Anchoring with a "Pointer" Sail

[edurbin]

Norbert,
I've had a go. The short line from cleat to eyebolt works well - need about a metre. I used a shackle to connect between the short line and the eyebolt. Then I've used a bigger shackle to connect the short rope to my mooring line. Then, an additional light weight line to pull the connection point back on deck. I'm still gauging the difference in the yaw angle and severity. But, I get the impression that the boat doesn't swing as hard. The angle of the arc - I'm not sure yet. Just about to head down to the boat again.

Craig

[craiglaforce]

Anchoring from the boweye does make the boat swing less and behave better at anchor. The only problem is the eyebolt is kinda weak looking and the anchor rode will pull at an angle from straight ahead.

One was reported to have snapped off when the boat was permanently moored by the boweye on lake erie.

I anchored this way several times and it was great, but I got nervous about the eyebolt breaking and switched back. I tried it anchoring in high winds and 4 foot rollers one time just to see how it did. The ride was still pretty wild (although still an improvement to useing a cleat), and it felt like each wave was going to rip the boweye out. Also learned that it is almost impossible to retrieve the rode by hand with this much force on the rode. Both feet planted on the front of the anchor well and pulling in small amounts in between each wave then a partial wrap on the cleat to keep it from ripping through my hands when the wave would hit. Man that hurts! I would estimate the anchor load at 200 -? lbs. I could not hang onto the rode even though it was 1/2 inch.
I guess I should have put the motor in forward to relieve the stress. Probably could even have motored the anchor out then gone forward to retrieve it.



Best approach I think is just to really tuck the boat into a quiet nook somewhere. We can get our boats into some pretty shallow spots with a bit of care. Personally I would never beach mine, but others have and seem to have done it successfully.

[norbert]

Anchoring from the boweye does make the boat swing less and behave better at anchor. The only problem is the eyebolt is kinda weak looking and the anchor rode will pull at an angle from straight ahead. One was reported to have snapped off when the boat was permanently moored by the boweye on lake erie.

craig, i think there is a huge difference between a boat beeing permanently moored by a short mooring line to a buoy bopping around in the waves and one gently swinging on a long soft anchor line. my method described above secures the anchor line to the bow cleat even if the eyebolt should break.

[norbert]

Norbert, I've had a go.

lucky you, downunder! have a look at my marina (webcam, so only available during central europe daytime)...hope for spring coming soon !

[baldbaby2000]

Anchoring from the boweye does make the boat swing less and behave better at anchor. The only problem is the eyebolt is kinda weak looking and the anchor rode will pull at an angle from straight ahead.

One was reported to have snapped off when the boat was permanently moored by the boweye on lake erie.

I'm disappointed that the bow eye isn't very strong. I would have guessed that it was designed for mooring; maybe not?

BB

[Frank C]

Yep ... designed for mooring to the trailer! And every boat is delivered with her own mooring!

Couldn't hurt to upgrade it to a 5/16" u-bolt, but it's a waste of time if you don't back it up properly inside, perhaps by shaping a foot-long wood block to match the interior V profile. Maybe the fat-end of an old baseball bat would nestle in there, after cutting out a section of the 26X's liner at the bow.

[Chip Hindes]

I'm disappointed that the bow eye isn't very strong. I would have guessed that it was designed for mooring; maybe not?

Don't immediately assume the bow eye isn't very strong based on one report that one broke. I don't have the actual numbers, but I'd be willing to place money on the fact that the bow eye is the strongest point on the boat from which to anchor or moor, and that's it's way, way stronger than the cleats.

No matter how good a particular part is, when you've got over 5000 boats in the field, somebody is eventually going to break one.

[Moe]

Frank, our 26X bow eye is already slightly larger than 5/16" (0.3125") but smaller than 3/8" (0.375") at 0.333". Putting it in perspective, our little Whaler's is a full 1/2" and well-backed.

I agree with your concern about the backing though. I'd think the interior could probably most easily be modeled with clay pressed into the bow with the eye removed... maybe with saran wrap on the fiberglass to make the clay easier to remove without deforming.

