Just downsizing from a Bristol 41 to a CC29 Mk. 2 . We are in search of an Anchor Windlass for the little foredeck on the 29. Anyone fitted one they can recommend? Dave
Anchor Windlass for a C&C29 mk 2
- Thread starter sycalabar
- Start date
Facing the same issue on a 32. I thought I might be able to use the cockpit primary winch to lift the anchor with a cheek block attached to the rail near the bow. I use a 22 lb Bruce with 12 feet of chain. Planning to try it this summer.
Cheers
david
Cheers
david
One point to keep in mind in this discussion is that a windlass or winch should *not* be used to break out the anchor from the bottom but rather is used simply to lift the combined weight of the anchor/chain/rope rode. In your particular case you have about 35 lbs. total to lift--not a great deal. (I have a 22 lb. Rocna and about 30' of chain on my E26 and don't use a windlass for it. And, just like a previous poster commented, my back is also nearly 60 yrs. old!
)To break out a well-dug in anchor you simply take in the rode until the bow is immediately above the anchor, rode running straight down from the bow. Snub it tight. Then go back into the cockpit and enjoy your beverage of choice while the motion of the boat breaks the anchor free from the bottom. At that point you are dealing with only the weight of the anchor tackle and not the added strain of trying to break it out.
Good post Alan. A float will lift the anchor and chain to the surface and all you need do is pull it to the boat and load it! Most sailors dismiss this method because they just can't believe it will float their anchor and chain, IT WILL! Its like magic using this system.
Chief
Chief
I don't doubt that it works but I guess I don't see the need for it for the kind of anchor setups we are talking about here. The 30-35 lbs. total that we are considering doesn't seem to make it worth messing with. Perhaps for other setups it might.
My assumption--and it's only an assumption--is that the original poster was thinking of the difficulty that one sometimes encounters in breaking out a well-dug in anchor. Otherwise, if it were just a matter of the weight, it hardly seems to justify all the additional hoopla and expense--whether in the form of a windlass or even the float.
For my boat, which is admittedly a bit smaller than the ones being discussed, a 10kg (22 lb.) Rocna is a bit overkill. I think it would probably be quite adequate for the the somewhat larger vessels under consideration here.
Good for you. My point was that the length of the boat isn't the right metric for deciding if a windlass is what one needs. I think the metric is the physical ability of the crew....(I have a 22 lb. Rocna and about 30' of chain on my E26 and don't use a windlass for it. And, just like a previous poster commented, my back is also nearly 60 yrs. old!
Quite agreed. You are right that the metric is indeed the physical ability of the crew in relation to the amount of exertion required to handle the weight of the tackle. I certainly hope my comment didn't come off as if I think I'm some kind of great physical specimen, for that's not the case!
What I was trying to communicate, rather, is that 30-35 lbs. is not especially heavy even for someone with a pretty average back such as mine! But that comment was a bit shortsighted (and perhaps thoughtless), since for some--and maybe for me, too, at some point--a windlass could prove helpful for lifting even that much weight.Anyway, I was inferring that the reason for the interest in a windlass for such modest tackle might be for the perceived need to use it to break the anchor out the bottom--and hence my observations about letting the boat do the work.
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I am a pretty hardy ol' sailor, (much older than 60) but much prefer just bringing in a floating anchor to pulling it up! It is also a very inexpensive method as I just use a SS ring and my fenders to float my anchor and chain. Happy New Year! Chief
Well, Chief, now you've got my curiosity up! I guess I should keep an open mind. Maybe I'll rig something like that up sometime just to try it.
Alan: I wrote up a response for you but of course, it dropped out! Anyway, if you look on Amazon it will also display just a SS ring that you can attach enough of your fenders to for floating anchor/chain. Won't take that much to float it as it doesn't weigh near as much in the water. Simple process; just start up motor and loop around anchor set location. With floats sliding down your rode it will pick up the anchor with chain hanging on opposite side of ring and float it to the surface. Be sure you use enough chain to counterweight the anchor so it will stay up on ring. Its fun to see the look of amazement from whomever is observing this simple procedure!
Just draw it in! Chief
Just draw it in! Chief
I put a Quick windlass on a Newport 30. I liked that I could drop the rode in rather than feed it through. The windlass allowed my wife to retrieve the anchor while I handled the boat since we often anchored in shoals with the wind blowing onshore.