Mahe 36: Anchor and Windlass

[Cotemar]

This anchor davit roll bar stops the chain form sliding up the sides and jamming.

Takamoana made a nice upgrade to his Lipari 41 and I liked it, so I made the same upgrade for the Mahe 36.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1058179

[Cotemar]

Mahe's

I always recommend using the Crosby G-209A Shackle instead of the standard G-209.

The WLL (Working Load Limit) is almost twice as strong as the standard or no name brands and since you have a very expensive boat hanging on it, what’s a few more dollars.

They also forge the WLL and size onto them, so even years later you will know you have a safe shackle

Here is my current set up with pictures.
5/16 High Tensile G4 Chain. (WLL) is 3900 lbs.
Crosby 7/16, G-209A Shackle (WLL) is 5333 lbs. or 2.6 tons
Rocna 20 kg (44lbs)

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1174022

I make a small modification to remove the large tab on the bolt that usually gets caught on the bow roller.
I cut it off with a hack saw then I drill a 5/64 dia. hole for tie wire.
Still leaves room to put a wrench on the tab to tighten
I use RUST-OLEUM spray galvanizing paint on the cut section

[Cotemar]

Move the Windlass controller to the top of the hatch when opened, so I do not have to reach the old location way down behind the windlass. Now it is easy to reach. I zip tied the lower part of the wire so it will not get pulled into the chain.

[Cotemar]

New Anchor Bridal,

I wanted a bit more stretch in the anchor bridal, so I made a new one out of 5/8 three strand and 19-1/2" long rubber mooring snubbers to it to prevent snatch loads (wind gusts) from tugging on the anchor
All the knots are figure 8 knots which are stronger than the original bowline knots used.
Added a piece of 42 inch long x 1-1/4 inside diameter clear hose as chafe guard. Purchased 43 feet of 5/8 three strand and two rubber mooring snubber at a total cost of $138 usd.

Have been using this new anchor bridal for the last four months now and the snatch loads from
wind gusts is gone and she rides the anchor so much smoother.

[SailorTonyB]

Good stuff! Thanks for posting. I was looking to solve similar problems.

What do you consider the weak link in this system? Also - I notice your anchor righting swivel is gone. Why'd you take it out?

[Seastream]

How do you add/check the oil/level in the Lofrans/Cayman 88 windlass? The manual is unclear. I do see a black hexagonal plug on the front of the windlass but since it's at a slight down angle I'm reluctant to remove it to check. Ideas?

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by Seastream

How do you add/check the oil/level in the Lofrans/Cayman 88 windlass? The manual is unclear. I do see a black hexagonal plug on the front of the windlass but since it's at a slight down angle I'm reluctant to remove it to check. Ideas?

It’s only oil.

Just remove the black hexagonal plug on the front of the windlass.
Stick your pinky in the hole and feel downward for oil. If there is no oil on your pinky then add some SAE 90 long life oil until it is filled up to the hole.

Re-install the hexagonal plug and your good to go.

[Seastream]

We have about 80 feet of chain rode with about 60 feet of line rode following. How do you attach your bridal to the chain rode when you're in shallow enough water to not need deploying out to the line rode? A snap shackle I have on the bridal wouldn't fit between the chain links and I don't think I'd want the boat hanging from a smaller one. I'd rather use the bridal than wrapping the chain around the anchor locker cleat.

[rabbi]

Get a suiteable chain hook.

Something like the Wichard chain hook or a Mantus chain grabber.

[Mowzer]

We sail our Mahe 36 hull #110 in the Caribbean and have an all-chain rode (~350' of it). The one issue I run into when we raise the anchor is the castling (piling up) of the chain in the locker under the windlass. I have to stop and shift the chain around to clear it for more incoming chain, which can be difficult in windy rolly conditions when we really just need to get the anchor up and go. The more chain we have deployed, the bigger the issue becomes.

Has anyone come up with a solution that would help to divert the chain away from the area immediately under the windlass?

[sailingjoy]

Cotemar, I shamelessly copied your idea of fixing a steel bar over the anchor roller to prevent the chain from jumping out, which you again borrowed from Takemoana.
The boat is still on the hard at Tagus Yacht Center in Seixal/Lisbon, Portugal, so I haven’t used it yet but I hope it will help me to lift the anchor singlehandedly.



Like Cotemar and several others last summer I also changed to a Rocna anchor, but I didn´t need to borrow that idea because I was already a fan, I had a Rocna on my previous boat. On that boat, an Etap 34s, I used a Rocna 20 and since the Mahé is larger with a lot more windage I opted for a 25 kg.
I was also interested in the Mantus anchor so I tried that first but it didn´t fit, it hit the bowsprit.



So I returned the Mantus, bought a Rocna 25 and surprise, surprise, it did fit without problems.








I guess 25 kg looks like overkill and maybe it is, but I love it. It is a joy to feel the abrupt stop when the anchor grips the moment it touches the ground. It also helps to anchor in narrow places. And we do not only sleep very well but we are also sure our boat will still be in exactly the same place when we return after a day ashore. And we saved weight by changing to 8 mm grade 40 chain.
What also helped, we bought the anchor in Gibraltar so we didn´t pay VAT… Win/win.

[Cotemar]

sailingjoy,

Great Job. You will sleep well with that Rocna anchor.

A lot of cruisers have been struggling with the Mantis anchors, because of the large roll-bar and longer shanks. I had to return one also.

[psalmon]

Hi Cotemar,
On my FP Mahe 36 Lost my anchor and chain in bad storm the other night. When trying to head into the wind postitioning to use the windless ti raise the anchor to get out into deeper water the chain jumped the gypsy and started to run out. We let it go and left.
Next day tried to look for it without luck.
Anyway - sorry for rambling. What do you recommend as a replacement? Rocna ? All chain? How long? Thank You so much!!!!

[MKB53]

Hi

My tuppence worth.
Either a Rocna or Manson Supreme are the best in my view, not much difference between them. I prefer the Manson but actually have a Rocna at the moment.

I would go with full chain and preferably 10mm as trhe weight helps with holding.

On my Mahe I had a 16Kg Manson which held extremely well. Go one size bigger if you prefer.

[rabbi]

Our Mahe came with a 20kg Kobra II that was good enough we kept it although I am picky about the anchor and dive it every day.

Worst performance we had was 3 meter drag in light sand during a particularly bad night with 40+kn wind and several gusts in the mid 50s. This I think is acceptable for a budget anchor.

The 20 kg one fits well into the anchor slot of the Mahe.


On our current cat we replaced the original CQR with a Bügel. Excellent performance at a reasonable price as these are not patented.
Rocnas, Mantus,etc are basically the same concept, just a little fine tuned so they can sell it for 5 times as much.