Bow Roller & Tool Kit

[Bilgemaster]

Acting on good advice gained in these forums when I first came aboard (A tip o' the hat to Admiral Mastreb!), a while back I got one of those BWY Anchor Rollers specially made for the 26X.

Yesterday having been a thoroughly disappointing day for sailing here in Virginia, previously promising Accuweather forecast notwithstanding, instead I finally got around to mounting that roller. First of all, I should point out that the actual roller is far prettier than its picture on the BWY website. The instructions were clear and its assembly straightforward. Noone, no matter how tool-use-challenged, need fear this particular mod, that's for sure. I did have to head off to the hardware aisle's Stainless Doodads section for a slightly thicker 5/16" stainless bolt than the ones supplied in the kit, so as to be able use a preexisting hole, but your mileage may vary. All in all though, the whole process took less than an hour, which included a number of trips up and down the ladder to find a better radio station, finish a Wawa French Toast and Sausage Breakfast Sandwich and stare at the hazy sun trying to peek through for a while now and then. (Pro Tip: you can use a drill bit laid lengthwise instead of a "round file" described in the instructions to make a perfect groove for the bowlight wiring to run through under the roller assembly. And if your wiring's a little short, just angle that groove a bit forward instead of directly to port, as described in the directions). Here's how it looks on the bow (also showing our little blonde "Matrioshka" figurehead, who only coincidentally bears any resemblance whatsoever to the Admiral, and does not at all constitute a shameless gesture of cultural or gender pandering on my part...No, not at all..Wouldn't hear of it!):





One thing that occurred to me during the process was how handy my cheapo Harbor Freight 105 Pc Tool Kit with 4-Drawer Chest has proven itself to be aboard. Sure, most days you can get by with a couple of screwdrivers and a few wrenches and pliers in a big plastic Folgers coffee can, but every now and then it's good to have the right tool for the job handy, all neatly laid out with a place for everything and everything in its place. Yesterday it was awfully handy to have a perfectly-fitting Phillips-type screwdriver head that I could fit into a ratchet with an extension bar to clear the roller-furling drum, and there they were. The kit itself fits just perfectly into that storage area forward of the galley...almost like that opening was tailored for it. Just drop it in and slide it a bit forward, and it'll rest nicely on that reinforcing member that runs the length of the bilge, keeping it well above any water that may gather there. Sure, its tools are not the epitome of the toolmaker's craft, but then again they are way better than you might frankly have any right to expect for the price. These little kits are frequently on sale for 30-something bucks, and/or you can just use one of those 20% or 25% off coupons. You could maybe get a Snap-On or Craftsman ratchet extension bar for that kinda cash...a small one. They're "handy" little sets is all I'm sayin':

[Starscream]

I have been wanting to mount a "real" anchor on the stock roller for some time now. I have a mantus 13 lb that looks just right for our required service, but there is just no way to get it to properly fit on the stock bits. I like the look of the BWY anchor roller, but the website says that it was not intended to store the anchor and that's what I really want it for.

A couple of questions, if you don't mind:
Was the warning on the BWY website to not store an anchor on the roller just a disclaimer, or can it really not be done?
From memory, the bolt pattern on my stock roller doesn't look like the photo at all. IIRC all three bolts were well forward of the headstay chainplate and it looks like the BWY anchor roller bolt holes straddle the chainplate.
Did you have to access the underside of the bolts from below to hold the nuts in place or was the entire swap done from outside the boat? If it was done from outside, what holds the nuts in the deck when you remove a bolt?

Thanks for any info you can provide!

[Serenity]

I am also interested. I just bought my boat and there is some kind of roller bracket mounted on the bow spit????? It makes it very difficult the bolt mast when trailering. I would like to change it out for this BWY roller. Has anyone seen the type of roller I mentioned?
Thx

[bobbob]

What a coincidence - did mine this weekend too!

I found that my wires weren't long enough and I had to splice in extensions. I'm not a huge fan of the fact that the wiring is now exposed a little bit, but I guess it can be tucked out of the way.

By the way, anyone know what the part number is for the bulb? I found a lookalike at canadian tire but its just a little bit missized and it doesn't fit cleanly into the socket, its rather tight.

