws into the deck or bolts with tiny washers that can pull through the deck when you are in a big sea and the waves are bouncing off the anchor as it is dangling out in the air on the roller.

Ok so maybe a 6 pack... Just save most of them for the post install celebration. Worst part of the project for me was drilling holes in my boat.

jssailem · Jan 1, 2020

I got the T-Shirt.

Terry Cox · Jan 1, 2020

A bit unclear from the photo, but it appears that the bolt holes that secure the existing SS plate to your stem line up with the bolts that secure the deck/hull joint. If it were my boat I would find a roller that would use those existing bolt holes for mounting the roller. If unable to locate one, whatever roller I could find that works, I would mount it to that existing stem plate, either by welding or bolting to it. The way that stem plate is mounted and secured to the deck/hull joint looks robust enough to handle a roller mounting. The bolts that secure our roller use those same through bolt holes for mounting. I'm assuming that your deck/hull joint is secured the same way as ours, which use through bolts.

Terry Cox · Jan 1, 2020

Hi Scotty, hard to tell from the photos I posted regarding the anchor lock that I use, but on the last photo, you can see our stem has the same kind of plate your boat has, but with ours Hunter screwed and welded two pieces of SS channel to that plate to work as a bow roller. The main longer channel has two small nylon rollers in the back and one larger in the front, with with SS pins or axels, to help guide the anchor rode. This article might give you some ideas as to how to locate or put one together here.

Hunter 42 Owner Modifications and Upgrades

hunter.sailboatowners.com

Terry Cox · Jan 1, 2020

Another thought would be to remove that SS plate, make a dimensional diagram of what you want, and take it to a metal shop that has the SS channel material they can weld to that plate. Might cost less than trying to find one. Just say'n.

Benny17441 · Jan 1, 2020

I installed one in an 83 h27, had a single center cleat which had to be removed leaving me a couple of holes of which I was able to use one and had to plug the others. The science of this is finding a roller fixture that will fit the anchor you intend on using within a certain length to fit your deck. Perhaps using a 2 X 4 piece of wood will help you visualize positioning and size. You will need a Chain Tension Retainer behind the roller fixture and you will need to drill two small holes to install it. Once you have found the roller fixture you can position it and determine which existing holes can be used and where you would need to drill others. Make sure the roller fixture has a pin to prevent the anchor from jumping the sides and that there is enough clearance for the anchor shank to slide under the pin. The angle you will have to determine to provide clearance to the headsail furler and to line it up to the anchor locker rode opening. If I remember right I could not drill a hole in the front of the fixture because it was too close to the deck hull joint so I felt that I had to provide additional support in the back by drilling and using most of the holes near the center and back. Drilling through the deck requires the use of masking tape to prevent the gelcoat from cracking and the core must be epoxied to protect against water intrusion. I had to disassemble the cabinet at the foot of the V-berth to be able to work. I remember thinking my head must have looked like a pyramid or cone when I got done. I used that anchor roller fixture with a claw anchor on it for about ten years with no problems and it was so much easier to deploy and retrieve the anchor. Well worth the improvement.

jssailem · Jan 2, 2020

Benny17441 said:
Drilling through the deck requires the use of masking tape to prevent the gelcoat from cracking

Benny. Masking tape helps. I found even better is to run the drill bit backwards till it is through the gelcoat. Then switch the bit to forward. No cracks experienced.

heritage · Jan 2, 2020

Benny17441 said:
I remember thinking my head must have looked like a pyramid or cone when I got done.

I'm also a member of the coneheads after doing the anchor roller upgrade. Hopefully your H31 has a bit more space under the forepeak than the H27. Also long arms and a head lamp will be helpful.

David in Sandusky · Jan 2, 2020

I’ve got to recommend through bolting an anchor roller with a steel backing plate under the deck. The biggest problem is not water engulfing the bow. The problem is the lever arm of the roller taking the full force of the boat against the anchor rode in bad conditions. For instance, when we were anchored in Sandusky Bay to ride out a 50 knot passing front. A short fetch limited the waves to 3 feet, but on every crest, the whole boat came up hard on the rode, while the wind kept the rode taut as an iron bar. Or how about when high winds get the boat sailing around it’s anchor, and it jerks against the rode every time it comes back through the wind? The momentum of the boat against the rode will generate huge forces on the anchor roller assembly, especially with a chain rode held taut by the wind. We’ve come safely through such events because every part of our anchor system is as bullet proof as we can make it.

ShawneH · Jun 6, 2020

Hey all, I too am mounting a roller to my ‘84 H31. Hoping to do it next weekend, or at least remove one of the bolts from the stainless plate at the bow to determine the situation below before drilling. Then I need to get replacement SS bolts of the proper length for mounting. I assume there is a steel plate already sandwiched in to the fibreglass at this area and anticipate simply drilling the required holes and using whatever holes line up for the install. I expect to tap in to the plate below to complete this installation. Epoxy, butal tape, etc. to seal everything.

Does anyone have pictures of their install or additional information on what is below this plate? I am assuming the @ScottySailor got his roller installed.

Cheers!

ggrizzard · Jun 6, 2020

I would assume nothing...
Verify that a plate is embedded there.
You'll know after you drill the first mounting hole.

ShawneH · Jun 6, 2020

Yes, that is the plan. There is no access beneath that stainless plate in the anchor locker which is why I expect to find reinforced material in this spot.

Cheers!

heritage · Jun 7, 2020

My H27 has no embedded metal plate in the fore peak. I thru-bolted the anchor roller with a small backing plate. You should be able to remove the bulkhead panel in the v-berth to gain access to the area.

btw, there are embedded aluminum plates under the H27 mast step and where the deck cheek blocks, rope clutches, and small winches are located.

Anchor bow roller

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