Anchoring from the Bowsprit

[F51]

I have a problem with anchor rode chafing on the bobstay on our Formosa 51. One of the suggested solutions is to run a snubber from the end of the bowsprit to the rode. This should eliminate the rode's chafing against the bobstay. It looks good but is it safe? I am not at all sure that the anchoring loads can be handled safely at the end of the bowsprit. That's a pretty long lever sticking out there. This is one of the questions I wish I had asked Bill Garden before he passed away. Any opinions out there?
Thanks,
Gil
s/v Truthsayer
Kemah, TX

[captain465]

Assuming that you have a chain rode as I do, a long bridal with a long loop of chain would probably work best. That way the bridal would be the only thing that will contact the bobstay. Works for me......
Going from the end of the bowsprit will be asking for trouble. You are absolutely right in your reasoning of too much load at the end of the bowsprit!

[SailFastTri]

Not familiar with the boat, but can you run a semi-permanent snubber to the lower attachment point of the bob-stay? That would increase your effective scope as well. If it's not beefy enough, perhaps it could be reinforced inside the hull and new hardware made that would handle storm loads. The loose end of the snubber could be tensioned at deck level when not in use. IMHO this is the "ultimate" solution. Anything else will still rub the bob-stay.

[F51]

Originally Posted by captain465

Assuming that you have a chain rode as I do, a long bridal with a long loop of chain would probably work best. That way the bridal would be the only thing that will contact the bobstay. Works for me......

That works for the all chain rode on the CQR. The Fortress has a combination chain/rope rode.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by captain465

... Going from the end of the bowsprit will be asking for trouble. You are absolutely right in your reasoning of too much load at the end of the bowsprit!

Indeed.

[F51]

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

Not familiar with the boat, but can you run a semi-permanent snubber to the lower attachment point of the bob-stay? That would increase your effective scope as well. If it's not beefy enough, perhaps it could be reinforced inside the hull and new hardware made that would handle storm loads. The loose end of the snubber could be tensioned at deck level when not in use. IMHO this is the "ultimate" solution. Anything else will still rub the bob-stay.

The lower bobstay attachment would be my first choice, but it is currently not beefy enough and will need modification at the next haul-out.

[boasun]

Use a bridle with a kellet at the 'D' ring to hold the chain below your bobstay. This is one way of doing it.
Wrap chaffing gear around your Anchor rode and chaffing gear on your bobstay is another method.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by boasun

Use a bridle with a kellet at the 'D' ring to hold the chain below your bobstay. This is one way of doing it.
Wrap chaffing gear around your Anchor rode and chaffing gear on your bobstay is another method.

To be effective for this purpose in storm conditions, a kellet would have to weigh thousands of pounds.

[Blue Stocking]

Bobstay fittings are usually in line with bobstay. Any pull at downward angle will place shear forces on fastenings, won't it?
When I had my Friendship sloop, I rolling hitched a short line to the rode from just beyond the bowsprit, and clipped it to the tensioned jib halyard. Took the deflection load off of the bowsprit.

[zeehag]

learn how to make a bridle for snubbing out of 3/4 inch nylon 3 strand line with a hook for chain. your anchor rollers should be mid sprit, as are mine. this is a decent anchoring point. use the snubber to bring up the chain a few feet and keep it from the stays. your sprit is made to do this. is not going to snap off or hurt the boat. there is a formosa 51/force 50 site in yahoo groups. you might just find someone htere with the perfect answer for your boat. mine is a formosa 41. i have similar anchoring problems. these are specific to the kind of boat. have fun and enjoy.

[newboat]

we run a 3/4" snubber line with a chain hook out under the bowsprit to permanently installed port and starboard rollers at the end of the bowsprit to the chain-cleated off back by the windlass. Sometimes, in odd current and wind situations, you have to take a sail tie and tie off the slack loop of (3/8") chain so it doesn't swing and clink against the bobstay very annoying at 0300...
A bowsprit is designed to be essentially an extension of the boat-the forestay terminates on the top and the bobstay takes the load from underneath and transfers it to the stem. If adequate to handle those loads I should think that handling the loads of the anchor line would be no problem. I would venture to guess that there are tons of cruising boats with bowsprits and bobstays with this kind of setup and they haven't torn off the bowsprit yet!!

[Jon Hacking]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

Bobstay fittings are usually in line with bobstay. Any pull at downward angle will place shear forces on fastenings, won't it?...

Most bobstay's I've seen have the lower fittings such that the bolts are in sheer for bobstay loads, which is usually the strongest way. Putting the anchor loads on there, even via a snubber, makes a lot of sense, but puts those bolts in tension, which usually isn't as strong as sheer. So I'm glad to hear Gil's planning to beef those bolts up first. You really don't want those bolts to fail.

For your snubber, use some stretchy 3-strand nylon, not double-braid Dacron. The Dacron will be stronger, but you really want the stretch, to relieve snatch on the ground tackle. Our first bridle was 5/8" double-braid & we blew it apart (with guests on board) in a surgy anchorage. Now we use 1/2" 3-strand nylon for our bridle, with a thimble tied in the middle shackled to a chain-hook. I have to replace the bridle every 4 years or so as it gets a lot of UV damage, but I don't want to go bigger or I'll lose my stretch.

Lots of boats put plastic hose around their bobstay to reduce chafe. We do the same around our cap-shrouds (which are also our back-stays) to reduce chafe when our (battened) mainsail lies against the shrouds in following winds. This works VERY well. When we bought Ocelot, the 3/4" battens were almost cut through by the cap-shrouds, but since we put the plastic on (10 years ago) we've had essentially no damage to the battens. The batten pockets have small holes where they get pinched between batten & shroud, but that's all. I'd think it would work on a bobstay as well.

If you don't want to take the bobstay off, you might get some rigid plastic pipe & slit one side on a table saw. Then you can stretch it open & slide it over your bobstay. This is actually what we do with our caps - .85" od plastic pipe stretched over 14mm (.55") dyform. We used French exterior water-pipe & it's been fine for 10 years now.

[zeehag]

water worms make great anti chafe for the bobstay --did that on my mooring in sd before i left for anchoring in the wilds of unknownville.....

[Butler]

In support of the recommendation posted by others here Donald Street in the first volume of The Ocean Sailing Yacht shows a photo of one yacht with a snubber attached to the waterline fitting for the bobstay and writes about the effectiveness of this approach. When I haul out this is on my to do list... seems like the trick will be making sure the bolt and shackle are strong enough.

[Dennis.G]

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

Not familiar with the boat, but can you run a semi-permanent snubber to the lower attachment point of the bob-stay? That would increase your effective scope as well. If it's not beefy enough, perhaps it could be reinforced inside the hull and new hardware made that would handle storm loads. The loose end of the snubber could be tensioned at deck level when not in use. IMHO this is the "ultimate" solution. Anything else will still rub the bob-stay.

I had similar setup to what he describes on my Dana 24. Actually a separate attachment point just below the lower stay attachment. On my small boat, I could actually lean over the bow and reach it, and rig up my snubber (had a strong clip that secured to boat). Worked great, although the slack chain sometimes still made some noise against the bob stay if everything not adjusted just right.