We have come up with a plan for the new to the boat (but not new) windlass. Really wanted to avoid having to put more holes in the deck and wanted to keep the entire windlass in the anchor locker. It hasn't been permanently mounted yet, and will still need to have the doors cut out to fit around. Since I couldn't find anything online or on this site that fit our needs I thought I would share this in case anyone else is looking for similar ideas.
The old cleats on either side of the locker were removed and a new bow roller installed, in place of the cleats we will put fairleads and a new cleat with supersized backing plate is now beside the roller.
We found a Maxwell 800 with capstan and gypsy for a really good price on Facebook so wanted to give it a try. If we are dissatisfied with this set up for any reason, all we will need to do is find new locker doors and we are back where we started, if we love it then we are good to go!!
Please ignore the mess in the pictures, it's a work in progress....
sv Sidetracked
1983 C36 MkI #0157
Nanaimo, BC
Good Day! Now I don't know much, if anything, but I do know that I'm interested in learning what you did to install that new bow roller. I was looking at the original on my boat this weekend and it appears to be similar to yours. Meaning that the roller and the chain plate for the fore stay are all one unit. I too would like to add a more robust roller and a windlass. Now I see that your fore stay is not attatched so I'm assuming that your rig is down currently. What did you do to accomodate that new roller? Much appreciated for your input.
David Lane
S/V Grace
88' Catalina 36'
Oxnard, Ca
Hi, sorry for the delayed reply. I was looking for a picture I took while we were cutting the stbd side of the forward chain plate. We used a grinder and carefully removed the integral bow roller, only on one side so we could instal a proper one in it's place. Originally we had planned to bolt the new roller to the side of the forestay bracket but we were able to use 5 out of the 6 holes to bolt it through the deck so decided it wasn't necessary and may cause difficulties with the front part that is hinged.
I've attached a picture showing the cut side a bit better. You can see the weld on the port side and we just cut through that on the stbd side. Hope that helps.
And yes, the rigging is down, we removed the mast so we could replace the step. Almost ready to put it all back together....
sv Sidetracked
1983 C36 MkI #0157
Nanaimo, BC
Thaks for the reply. I was considering the same (cutting one side off), I didn't consider using a grinder, did you remove the chain plate in order to do that? If not, how did you protect the deck while cutting it off? What type/ length bow roller did you use that allowed for such a great match with the existing hole pattern? Thanks again.
David Lane
S/V Grace
88' Catalina 36'
Oxnard, Ca
Hi,
I didn't make myself very clear. Will try to do better this time.
The new bow roller is a Five Oceans Self-Launching Anchor Bow Roller 23-5/8 in. 316 Stainless Steel FO-4185 which we found on Amazon. It was the last one in existence apparently.... We specifically were looking for something that was long enough to reach from the bow to the anchor locker and less than 4" wide so it would fit between the forestay and the stanchion and sit in line with the side of the chainplate. That meant long and narrow which was hard to find. Since we have so many dings on the bow from the anchor hitting we wanted something with enough overhang to keep it away and the pivoting section meant the load would be distributed better when retrieving the anchor. It also comes with 6 mounting bolt holes pre drilled. We were able to use 5 of them. The roller that was previously installed had a completely different setup and we weren't able to re use any of the holes it had made, but at least they were covered (mostly).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076XD5GSK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_...
Cutting the chainplate was a slow and careful process. We just used some multiple layered tape to protect the gelcoat and there was enough space under it to make it work. I found a post and pictures that someone had posted where they did something similar, just cutting off the side piece and mounting the new roller on top of the bottom section.
https://www.catalina36.org/forum/technical-discussion/rocna-15-and-catal...
If you search on this site you may be able to find even more options.
sv Sidetracked
1983 C36 MkI #0157
Nanaimo, BC
I'm in the stages of a similar project now and have come back to your post to look at your solution. What I'm wondering is how you attached the cross support in those little slots that were for holding the danforth style anchor? Do you have any pics of your finished install? Thanks
David Lane
S/V Grace
88' Catalina 36'
Oxnard, Ca
Hi, sorry for the delay. We were out in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. Here are some pictures. Hope they help.
The cross bar is just stuck in with sikaflex.
sv Sidetracked
1983 C36 MkI #0157
Nanaimo, BC
Cool. How did it perform for you?
David Lane
S/V Grace
88' Catalina 36'
Oxnard, Ca
So far it works great. I put it to the test this past week and it performed perfectly. It is so fabulous to have a windlass I can't imagine how I could have managed without it.
The only thing I still want is a remote as the control is at the helm. It's fine when there is someone else to watch up on the bow but when I am on my own I really want to be able to adjust things where I can see the chain markers.
sv Sidetracked
1983 C36 MkI #0157
Nanaimo, BC