Anchor Pulpit Project

[Mark42]

Making a small anchor pulpit to hold a #8 Hooker brand (Danforth style) anchor. The parts are as follows: The anchor is 24" long x 18" wide and weighs about 10 lbs. The board is mahogany 3.5" x 1.125" left over from a outdoor deck project. Its heavy, solid, and more than strong enough to hold 10 lbs of anchor on a pounding sea. Also, two Attwood side style navigation lights are needed to replace the original center mounted light, 4 feet of 1/4" stainless steel anchor chain with two shackles, and a stainless anchor roller (16' long x 2.5" wide).

The pulpit will be through bolted to the bow. The entire area in front of the hatch has plywood (5/8" I think) laminated underneath so through bolting will spread the load out nicely.

I'm wondering about the mahogany being a good choice. Was planning on coating it with two coats of epoxy resin (I already have the epoxy and want to use it before it goes bad). But I'm not sure if the mahogany is too oily a wood for epoxy to make a good bond to.

Think the mahogany is OK to use or should I just go with plywood covered with epoxy/glass and paint it to match the boat?

 

[Mark42]

Re: Anchor Pulpit Projec t

Re: Anchor Pulpit Projec t

The anchor needs to be fastened tightly in place on the Anchor Roller. This seems to be the most common latch mechanism. I think it works by hooking into the anchor chain and pulling it tight, forcing the blades of the anchor up tight against the roller end of the anchor roller. The pin keeps it from popping open by accident.

Can any one that has one of these tell me how well they work and if its the right or best piece to use to hold the anchor down?

Thanks!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Anchor Pulpit Projec t

Re: Anchor Pulpit Projec t

Just posting because I remembered that epoxy can not handle UV rays without being painted or coated with something like Spar Varnish. Been reading about spar varnish and its application on mahogany. From what I read, spar varnish is a better product to use on the soft mahogany because it stays "soft" and will move with the woods expansion and contraction. Epoxy hardens very hard, and will crack sooner than the spar varnish will due to expansion/contraction. So I'm going with spar varnish. Probably 4 coats as is recommended for this type application.

Now I need one more piece of hardware. Something to tie off the anchor line to.

Should I go with a mooring bit (aka bollard) or a simple cleat. Thinking of mounting it in front of the hatch, in line with the anchor roller.

I like this SS cleat, and plan to replace all the cleats with this style eventually...

And this mooring bit....

I'm leaning toward the mooring bit because it just looks so right.