Here we go again…

[xeon_tsd]

cool look at you and the power of google. interesting reads.. thanks.

[Dockhead]

You just need more chain.

[sailstoo]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

You just need more chain.

S'funny...that's what my infinitely better half says also.

But seriously, thank you all for your contributions. I've already followed up on a number of them.

[Andrew Troup]

Adding a chain pawl to the bow roller (even if it means building new fitting) is a huge back saver, because you can concentrate on the hauling, and let it do the holding.

This has major advantages, not least that during the 'reset' period, where you lean forward to take another grip, the disks in your vertebra can relax, relubricate and realign.
So much the better if you have a navel pipe some distance back, you can sit on the foredeck just behind it, with your legs forward and braced against the pulpit legs (if the layout permits).


Whether you sit or stand, a pawl lets you do each pull with both arms, which is much more powerful, and keeps your spine twist-free.

It's better to have the pawl acting in the forward quadrant of the roller rather than on the deck behind it, because you can design it so that the chain can come upwards at an angle without fighting the pawl. This in turn means when the anchor is breaking the surface you can stand up and watch while you do the last couple of pulls. Saves dinging the stem, and smacking the bow fitting.

With some anchors, (essentially anything which can stow on the bow roller, with a 'flat bar' shank on edge, including the Bruce, but ruling out the CQR), the pawl can be designed to wrap around the shank when the anchor finally comes aboard, as a hold down. Always good to make a single item do double duty.

If your forestay chainplate is suitably massive, the pawl can be cantilevered out from the midline so you can still lift the anchor or chain out to the side if you need to.

The added feature is essentially a deep notch, cut into the back of the pawl, which engages over the top of the shank and hooks it snugly down when it comes over the roller and flips the pawl over.

You may have to add some feature to prevent the anchor coming aft too far and chewing the front face of the stem.
I put a bump on the shank of a Bruce anchor to engage against the pawl for this purpose.