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Moe

[Greg]

We looked at a used X that had been moored in a small inlet on the Chesapeake Bay for almost a year - the owner had not been on it during that time. It had survived hurricane Isabel and the associated storm surge while only tied to the mooring by the eyebolt. I was quite impressed.

Even at that, I think if I were to anchor using the eyebolt, I would thread a loop of the rode though the eyebolt and then up and over one cleat, bring the bitter end-end from the eyebolt up around the other cleat. I always tie the bitter end of the rode to the mast with a bowline before starting the anchoring process just in case. Then when you are ready to leave, release the looped rode section from the cleat and retrieve as normal.
That way if the eyebolt were to break, the rode is still attached to both cleats- then the mast.
I hope this all makes sense!

Greg

[Frank C]

Greg,
That description is perfect. Using the loop with twin cleats adds nice touch of convenience, and the mast is your secret sauce.

Moe,
I was guessing quarter-inch, just by memory. I wonder if Roger upgraded that without bragging? ... mental picture of my boweye is pretty skinny. What would you do next, after pulling your clay plug?

Considering the effort in modeling the bow and then shaping a wooden backer, it might be effective, and easier, to just lay into the bow a one square-foot patch, half-dozen extra layers of mat and resin? Still, I think I'd rather attach that 1/2" u-bolt through that old baseball bat ... (must admit, this mod's pretty deep in my job-jar) .

[Moe]

Frank, if it were me doing it, I'd probably make a mold out of plaster and cast a resin plug to fill the V and use bar stock to back the U-bolt on the flat back side of the plug. Then again, I could let someone else sand cast it and make the plug out of metal, I just feel the forces would be spread over a larger area doing this than using a round dowel like a bat. But thinking of it that way, bending a larger sheet of metal to form to the bow might be better.

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Moe

[edurbin]

...mmmmm........well I sat on my mooring with a beer in one hand and a watch in the other counting the swings from side to side in about 20 to 25 knots. I tried it from the eyebolt and I tried it from the cleat on deck. The result in both cases was like about one full swing cycle in 60 seconds. I couldn't pick a difference in the swing frequency or arc length of the swing. That was on a mooring in the wind conditions as stated. Could certainly be different in other conditions. In any case, I will now want to check whats behind the eyebolt - it may want a profiled block inserted for extra strength.

For the real reason about, .....why does it swing so bad.........can't help thinking that the shape of the cabin top sides are a lot like a sail. Same fluid dynamic principles apply. The wind blows around the forward curved bit and makes a low pressure region. So, the boat gets sucked from side to side. Because the Mac has got not much under the waterline, the force on the boat from the low pressure region is enough to make it move. Just a thought. Anybody with a pitot tube in their tool kit could probably measure it.

So, how do we disrupt the airflow around the outside of the cabin. Has anybody tried ? I'm thinking some kind of flap/wings attached between the side stays and cabin. Pointer sails at each side ! Or maybe something between mast and the aft part of the bow rail.

.....yeah - the swinging thing is a bit of a teaser......

Craig

[edurbin]

very cool marina Norbert...........you Northerners must be really hanging out for a good sail by now ! Weather down here is just fantastic about now.............

Craig

[deacm]

I haven't heard any comments about the idea that the new member suggested in this post of :

" Often you can stop the "hunting" at anchor by running by using a second line that runs from the main anchor line, secured about 15' down the anchor line from the bow. Attach this line to the stern and take in the line to create a "bridle" with the hull at an angle to the wind. You have just made the large freeboard of the Mac 26 X/M into a pointer sail."

Seems like an easy and sensible approach. Anyone have any further analysis of this solution.

P.S. How do you guys embed quotes (and weblinks) into your posts. I can't find any explanation for it on this site. There are a bunch of buttons on the top of this post window but I"ve never figured em out. Thanks

[Moe]

Deac, when you click on the Post Reply button, and get to the reply window, in the lower left side of that window, right below HTML is OFF, you'll see the word BBCode in blue, indicating a link. Click on that word and the Help for doing these things will come up in a new window.

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Moe