get rid of or shortening the bow pulpit

As we look for a different boat I need to be concerned about the over all length. Some of the boats that I have looked at have a 3 ft long bow pulpit and 3 ft wide swim step reducing the width of the swim step seems straight forward. I wondered if anyone has eliminated or substantially shortened their bow pulpit. It seems that the anchor orientation when stowed would be more vertical. then horizontal I really don,t want to reposition the anchor windlass I think it would raise havoc with the way the chain falls into the locker. Anyone done this?

Be very careful about shortening the bow pulpit. It is as long as it is for two reasons:


1. To keep the anchor from banging against the stem of the boat when raising it.


2. To have enough room when raised for the shank to lay in front of the windlass gypsy.


David

Photos of what you have may get some good suggestions along with some measurements..

D.M. has a good point but with photos you may get some help.

Shorten the swim step? Most production boats have too little swim step. My own came from the builder with a less than safe width, so was not suitable or useful until I lengthened it by 13". Now it is safe and useful.
Yes, it is part of the boat's overall length.
I also have a bowsprit that moves the anchor out front and also adds to the overall length. I wouldn't be without it. To do so would move the anchor back onto the foredeck, move the windlass back the same distance and make the foredeck useless for anything other than storage of the ground tackle.
Also the ABS pipe down which teh rode falls would have to move back and that would put it into the forecabin, not into the chain locker.
The easiest and best solution is to get moorage that will fit the full length of your boat, inclusive of whatever protrusions it comes with.

What kind of boats are you looking for and with what restrictions due to budget, docks or trailer? Not all vessels have pulpits, some have folding up swim platforms. Options galore will appear once you start walking the docks.

I own a covered slip, so changing moorage is a non starter. The slip I have is 44 + 2 ft for the piling at the end of the finger. I don't want to intrude on the fairway if I can help it. 46 ft boats typically have 2 heads and 2 staterooms and a washer / dryer and a couple of other features that I want. So Ive been looking at 4788 bayliners if I can get rid of bow pulpit and skinny up the swimstep so the boat is a couple feet in the fairway which is about the max I want to be.

Ka_sea_ta said:

I own a covered slip, so changing moorage is a non starter. The slip I have is 44 + 2 ft for the piling at the end of the finger. I don't want to intrude on the fairway if I can help it. 46 ft boats typically have 2 heads and 2 staterooms and a washer / dryer and a couple of other features that I want. So Ive been looking at 4788 bayliners if I can get rid of bow pulpit and skinny up the swimstep so the boat is a couple feet in the fairway which is about the max I want to be.

Click to expand...

FYI, 4788 Meridian/Bayliner is 47'4" on deck, 53'11"LOA.

I'd let it stick out instead of possibly significantly lowering the resale value of the boat.

Ted

Or decide to not anchor. Or spend a whole lot of money reconfiguring everything to accommodate a hawse type anchor set up.

There is a 4788 on my dock (we have firm restrictions on length) that fashioned their pulpit to hinge up. Looks pretty functional.

I have a 30’ boat in a 30’ slip. No SS or BP. I’d need to get a bigger slip for a BP or SS. Moorage is too expensive to contemplate that. At least for me.

I’ve never liked the SS as I always thought a big stern wave would hold the stern down long enough to poop the aft cockpit. Never heard of it happening though but it wasn’t the best on a rounded stern like our Willard. So I’ve never had one.

As to the BP I detest to look them, and I’m not keen on paying the extra moorage either. I think most boats can be rigged to give room on the foredeck to have the anchor as close as possible to the bow of the boat.
Below is a pic of my boat w a Claw on the bow and it protrudes beyond the bow only 4 to 5”. If the anchor wasn’t modified and located a bit lower even less would protrude beyond the bow.
2nd pic is of another Claw mounted on another Willard that only protrudes about 2 or 3” further than mine.

The boat looks so much better w/o that “thing” on the bow.

koliver said:

FYI, 4788 Meridian/Bayliner is 47'4" on deck, 53'11"LOA.

Click to expand...

Hence the need to see if it practical to shorten the LOA. there's about 6 ft of bow pulpit and swim step. The 4788 checks alot of the boxes in my quest for another boat .. My Grady stored the anchor at about a 60 degree down angle without any issues. and many boats the size of the 4788 don't have pulpits, the Defever didn't, NTs don't. Hinging the pulpit is an option... I was hoping someone else had solved this issue.

Many boats I know have shortened or hinged the bowsprit to fit in a boathouse.
A Google search on 4788 revealed this.............

rochepoint said:

Many boats I know have shortened or hinged the bowsprit to fit in a boathouse.
A Google search on 4788 revealed this.............

Click to expand...

Perfect, Thanks.

Why not hinged?

Ka_sea_ta said:

As we look for a different boat I need to be concerned about the over all length. Some of the boats that I have looked at have a 3 ft long bow pulpit and 3 ft wide swim step reducing the width of the swim step seems straight forward. I wondered if anyone has eliminated or substantially shortened their bow pulpit. It seems that the anchor orientation when stowed would be more vertical. then horizontal I really don,t want to reposition the anchor windlass I think it would raise havoc with the way the chain falls into the locker. Anyone done this?

Click to expand...

I saw a Hyundai 49 on yacht world that had a hinged pulpit. It was raised when in a slip and not needed. I thought the idea was genius.

