Marinette Boat Forum

I have an old 32ft without a pulpit. I use a hefty CQR anchor and as my own frame ages it is less fun to pull this back up on deck by hand. Has anyone here retrofitted with roller and winch? I would appreciate any photos of how Marinette designed theirs. I gather they were pretty standard later on.

Thanks
Skye

do you mean powered winch?

Yeah. I have a power windlass available already. Not getting the idea how to place the roller for the rode. Straight in line from the bow is nav light, king post and then hatch. I was imagining adding a pulpit, but considering it may be more practical to bring the anchor up on deck off to one side a bit.

The only problem with a 35 pound anchor is having to bring it up! I am doing a lot of anchoring out in the Thousand Islands this season so it has me wanting some help.

The placement logistics aside, I once posted an article from a boating how-to magazine which urged that the electric winch be powered from a separate battery placed forward to save running very heavy duty wires up to your main batteries. These winches draw heavily. A very small, separate charger would keep the battery topped up since winches are not used often.

Unless someone on the forum has done just what you want to do, I'd pick a winch mfr and talk to their tech dept about the best placement. A diagram and/or photo would help them. Good luck with the project. I remember that our anchor got heavier every year, too.

I took your suggestion Joel and have found someone at Lewmar that is willing to give me some ideas. I sent him a picture of the bow layout and right off he asked me if the anchor chain can drop into the bow hatch. I told him that the Redhead is in there and that might not work out. His suggestion was I could get rid of the Redhead. Well, my anchor is not that heavy I guess.

I was lucky enough to find a Fortress Anchor on Craigslist last year--when I met the guy he turned out to be the owner of the boat in the slip behind mine!

He bought the anchor and line and had no use for the anchor. It is light and big enough for a 32. So I found a chain/line combination that worked very well for the Fortress. New they are $$$$.

Although I have to say, I hear you about the winch.

Good luck.

A lot of boats here (and mine) use a plastic container on the foredeck to hold the anchor chain because it won't go down into the chain locker. (I have a milk crate, seems to be sturdy and work well. Just not very nautical) I can see that a pulpit would be nice, but not worth all the money and trouble it would entail. So maybe a winch to help pull, or a smaller anchor, or another redhead to help.
Watch out though, heard of a fellow that had a wife that turned 40, so he traded her in for 20 year old twins.
It killed him. ....He wasn't wired for 220.
My redhead is sleeping so I can say things like this. --Ed

Busia,
(If you're still alive... ), great story!!

I use a plastic ammo box attached to the entrance to the chain/rode locker. I only use 15' of chain attached to my rode which seems to be sufficient to keep the anchor on the bottom and set well. Cutting a hole on each long side of the box allows for entry/exit of the chain and keeps it looking pretty neat. For those who wouldn't want water getting in (rain/spray), you could hot glue a "gasket" of 1/2" foam window sealer around the edges and a larger piece of foam pipe insulation at the holes.

Bill

The ammo box seems like a good idea. For the water in the box, I would just drill a drainage hole down low.

For me it would be 320. I would call that a short to ground.

Can't use a lighter anchor. A lighter anchor found me in the morning on the wrong side of a bay a few feet off a shoal.

I guess to have the rode fall into a box or crate on deck I'd have to put the winch/windlass on a pedestal. Not impossible.