[hschumac]

The BWY one will not work for storage. It is really just a wheel. No way to protect deck, or secure anchor shank.

I bought a Seadog medium size roller with captive bracket, about $100.

I did this whole project recently and have been meaning to write up in Mods.

Here's a vid i shot with some narration of finished project: https://youtu.be/L3XKaPcsfhs

[paul I]

I also have the BWY anchor roller. I installed it a few years ago. Some thoughts.

For whoever asked about the stock anchor roller on the

As far as I know, there isn't one. No stock anchor roller came with the boat.

I don't have an anchor mounted on the roller. I do remember the BWY warning that the roller was not to be used for this purpose. I believe its because of the way its mounted. It uses lag screws that are screwed into the fiberglass. If you could install it with through bolts and a backer, I think it would be perfectly suitable for supporting an anchor. Without looking closely, I am not convinced the access to do that is available.

When I installed it I used SS lag bolts and a 3M adhesive. I also had to extend the leads.

[Bilgemaster]

I have been wanting to mount a "real" anchor on the stock roller for some time now. I have a mantus 13 lb that looks just right for our required service, but there is just no way to get it to properly fit on the stock bits. I like the look of the BWY anchor roller, but the website says that it was not intended to store the anchor and that's what I really want it for.

A couple of questions, if you don't mind:
Was the warning on the BWY website to not store an anchor on the roller just a disclaimer, or can it really not be done?
From memory, the bolt pattern on my stock roller doesn't look like the photo at all. IIRC all three bolts were well forward of the headstay chainplate and it looks like the BWY anchor roller bolt holes straddle the chainplate.
Did you have to access the underside of the bolts from below to hold the nuts in place or was the entire swap done from outside the boat? If it was done from outside, what holds the nuts in the deck when you remove a bolt?

Thanks for any info you can provide!

Hopefully I can help answer your questions, though I would almost surely defer to the greater experience of the good folks at BWY and others on this forum. I was already aware of the fact that this BWY roller was not designed for anchor storage. In my present case this would be a Fortress FX-11 "main" (as recommended in these forums), a beautiful and ancient 20 lb. Wilcox & Crittenden Navy type spare like this one (a local craigslist find for $10 that looks like it's never even been used), and a couple of other spares that came with the Com-Pac 16 "Foundling": a biggish steel Danforth (maybe 20 lb.?) and a rather bizarre little 12 lb. "Digger" affair, as described here, which might do for a quick "lunch hook". This is why I have that big PVC tube shown hose-clamped to the pulpit. That's my provisional anchor holder, eminently suitable for whichever type anchor I may be using, and it can also double as a confetti cannon in a pinch, resolving any sticky launch ramp disputes or scattering pesky jetski swarms in a flash. I may one day get one of those bolt-on railing clamps, even though I am led to understand that the Fortress' "mud palms" may require some special added bracket, the design of which would seem to sort of compromise the mud palms' purpose in the first place (all of which may explain why lots of folks--maybe even most--don't even use those screw-on palms).

As for the BWY roller's mounting screws, the instructions assure one that no backing plate or nuts are needed, so they are just lagged right into the deck. Mine seems solid enough, and it's not like I'm running the rode up to a some deck-mounted monster winch. I guess we'll see. If anyone has experienced a failure with this type of roller or its recommended mounting, now would be a swell time to chime in.

[Bilgemaster]

The BWY one will not work for storage. It is really just a wheel. No way to protect deck, or secure anchor shank.

I bought a Seadog medium size roller with captive bracket, about $100.

I did this whole project recently and have been meaning to write up in Mods.

Here's a vid i shot with some narration of finished project: https://youtu.be/L3XKaPcsfhs

Thanks for the vid!...Looks like I'm your first "Like." I looked at a couple of anchor rollers, but went with BWY's 26X style one because it had the little offset bow light bracket and a cutout for the chainplate. If I'd had one of those raised rail-mounted bow lights, I might have gone a different way. For right now though, "easy" was the order of the day.

