Bow plate and anchor roller

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Bob

I've always wanted an anchor roller on my 28.5 and I finally got my wish! (My back will be so happy!) After struggling a number of times to deploy & weigh the anchor not to mention the bay mud I always got on deck and the two or three scratches from the anchor in the hull, I was determined to find a way to mount a roller. Problem was that there was no good way to access the under side of the deck at the bow of a Hunter 285 to install a backing plate. So rather than go under I went over it all! You can see the photos and story in the "Photo / Project Forum" under the Hunter forums drop down menu. This works for 285s but I'm sure it can be adapted to any boat with a toe rail. Check it out! Look for the title "bow plate" in the forum or try the link below.
 

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Jim McCue

285 roller

That's interesting. I had wondered about rollers too. Short of that, I had mounted a trapizoidal(to accomodate the forestay fitting) block in the "V" area (fastened with SS screws/washers thru the holes in the toerail) and simply mounted open-top fairings to each side just to have the anchor line run thru either of them. What I found was that if swinging at anchor, the line had a potential to chafe on the forestay fitting. In your setup I was wondering how "stiff" the roller is to swinging at anchor? Will it possibly twist/wrench out the toerail bolts. Also, what gauge SS did you use as the platform for the roller system? Was there a trapizoidal block used as an underlay to the platform as it appears to "float" over the toerail. What are your thoughts??? P.S. Driving south to DC I look forward to coming upon the Harve de Grace bridgeway - especially in the Fall. It is a beatiful setting.
 
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Bob

Beefy

Jim, All I can say is that after I mounted the bow plate and roller I deployed the anchor in the parking lot. Then, after tying the rode off to the starboard cleat, I swung around on it like Tarzan in all directions. People watching from a distance must of thought I was nuts! Anyway, I kept looking up for any deflection in the toe rails or bow plate and saw none. The spacers that run between the plate and the toe rails help to beef up the toe rail area. The bow plate is 1/4" thick stainless (type 306? I think but not sure). The shop told me that it was the highest quality stainless. I'm looking forward to "testing" the setup in the real world this upcoming season. Stop in at the Tidewater Marina, if you have the time, on your way to DC. Our boat is name "Grace" and we're on the T dock.
 
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Bob

Project cost

I would say around $400 which may seems a lot to some. But not bad considering that the 285 was never intended to have an anchor roller. Also I wanted to poke as few holes in the boat as possible and the only two extra holes do not penetrate the hull or deck. I originally got an estimate from a company that makes custom bowsprits and they wanted almost $2000 for the job!! The only non-of-the-shelf item was the bowplate, which I designed. It was $167.
 
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Jim McCue

thanks foir the info

It could be helpful if you posted a .bmp of the mounting plate dimentions and cutout points for the forestay knockout. And for fun- a picture of you swinging on the anchor line during the test !!! ;> Jim
 
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Bob

Template

I may post the dimensions but I won't guarantee that it will work with every 285. I'm glad no one was there with a camera!!! I was at the boat again today and while on a ladder (in the parking lot) I rocked the boat with the front of the roller. It still looks good and strong.
 
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