Danforths on the bow

Brian (of Fortress) pointed out to me that there were good bow rollers for Danforth anchors. I couldn't imagine such a thing so I forgot about it .. until two days ago. Walked right past this boat w a bow roller that had feet that stuck out to limit the fwd travel of the Danforth's flukes .. as seen in my pics.

Looks like it would work fine and one could adjust the bow roller position (fore and aft) for whatever position the fluke ends required re clearance from the stem of the boat. The anchor should be secure and almost none of the anchor projects above the sheer line so great visibility is ensured.

Anyone have one?

We once had a 19ft Proline with an identical pulpit on a smaller scale.

Pretty neat. Now if you could just find me one that could keep the Danforth on its side so as not to interfere with my massive Rocna roll bar next to it.

Hi Larry,
You must be think'in you're on the two anchors on the bow thread.

Those Rocna anchors are wide and horizontally (as usual) the Dans are even wider so multiple anchors need not apply here. Most larger trawlers have one on the bow but smaller boats can quickly deploy another anchor stored on deck or below. So a roll bar anchor on a larger boat makes more sense as a backup anchor may be difficult to deploy. That may be one of the reasons why the Claws are popular on larger craft.

But I put up this thread for those like Art that like the Danforth and some may be unaware there are bow rollers that accommodate the Dans quite nicely. That makes them a much more useful anchor for boats bigger than most outboards. Once an anchor gets over 20lbs handling it and stowing it on deck gets awkward. And roll bar anchors would tend to roll around on deck as that is their nature .. rolling. Mine won't roll any more.

But as I recall most all the Dans I saw on my walkaround were flat on the foredeck. Where they traditionally have been.

And I'll bet many of those skippers on my walkaround prefered an anchor on deck as no moorage charges will need to be paid for it. Not many modern anchors stow on deck very well and the Dans may be #1 in that capability .. along w being #1 in mud.

But if you're in Florida w one anchor on the bow a Rocna's a good one.

I have that arrangement.

A better pic. I also have swapped positions and the Danforth stows sideways.

It's not a Danforth but homemade anchor and homemade anchor roller .

Down Marin, down it's OK this too will pass!!!

Oh yes but it's hard to see the detail even w my 27" i-mac screen.

Do the flukes rest on the immediate roller flanges or does your arrangement have the fwd projected "feet" as seen in my post #1?

Here is a boat that seems to have a bow roller probably intended for a Claw but the Dan looks happy on this roller that apparently has been adjusted to minimize overhang and thus moorage costs. dleonard is your setup like this boat?

Marty,
Looks like a more compact Danforth design. Low aspect ratio one could say. I like it. The stocks on a traditional Dan stick so far out I'm put off by it. I always want to cut them down or even off but I talked w Brian of Fortress and they are worth having it seems. But still my own opinion is that most could be trimmed but in this case I think I'll leave the mod undone. Looks good Marty.

jleonard,
I see in the 2nd pic yours is like the boat in this post. How well do the flukes "nest" on the roller? Is it free from wabbling around or firm in fit. I'm guessing you're good w it. Were you aware of the bow rollers that have the feet that "receive" the flukes when the anchor is pulled up snug .. as in post #1?

I also have a Danforth, well actually a Fortress on the bow. The biggest problem is that the anchor blocks vision forward, since it is at eye level from the pilothouse. The bow roller follows the sheer line, which is pretty extreme at the bow.

I saw a bow roller modification on two Willards that I will try to duplicate next spring. These are not Danforth anchors, but you get the idea. The bow roller is bolted to the deck and projects through an opening at the bow at a much smaller angle, and several inches lower. My forward visibility will be much better, and the bow roller will be somewhat more protected.

manyboats said:

Do the flukes rest on the immediate roller flanges or does your arrangement have the fwd projected "feet" as seen in my post #1?


jleonard,
I see in the 2nd pic yours is like the boat in this post. How well do the flukes "nest" on the roller? Is it free from wabbling around or firm in fit. I'm guessing you're good w it. Were you aware of the bow rollers that have the feet that "receive" the flukes when the anchor is pulled up snug .. as in post #1?

Click to expand...

Mine rests on the roller flanges as shown in the pics of your post directly above.
I can "miss" with the Danforth, but a slight wiggle of the shank and the anchor rests on the flanges. I jog the windlass to make the chain tight and the anchor nest nicely and does not move.
As you can see I believe in a safety line just in case. You already know the reason I do this .
The roller set up was originally made for a Delta which was on the boat when I bought it. I was fortunate that this roller fits the 35 Danforth very well.

Sounds like you've got ER diled in jleonard .

Larry M,
The bottom pic is of my friend's boat in Craig AK. His anchor (Forfjord) w it's spread leg flukes fits the boat well. You're Fortress will stick out a tad more but that setup is tops IMO.

Ranger Tugs has employed that feature in a new boat. I'll post a pic tonight.

I wanted to do that but have too many more important things to do. Going to the boat now to work on the steering pump.

Larry, I really love the lines of that Fales, especially the high bow. I stole this anchor hause off a Greenline to clean up the bow. I think you're boat could handle such a mod. All stainless, of course.

healhustler said:

Larry, I really love the lines of that Fales, especially the high bow. I stole this anchor hause off a Greenline to clean up the bow. I think you're boat could handle such a mod. All stainless, of course.

Click to expand...

Ok, now THAT really completes the 'little ship' image. As you can see, this is a small boat. In this photo it almost looks like a toy! Just can't get no respect

Woops....I guess you wouldn't need that anchor roller and Danforth hanging on the bow anymore either. Here ya go.

Greetings,
Mr. HH. I thing your conception of anchor slot for Mr. LM's vessel REALLY cleans up the bow but now it looks TOO naked. How about this:

Quite naughty-kul yes?

Mr. HH and Mr. RTF,

While I appreciate your creativity, I am growing somewhat afraid of you, particularly Mr. RTF.

Thankfully, I am safe down on Galveston Bay, at least for now.

I can envision arriving at my slip only to find Boomarang decorated like an 'art car' exhibit, or worse.

To say you crack me up is an understatement!

Larry,
Here's the pics of the Ranger Tug anchor rig.

Interesting bow platform. Does the bow pulpit make access problematic?


My only experience with bow-first Mediterranean docking:

manyboats said:

Walked right past this boat w a bow roller that had feet that stuck out to limit the fwd travel of the Danforth's flukes .. as seen in my pics.

Click to expand...

Eric--- Based on your photos, I think you might mean "rearward [aft] travel of the Danforth's flukes."

Is it just me or do most of these bow rollers look kinda small. I would be prone to bending them. Even a small danforth type can set tremendously well in good mud, and can be really tuff to pop out. I've got a 125 lb Danforth knockoff for a storm anchor and use a 80 for regular stuff. The big one doesnt fit to well in the bow pulpit/roller but is deployed from the deck anyway. The 80 fits very good. Either require a substantial setup, and a strong cleat.

My boat was offered with a Danforth on the bow. I elected a claw, and doubt the builder used a different anchor mount. Probably, a "universal" mount. Works fine.

markpierce said:

Interesting bow platform. Does the bow pulpit make access problematic?


My only experience with bow-first Mediterranean docking:

Click to expand...

Barcelona?

Here's the pics I mentioned in post #12 of the new Ranger Tug's anchor setup.

BruceK said:

Barcelona?

Click to expand...

Istanbul.