Yet another substantial, multi-step process… Point of note, Seawind 1160s from the factory have 50 meters (165 feet) of 8mm short link galvanized chain. After the mock up that Baja Naval completed in Ensenada it was up to me to fabricate a new anchor roller bracket once back in the US. Before leaving the boat in La Paz I took what I thought were a lot of pictures and measurements to ensure that on my return I would have a bracket that would fit.
The first step was to have a waterjet company cut the left and right sides out of 316 stainless. I went with 3/8 inch plate but if I did it again I would reduce that to 1/4 inch plate to save weight.
Stainless plate cutout template
Then holes were drilled for the mounting bolts and the anchor roller
Using bolts to hold the correct angle so that the support bar could be welded
Welding complete, the material (316) and thickness made this a challenging job requiring a lot of power and heat
Grinding 316 taught me how tough this metal is, a slow process…
Final product ready to be mounted!
Hauling a 30 pound bracket with all the mounting bolts down to La Paz was a bit of a pain. Thankfully Delta let my checked bags weigh 75 pounds. Even more thankful that I passed through Mexican customs without paying the 16% duty. Arriving at the boat, it was a relief to find that the angles matched perfectly and the bracket slid right into place. Whew. That was a big sigh of relief since I don’t need a 30 pound anchor. I did have to use my Dremel to make a cut out for the anchor chain, simple enough and it looks good.
Side view of mounted anchor roller and Mantus anchor
Stern view showing the pinched in angle of the bracket plates
Top view showing the slight protrusion of the anchor shaft
It was not possible to provide clearance between the anchor roll bar and the cross member so we do place a bit from a pool noodle between them to protect the cross member. After three weeks it seems to be a good solution and not too much of a pain when dropping or raising the anchor to grab. Now we can sleep well with the great holding we get from our Mantus anchor!
Wow Chris, love your work.
Have recently installed a 45 kg Mantus on our Seawind 1000, and it does not sit well. Have been wondering what to do, and love your solution. And like you, am pleased to retire the old plough anchor. sleep better
I think your system will also work on our 1000 ??
Lindsay, thank you! I think in principle it would work on your Seawind 1000, however the tunnel would be a different dimension and possible different angle. My suggestion would be to follow the same process I did and mock up the new anchor roller position with a plywood template and once that is figured out you should be able to fabricate a similar bracket. Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.
A 45kg anchor for a 1000? I would use something that size as a hurricane anchor, I’d never use that as a main for a boat this size.
Two questions, why not use thick aluminum like the old throat, that way you avoid eletralisis and it could have been welded. On Stray Cat our 1000, the throat looks like 1/2″ aluminum?
Guy, on my 1160 the throat is fiberglass with a plastic plate for the chain to ride across. Since the original material (guides) was stainless I decided to keep it the same. I don’t believe there will be an electrolysis issue, since the current path will be from anchor chain to grounded windlass (the bracket is not touching the water and is electrically isolated since the chain rests on a delrin roller).
Hi Chris,
What size Mantus did you mount there?
-J
Josh, I inherited a 45 pound CQR, which I heard worked well, and increased the size to 55 pounds to sleep better at night.