Anchor Rhode fastening

[Milton.Audas]

Hi guys. Goes anyone have a photo and advice on securing the anchor Rhode to the boat (1981 C-22). In a previous post I had noted a PÓ had used the fittings supposedly for strengthening the forestay and rig.

My guess is that there should be a fitting that secures over the bow eye and/or the bow stem strengthening kit (maybe that makes too much sense ?).

I don't seem to be able to find a suitable fitting on the CD, Wears or Jamestown sites.

 

[Chris Patterson]

Milton, as I understand it, there is a re-enforcement kit available for the bow eye. I looks like a big chunk of wood that goes on the inside, (using the two bolt bow eye, as apposed to the single), and a turnbuckle from it, to the forestay attachment. So basically, you can build your own, (I did), out of a shroud turnbuckle, or better yet,(cheaper), a turnbuckle from a hardware store. I got kind of stupid, as I overbuild everything, and cut a 1/4" piece of aluminum plate to go under the forepeak section, so that the forestay, front two cleats, and the two most forward pulpit legs would bolt through it. Then secured it to the bow eye. If it goes, the whole front of the boat goes with it.

Ramming speed, Mr. Christian...

 

[jfrench]

Methinks you've just pinpointed an overlooked item on our boats. I have an '86 new design with the forward anchor locker, and having a fitting inside the locker would make sense. It is right next to the bow eye where the two could reinforce each other. But whad do I got? Bumpkess!

I tie mine off to a forward cleat, and 18" of line lays on the deck before it runs into the locker. Not really ship shape. It lies there lurking and waiting to grab my foot and toss me overboard!

 

[Chris Patterson]

Yepper, I don't know if such a "kit" is available, but even if it were, I never buy anything that I can make myself. And this definitively comes in the DIY department. I'm not sure about the newer boats, but the older ones had that single post bow eye, not good. C.D. sells that two bolt eye I think, and probably most marine suppliers, but re-enforcing that block of wood on the inside is the biiggee. If you jerk an 8 inch long piece of wood through the bow, chances are, you've mortally screwed up anyway. Installing a turnbuckle between the eye, and forestay mount gives the added protection of a more secure bow eye, AND making sure that the stay doesn't pull out of the deck.
Like I said, two L brackets of your choice, and a 5 dollar turnbuckle, tadaaa.
It really is a whiz-bang. Putting that huge chunk of aluminum up under there was just my usual over engineering...

 

[CaptDon01]

On our 1980 C-22, I built-up the bow where the bow-eye is with multiple layers of fiberglass cloth and WEST epoxy. I built it up a good 3/4" for about 3" on either side of the bow-V, and tapered it out probably 8" or 10" on either side. This is easy to get to on your model, simply remove the wood trim up forward, I believe it was 4 screws. I installed an upgraded U-bolt to finish it off. When anchoring, I would pull a loop of the rode thru the bow eye and tie it off on the bow cleat. This way she pulled from the center, and a bit lower. Once I wanted to pull anchor, simply un-tied the rode from the cleat, and she pulled clear of the bow-eye. I never like the wood block in the bow.

Don

 

[Ken]

On my old-style boat I tied the anchor rode to the stern rail using a simple bowline knot ..... why? because that's where I deployed it. I used one of those 6"X20"?X3'? rectangle (can't remember the exact size) wife uses them to store cloths under the beds. Pretty sure Tupperware makes them perfect container to hold the anchors and rode. I simply ran the rode up and around the bow pulpit. It took a couple of times deploying the anchor but after that is was super easy. I did a lot of beach anchoring with the boat over the years and even anchoring alone never was a problem. To cleat it two wraps around the winch then cleat-ed it off. Worked great for ten years.

 

[Milton.Audas]

The old style boats have a few eccentricities and the lack of a for'ard anchor locker on-deck and fitting to secure the rhode is one of them. Sounds like many of you guys have figured some work arounds. (Ken - I like the idea of aft deployment, especially if single-handing. I think that I'd prefer having the rhode at least secured to the bow to swing on the rhode with wind and tide so would think that the rhode still needs to be secured for'ard then run the line aft to the anchor with a quick release on the stern).

Maybe there's a need for an advisory council to Catalina. Of course after 15000 some hulls, they've figured most things out over the years (overall it IS a great boat !!). But one might expect that if they had installed an anchor locker or such that the designers might have thought to figure a proper way to secure the thing. A U-bracket on the interior side of the eye bolt fitting might make sense. That would lock the two together nicely.

I have already installed the bow stem reinforcing kit from CD, with the double eye bolt. The new HD plastic reinforcing block is much better than the old wooden block, and I faired it in nicely with epoxy. If I had looked at this beforehand, I would have drilled a 3rd countersunk hole and installed a single eye bolt facing aft then installed the reinforcing block and new double eye bolt. Alas I did not and it is there to stay. Probably will outlast the boat !! So now i need to find a safe, solid location to mount an eye bolt to secure the rhode. Time to pu that thinking cap on...

 

[Ken]

Milton,
Check out Randy's site, Look up anchoring by Bob Endicott. You'll find this exact anchoring technique explained with pictures

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/rwahlfel/www/c22maint.htm

I should have added that when things got really frisky I would use the stern cleat to secure the rode.... never went to the bow to secure the rode there.