R J & Jen,

     A few notes and what works for me:

BRIDLES- They work well on a mooring ball or in calm conditions at anchor. While anchored in heavy weather not so well. Your boat will swing to port until the port side takes the load and then to starboard until the starboard side takes the load and back and forth and back and forth putting a heavy strain on the anchor and driving you nuts.

BOBSTAYS- I have seen lots of different stuff covering bobstays. This is a BAD idea as it creates an oxygen starved environment and with sea water present will cause corrosion.

CHAIN GRABBERS- Hooks, chain grabbers, plates and such will chip the galvanizing from your chain and can come loose at inopertune times. Throw them away and use a rolling hitch. It will never fail.

SNUBBERS- A smaller diameter snubber is better to allow some stretch.

WHAT I USE- A 1/2" 3 strand nylon with thimble and shackled to the cranse iron at the end of the bowsprit tied to the chain with a rolling hitch. It should be at least 10 feet to 20 feet long. Set your anchor, tie the snubber, let the chain out until the strain is on the snubber. Let out a little more chain to hang in a loop and it won't bang on the bobstay.

Lee

David Wiencke wrote:

I have a photo of that set-up on my boat. Not sure how to post it here. Is there a way??

I rigged it up after the first few times anchoring and finding the problem with "sailing" at anchor and especially the bobstay chafe. This cures both problems. The Pardey's described using this set-up on their first boat, even through a hurricane. I made a wooden ropestrop block that has worked well. I figure the rope strop absorbs some shock load and will certainly let go before the bowsprit gets pulled off taking the rig with it. Actually, with this set-up, the boat's whole rig acts to dampen any shockloads.

David:  I just posted a how to at New Web Site - a copy and paste should work.

Jay Bietz wrote:

To the cruisers -- I use 30' of chain and 250' of braid nylon here for my SF Bay cruising and will the rolling hitch work there also - or do I need to and all chain rode?

 

Jay,

     Since you are using nylon line already you don't need a snubber. You can run your line through a snatch block at the end of the bowsprit to keep it away from the bobstay. After anchoring, snap the block onto the rode,attach it to the end of the bowsprit and you are done. A rolling hitch and snubber will work but you have to watch for chaffe between the two lines. At times a stern line taken forward to the anchor rode with a rolling hitch will change the angle of the bow into the swells keeping her from rolling you out of your bunk at night.

Lee

Jay Bietz wrote:

David Wiencke wrote:

I have a photo of that set-up on my boat. Not sure how to post it here. Is there a way??

I rigged it up after the first few times anchoring and finding the problem with "sailing" at anchor and especially the bobstay chafe. This cures both problems. The Pardey's described using this set-up on their first boat, even through a hurricane. I made a wooden ropestrop block that has worked well. I figure the rope strop absorbs some shock load and will certainly let go before the bowsprit gets pulled off taking the rig with it. Actually, with this set-up, the boat's whole rig acts to dampen any shockloads.

David:  I just posted a how to at New Web Site - a copy and paste should work.

 

Thanks Jay. I tried the copy/paste from my computer before, which didn't work, and now I've uploaded the photos to the picasa site and it looks like it will work.

The set-up on Neverland: 50" of chain, 250" nylon rode, snubber attached with rolling hitch to rode (or chain), runs up through a block at end of bowsprit and back through hawspipe to samson post.

Here's a photo I saved from Dick's site when I was looking at how others had delt with the bobstay-chafe/sailing thing a few years back.

Our first sail with Neverland was down Chesapeake Bay with two days of 30-40kt winds and higher gusts coming right up the bay. Our second anchorage was protected from the wind by only a low thin strip of land and we were buffeted by gusts all night that heeled us way over and sailed us back and forth. Even with a snubber rigged similarly to Dick's picture above the rode was playing the bobstay like bow on a violin string. Not a good night's sleep.  That's when I decided to try the block at the end of the bowsprit. Of course, we've rarely experienced such extreme anchoring conditions since, but I'm very happy with the set-up.