[Bilgemaster]

I am also interested. I just bought my boat and there is some kind of roller bracket mounted on the bow spit????? It makes it very difficult the bolt mast when trailering. I would like to change it out for this BWY roller. Has anyone seen the type of roller I mentioned?
Thx

A couple of photos of the area in question might really help clear this up. If you've never posted photos here before, tinypic.com is probably the easiest way, or Photobucket.

You have a bowsprit? That's typically a rather advanced mod in Macgregor 26Xs. You may have landed yourself a real thoroughbred there.

[LoHo]

Could the "not anchor storage" limitation be because there is no hardware included to do it? They might fear that someone will blame them if the anchor is just left balanced on the roller when trailering and come flying off under braking. It looks like it would be easy enough to rig some brackets to secure the anchor and chain and actually make it a place to sore the anchor.

[hschumac]

I agree with your take on the bow light. Pondered and pondered this project for almost a year.

Looked at the BWY version, looked around for easy options to mount light to the pulpit.

In the end for my purposes I thought the full anchor roller and side nav lights was the best of all worlds. Putting the side nav lights on was easy (3 small holes in the hull per side), cutting off the wire leading to the bow light, and branching it to the two different sides.

[Bilgemaster]

Could the "not anchor storage" limitation be because there is no hardware included to do it? They might fear that someone will blame them if the anchor is just left balanced on the roller when trailering and come flying off under braking. It looks like it would be easy enough to rig some brackets to secure the anchor and chain and actually make it a place to sore the anchor.

I agree. That BWY assembly itself is pretty hefty compared to some other anchor rollers in its sub-$100 price neighborhood I had looked at, many of which were clearly rather flimsy thin-guage affairs. It is certainly sturdy enough to be retrofitted to permanently hold an anchor, assuming one used proper bolts, nuts and a backing plate instead of the supplied 3 screws simply lagged into the deck. In fact, properly secured to and below the deck, I have little doubt that you could dangle a Dodge 360 V-8 engine block from it, let alone my 7 lb. Fortress. After all, the metal in its base must be at least close to 3/16" thick.

I am led to understand that early-model 26Xs may have some sort of access hatch within the cabin to the bow area of the deck, so perhaps securing such a backing plate under the deck might be an easier option for such owners. Frankly, I'm not sure. Mine is a later model (2001), so the process would certainly require a bit more "invasive surgery" than I am prepared to perform just now, merely to enjoy a marginal bit of convenience.

[paul I]

Depending on the type of anchor you prefer, this http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/us ... o?pid=9044 might be an option.

Has anyone installed one of these?

[RGF]

I have, Paul. Mine is on my bow pulpit holding a Fortress FX 11 to back up/assist my 39 Mantus on my radar arch for stern deployment since I mostly single-hand.

[Bilgemaster]

[...snip!]

By the way, anyone know what the part number is for the bulb? I found a lookalike at canadian tire but its just a little bit missized and it doesn't fit cleanly into the socket, its rather tight.

For what it's worth, the top of my factory original (as far as I know) 2001 Mac 26X's bow navigation light's housing reads in part: "Bulb 904-00384 A/S 1". Of course, yours may differ. I haven't had much luck googling that info for a match, but I'm sure the good folks at Blue Water Yachts can square you away with an incandescent replacement bulb. They seem to have several different types available, and should be able to match yours, assuming it isn't some oddball aftermarket replacement installed by a PO. In the event you might want to "update" to an LED bulb, then Doctor LED can see you now. I am pretty sure, based on their extensive catalog (which reads like a parts list for a Star Trek Galileo shuttlecraft's helm control board to me) that they could fit you out for the 21st century...at least. If it were me, before contacting the Doctor, I might grab the info from my other lighting too--especially in the cabin--and convert it all in one fell swoop. You might then save a loonie or two on shipping costs that way.



How a "Loonie" might appear these days


Just for your ready reference, these topics had come up in this forum a couple-few times before I came aboard. See especially this and this for some additional helpful info. There's also this posting from another forum. Apparently, voltage polarity is important in LEDs, though not in incandescents, so you might want to ask about reversible polarity bulbs (or stand a 50/50 chance of swapping the wire leads). Also, asking for "warm white" instead of "pure white" is recommended by many, most especially in the cabin lighting, since apparently the "pure white" can be a bit harsh and bluish and cold.

Good luck!