I’ve finally gotten around to installing the ground tackle upgrade for the Pretty Gee. I removed the original foredeck cleat and the starboard side bow chock. Eventually, I’ll have to get around to removing the port-side chock but can’t get my fingers past the bowsprit to do it yet. Here’s a photo of the new setup. Sorry for the poor photo quality, but it was taken in relatively low light with a camera phone.
The new ground tackle consists of a bow anchor roller, a windlass, two new 10″ cleats and new bow chocks. It was a tight fit, but I did manage to get everything installed. I also installed stainless steel rubstrakes along both sides of the bow to help prevent chafe against the fiberglass. The rubstrakes are necessary since I moved the chocks in-board and further aft.
This should make using my primary anchor, which is a 15kg Rocna, a bit easier. I’m planning on installing the chainpipe into the deckplate that is visible. This should give me a relatively easy way to store the anchor rode, while keeping the deck relatively neat.
Required Hardware:
- Simpson-Lawrence/Lewmar Anchorman Manual Windlass with Rope Drum
- Lewmar Pivoting Bow Roller
- Two 12″ Stainless Steel rubstrakes
- Two 10″ Stainless Steel open-foot cleats
- One Pair 6″ Skene Bow Chocks
Awaiting Installation:
- Chain pipe, which will be installed in the plastic inspection hatch at the bow of the boat
- Chain Tensioner, which will be installed between the two cleats, angled to lead fair to the bow roller
- 4″ Mooring Bitt, which may be installed, but only if found necessary
The Installation:
I laid out all of the hardware on the foredeck and positioned it roughly where I wanted it. It was important to get the windlass mounted where it would be very securely backed. The chocks, cleats and bow roller also had to have very secure mounting points. I moved the chocks inboard a bit to make sure that they were over the cored section of the foredeck, rather than the uncored, thinner laminate at the edges of the foredeck. Once I had the hardware in position, I pilot drilled holes into the deck, using the actual hardware as my templates for the holes.
After drilling the pilot holes, I took all of the hardware and put it away, and then re-drilled all of the holes oversized. I then sealed the bottom of all the holes with duct tape and poured thickened epoxy into the holes. I used System Three epoxy with West Systems Collodial Silica to thicken it. Doing this should protect the deck core from any water intrusion and also make the deck more resistant to the compressive forces of the fasteners. I also filled the holes that were used to fasten the old deck cleat down.
I took more thickened epoxy resin and used it to bed the base plate for the bow roller, as the plate needed to be shimmed, and I felt that a solid thickened epoxy resin base would be the best way of supporting it. Once, I had the bow roller base plate in position, I let the epoxy harden around it, and epoxied it to the deck. This should give the bow roller some additional support.
Once the epoxy had cured, I went back and re-drilled the holes for each piece of hardware by drilling one hole and then bolting the hardware to the deck and then using the hardware as a template again. Then I took the 5/4″ composite deck material backing plates and drilled a single mounting hole in each piece and then bolted it into position and used the existing holes as a template for drilling the backing plate holes.
The cleats and windlass are each held down by four 5/16″ stainless steel bolts. The bow chocks are held down by two 1/4″ stainless steel bolts. The bow roller is held down by three 3/8″ stainless steel bolts. All of the bolts for the cleats, windlass and bow roller have a 1-1/2″ fender washer as well as a 5/4″ composite deck material backing plate.
The starboard side bow chock has the 5/4″ backing plate, but the port-side bow chock does not due to space constraints, as the bowsprit prevents the use of a backing plate there. Both have 1-1/2″ fender washers. The rubstrakes are held down by three #10 screws and washers, but no backing plates.
The windlass is installed over where the original bow cleat was, which I’ve been told is cored with marine plywood instead of balsa. This should make the windlass mount very solid.