Bow roller and windlass capacity. 45’ Californian

[Streff]

Our new to us 45’ Californian came with a 15kg/33lbs Vulcan anchor. Based on various input, this anchor weight is borderline for the boat. The boat is well over 50,000lbs as it sits today.

Before buying a heavier anchor (ideally 55-80lbs), I tried to research the capacity of the bow roller and the windless in the manuals and online. Nothing is stamped on either units. I could not find a reliable source. Chain is 5/16”.. I believe the windless should be ok but I could be wrong.

I asked my marine shop... Zero idea. In the event that I cannot get a fix on the ratings, I am just going to go with a 25kg/55lbs Rocna.. a small increase should be fine?. The only issue would be to navigate the roller bar in the storage position.

I would appreciate any thoughts or input from other Californian owners.

Thank you

Streff

 

[Comodave]

The pulpit is most likely fine. What windlass make and model?

 

[Streff]

Windlass is a vdc-1000. I think that it is made by Marshall.

Thank you

 

[FlyWright]

I wouldn't think a 20-50 lb difference in anchor weight would be that big of a deal for most windlasses. My cheap Lewmar 1000 can pull 1000 lbs. 50 lbs only represents 5% of windlass capacity.

I bet your windlass can handle the additional weight but I kinda doubt Marshall manufactured any windlasses.

Anchor geometry is critical in anchor roller function. All anchor mfrs publish the critical dimensions for you to evaluate for your boat.

 

[Comodave]

Maxwell makes a VWC-1000. If that is it it is rated for 1000 pounds, but you can’t put 1000 pounds of anchor and chain on it. Usually you want to stay no more than 25% to maybe 33% of the rated load. That would be anchor weight and chain and any line.

 

[Comodave]

As said above anchor manufacturers publish the measurements of their anchors. I like to make a mockup of the profile and see if it will fit in my pulpit. My current anchor took several hours of grinding on the roller frame for the larger anchor to fit. I knew when I bought it but needed the larger anchor so I went ahead and modified the frame.

 

[Seabag]

We bought a 48 Californian that came with a Maxwell 2200, 3/8 BBB chain and a Rocna 40 anchor (83 lbs.) When the anchor goes down we stop...period. The Rocna doesn't really "fit" the pulpit due to the roll bar it has but we snug it up, chock the windlass and put a safety tether on the chain.

 

[rslifkin]

If it's a VWC1000, it'll pull about 1500 lbs flat out, so figure you don't want to make it pull more than 400 - 500. So even going to the 73 lb / 33 kg Vulcan (or anything else of that size range) would be fine with 300-ish feet of 5/16 G43. FWIW, I've got a 73 lb Vulcan on a somewhat smaller boat and wouldn't say it's too big.

 

[Streff]

Thank you all for the comments. Great information!! My apologies, my windless is indeed made by Maxwell. I would love to have a 40Kg/88lbs anchor, like what Seabag has. I think that would be the sweet spot but I was concerned about the weight (maybe it would be fine if chain + anchor weight under 375 lbs. or so). I only have 250ft of chain right now so that may work. A 7x lbs anchor would also be a great choice and would offer more than twice the weight of what I have right now.

I like the idea of making a mock-up of the anchor to simulate how it will fit. I know any roll bar will not be a direct fit but it can be snug up and secured with extra line. I would make sure to let the anchor out slowly initially to avoid the anchor tip swinging into the hull. A Vulcan design would be a smooth direct fit but I was leaning to try an anchor with a roll bar??

Next, I need to buy or make a good solid bridle and a stern tie setup. Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

Thanks again

Streff

 

[HiDHo]

Before I ordered my Rocna Vulcan I used the on line templates to check the fit.
I have seen boats with bent pulpits due to excessive anchor weight, looks like a impending problem if and when they run into heavy weather.

 

[Streff]

Hello,

I thought I would provide an update. I purchased a 40kg/88lbs Rocna. It does fit the pulpit reasonably well. The roll bar snugs up to the underside of the pulpit.. about 6” from it’s tip. We sailed about 120miles in that setup and so far seems to work ok. The 3-foot FG pulpit is part of the bow so pretty solid.. the extra weight of the anchor seems fine.

We have 250ft of 5/16” 3B chain which I hope to upgrade to 5/16” HT chain soon .. probably 300feet. I would love to go to 350’ but that maybe too heavy for the windless. The windless manual says it’s a chain-only unit.. so unfortunately I won’t be able to add rope to the chain.

We anchored for several days in protected coves. Winds never got higher than 16kts or so. The deepest anchorage was around 50 feet in mud.. I paid out 235ft of chain and hooked a snubber. The anchor held well. Boats around me were scoped at 3:1 but were in shallower depth.

I just ordered a Mantus Bridle and also a swivel. I think with a new HT chain, we should be able to handle most anchorage situations.

Thank you all again for the input.

Streff

 

[caltexflanc]

Hello,

I thought I would provide an update. I purchased a 40kg/88lbs Rocna. It does fit the pulpit reasonably well. The roll bar snugs up to the underside of the pulpit.. about 6” from it’s tip. We sailed about 120miles in that setup and so far seems to work ok. The 3-foot FG pulpit is part of the bow so pretty solid.. the extra weight of the anchor seems fine.

We have 250ft of 5/16” 3B chain which I hope to upgrade to 5/16” HT chain soon .. probably 300feet. I would love to go to 350’ but that maybe too heavy for the windless. The windless manual says it’s a chain-only unit.. so unfortunately I won’t be able to add rope to the chain.

We anchored for several days in protected coves. Winds never got higher than 16kts or so. The deepest anchorage was around 50 feet in mud.. I paid out 235ft of chain and hooked a snubber. The anchor held well. Boats around me were scoped at 3:1 but were in shallower depth.

I just ordered a Mantus Bridle and also a swivel. I think with a new HT chain, we should be able to handle most anchorage situations.

Thank you all again for the input.

Streff

Keep in mind you will need a new gypsy for your windlass when you switch chain, and while you are at it you can ask the windlass manufacturer what if any weight restrictions they have on your model.

 

[FlyWright]

Keep in mind you will need a new gypsy for your windlass when you switch chain, and while you are at it you can ask the windlass manufacturer what if any weight restrictions they have on your model.

+1...and if they have a combo chain/rode gypsy. Be sure to check your chain dimensions closely to verify gypsy compatibility.