Snubber over bow roller - good or bad idea?

[leecea]

I recently saw a YT video showing a 3-strand nylon snubber get significantly damaged by rolling back and forth on the spare bow roller as it stretched in a rough anchorage.

I route my 3-strand snubber over my spare roller too. I was surprised that rolling back and forth over a freely rotating bow roller would cause the snubber to be damaged.

I had assumed a bow roller would be the safer option compared to routing the line over the side of the boat.

Has anyone experienced this type of damage?

[aberglas]

I had crew incorrectly place the snubber beside not over the spare roller. It was almost worn through by morning.

[rslifkin]

If a snubber is wearing that quickly you're likely in heavy weather and probably should be using a heavier but longer snubber.

Usually the bigger concern is whether the roller assembly is strong enough.

[Nekton73]

I run mine through a bow chock, or through both sides if bridling. The anchor chain, or rode, depending on how much I've let out, stays led over the bow roller but with a bit of slack.

[Montanan]

I always use a bridle snubber and the lines pass from cleats through smooth fairleads on the edges of the port and starboard side of the bow to the attachment on the chain rode and the bridle / snubber line never pass over the bow roller. Only the chain rode is passed along the bow roller, not my lines.

There is never any anchoring load on the roller just a small amount of the weight of the loop formed in the chain rode. Avoids the bow roller becoming a pretzel by side loading.

In heavy weather I lead the bridle line aft to increase the length and stretch of the snubber. In mild weather, I attach the bridle lines to the bow cleats or the midship spring cleats.

I use chaff protection at rub points of the bridle line.

[barcoMeCasa]

My snubber lives on deck with a piece of dyneema going over the bow roller. Works well, no more muddy line with jellyfish stings to deal with & no need to pull in more than a metre or two to remove or to let more chain out at 3am.

[Wandering1]

Mine goes over the spare bowroller. We reinforce the snubber where it passes over the roller with a length of heavy duty pipe. The pipe takes any chafe. If you use a long enough piece of pipe, you cut off the worn piece at the end and move the pipe up to the chafe point. A 6 ft length of pipe gives us plenty of adjustment and lasts the life of the snubber

[Dockhead]

Several good ways to do it have been mentioned in this thread.


But to answer the OP's specific question -- I have run my snubbers over the spare anchor roller for decades and never had a problem. But I have nice, smooth, bronze sheaves there, which in addition roll freely (I lubricate them), so there's not much way for there to be chafe. You should check your own bow roller for possible modes of chafing.


Some above have mentioned you might not want your snubber to lead right over the bow, in order to lie a bit off the wind to reduce yawing. Running the snubber to, or through a bow cleat is one way to do that, but not the only way. I prefer having the snubber run over a bow roller, and use an anchor spring line as necessary to adjust the boat's angle to the wind.


Among other reasons to do it this way, I do it because normally I don't use any snubber at all, so I have to have an anchor spring line ready in any case. With heavy 12mm chain I don't need a snubber except in very strong conditions (over 30 knots), or in very shallow water (less than 20 feet).

[leecea]

Thanks for all the responses. In the past I have run two snubbers from the bow cleats in a bridal type arrangement, but it's more difficult to setup. Maybe I'll keep that as my bad weather setup and continue to use the bow roller for benign conditions.

[Benz]

I've been experimenting with leading my snubber through the bobstay attachment on the hull, which in my case is a faired-in hole. A strop girth-hitched to the hole with a ring to run the snubber through, and the boat is attached to the anchor rode at the waterline.
It keeps snubbers from rubbing the bobstay and gives the rode a better angle.

With a full keel, the boat was never susceptible of yawing a lot (a real problem for some fin-keel boats), but it pitches less when anchored in chop when attached that way.

[barnakiel]

It is that some freely rotating bow rollers do not rotate freely.


It would take a year or so to eat a nylon snubber like that.


If you want to leave your boat unattended for a year, perhaps this is an issue.


b.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Benz

I've been experimenting with leading my snubber through the bobstay attachment on the hull, which in my case is a faired-in hole. A strop girth-hitched to the hole with a ring to run the snubber through, and the boat is attached to the anchor rode at the waterline.
It keeps snubbers from rubbing the bobstay and gives the rode a better angle.

With a full keel, the boat was never susceptible of yawing a lot (a real problem for some fin-keel boats), but it pitches less when anchored in chop when attached that way.

That's "best practice".


This can be implemented on any boat, including those without bobstays, by installing an eye bolt through the stem near the waterline.


This is very good because it improves scope, and at the same time, reduces or eliminates the pitching moment which would otherwise be imparted by the anchor forces.

[LtBlueEnsign]

I have to run my snubber over the bow roller as the bridal snags on the bobstay if led either side to the forward cleats... I have a rope chafe protector (opened with a velcro fastening down its length) to save the bridal from wear on the roller.

[Nicholson58]

The answer varies greatly depending on boat geometry and size. Over the bow roller puts a huge load on the bow fitting. These are not always designed for much more than anchor lifting. The roller shape can also contribute to chafe and if the boat sails around a lot, chafe is even worse. An hourglass shape works for rope but flat bottom is better for chain, bad for rope. Find Kevlar chafe protection if you can. We use discarded fire hose.

In our case, 58 feet and 40 tons, the bow roller is never an option except for a short stop in benign conditions. We have two bow rollers but the ‘spare’ has ou secondary anchor. We use a split bridle of 3/4” Dynema overcoated with stitched on Kevlar. The snubber is short with the chain hook set just above water. Leads go through the thwarts next to the cleats. Our chain is heavy so more catenary 7-10 to one provides peaceful control even in high wind. Given our arrangement and using various 3-strand up to 1-1/2 inch all burned through at the thwarts even with chafe protection in only one night of 20 knots.

[OS2Dude]

I also use a bridle attached to my bow cleats for anything other than a brief stop for lunch on a calm day. Most bow rollers I've seen do not look strong enough to take the stress of a boat pitching up and down in a heavy sea, I'd be concerned that the roller assembly would be pulled out of the bow deck.