Gordon

Having witnessed bow pulpit abuse in many forms, I would be leery of a hinged one unless it looked like the workings of a bascule bridge.

A totally hinged swim pkatform though is an easier design in my mind.....

Bow pulpits are frail and flimsy. What happens when you run into something? The pulpit isn’t any match for the many tons of inertia that would be applied even at one or two knots. I’ supprised we don’t hear more stories about bow damage.

Perhaps skippers aren’t inclined to tell tales of their incompetence. The pulpit is easy to repair. But damage to the pulpit is fly stuff compared to what will likely happen to the hull or foredeck in the bow where the pulpit attaches. But it does appear that it happens only rarely. Appear

But a hinged pulpit would solve the moorage issue.

Many pulpits are not necessarily flimsy, nor should they be as they serve an important purpose on some boats.

I have seen many impale another boat with nothing more than scratches.

One rammed me while at anchor last year and thumped my boat pretty hard.....no damage but a big scratch to me.

OK so you’re poo pooing my post. I can’t see that as I stated I’ve seen no evidence I’m right. But it’s not a prevailant issue to be sure.

I have seen photos of several 4788s that have had the bow pulpit removed. The one in the post #13 above or one very similar to it is also posted on the Bayliners Owners forum with details and photos of how it was done. There was a 4788 for sale in Tampa that had a really nice setup done to it. The anchor went down through the deck and came out on the stem. Lots of custom stainless work for that one.

Ka Sea Ta, don't let your current slip limit you too much. I also own a slip so I get it, but I think it would be better to sell your slip than to "make do" with a boat that doesn't meet your needs or modifying a boat in a negative way to fit the slip. Not saying that is what you have in mind but...


If I needed a bigger (or smaller) slip, at this point I think I would just rent my slip out and find myself a different slip to rent. However, if I factor in the time value of money, I'd be better to sell the slip and invest the proceeds. I guess I'm just saying don't discount the idea of using a different slip if the right boat comes along.

Dave,I already have one of the larger slips at Harborview... We are snow birds and kept the Defever out at the end for a few years...I was always amazed at how much additional cleaning and maintenance needed to be done because the boat sat out uncovered over the winter....Finally I got fed up and sold the boat... So for me a covered slip is a must... Like I said if I can get the stored LOA somewhere around 47 to 48 it would work... I'm just exploring options right now...

Ka_sea_ta said:

Dave,I already have one of the larger slips at Harborview... We are snow birds and kept the Defever out at the end for a few years...I was always amazed at how much additional cleaning and maintenance needed to be done because the boat sat out uncovered over the winter....Finally I got fed up and sold the boat... So for me a covered slip is a must... Like I said if I can get the stored LOA somewhere around 47 to 48 it would work... I'm just exploring options right now...

Click to expand...

Yeah, every time I wash the boat I start to look at the boathouses for sale at the TYC basin.

Best to purchase a boat that already fits one's needs. My bow has little overhang and the swim platform folds up.

Another thing to consider is why there’s such a firm restriction on LOA - it’s usually tied to keeping a fairway clear. You know, for maneuvering. My club has a lot of folks who pushed this to the max - we have more than a dozen of those 4788/Meridians - and many of them have trouble maneuvering in/out of their slips. This is one of the issues that pushed me from a single screw trawler to a twin waterjet with thruster. I get the desire to max out your slip but there are downstream issues.

I removed the pulpit on mine to fit in the slip. It wasn't an easy decision, but one I don't regret, 5 years later.

It was the boat I wanted, and I wasn't about to try to sell my slip and buy a new one just for this boat. It was either pass on the boat, or remove the pulpit.

I fabricated a hinged anchor roller support to replace it, using 1/2" plate aluminum. Very easy to work with, strong, and took paint pretty well. I will need to re-paint the bottom part at some point, but 5 years and counting, on a paint job, is not bad.

Hanging out into the fairway was not an option. Not only would it be against our marina rules and a hazard to navigation, but folks who bought a larger slip would be irate at anyone who bought a smaller slip and hung out.

A couple of pics...

As a sideline to the OP, LOA is one of those myriad misunderstood terms in boating. The USCG has a very specific definition for it: the longitudinal distance from the forward most part of the stem to the after most part of the stern, excluding things which are not part of the molded hull, i.e. bow pulpits, swim platforms, etc. Don't try to argue this point with marina managers. Adhering to the official definition of LOA would cost them money.

Bradenvlp said:

There is a 4788 on my dock (we have firm restrictions on length) that fashioned their pulpit to hinge up. Looks pretty functional.

Click to expand...

Yes, I've seen that on a Bayliner 45 (4588?) at the dock here in the past. The owner said it worked very well. It was a wood pulpit.

Captain K said:

As a sideline to the OP, LOA is one of those myriad misunderstood terms in boating. The USCG has a very specific definition for it: the longitudinal distance from the forward most part of the stem to the after most part of the stern, excluding things which are not part of the molded hull, i.e. bow pulpits, swim platforms, etc. Don't try to argue this point with marina managers. Adhering to the official definition of LOA would cost them money.

Click to expand...

I don’t doubt that you are correct regarding the USCG definition, but most of the rest of humankind considers Length Over All to be the over all length. Just sayin’.

Not really....never had to worry about bow pulpits and swim platforms till marinas started charging for them...or try to keep fairways clear of them.

Thankfully many marinas still don't care and will accept true LOA or model length as way off as that is.