Bowsprit For 8M

[catalac08]

I fitted a box section laminated ply bowsprit in 2005 a couple of years after getting the 8m Cat Ballou. This enabled me to fly a 280 sq ft oversize Genoa off the wind, light winds and twin headsails downwind. Functionally totally a success apart from sightly fiddly sheeting back to the winches from a track on my rear cockpit wooden rails. However there was a slight lifting of the sprit as the bobstays were not really low enough to be totally effective. When rot started to show I replaced the wooden sprit with a 125mm square x 5mm thick stainless box section but being stiffer lifted more on the foredeck. Rather than fit low bobstays which would have interferred with the anchor deployment and any swinging mooring stops I decided to fit an "understay made from 125mmx50mm x 5mm stainless box section. It really came down to a choice of move the anchor winch to a central position with the problems of chain drop into the starboard locker or lw bobstays. Having spent a fair time setting up the anchor chain drop etc I chose the understay. This bolts under the foredeck and as far as I can tell any lift is to the whole front of the boat rather than trying to lift the foredeck. Some photos are attached in case others want to go that way.

[SteveH]

Sounds good but no pictures !

[Baste]

I have had thoughts about adding a bowsprit to my 9M to be able to set a larger headsail in light conditions. I have wondered about how to arrange it to not lift the foredeck. So if you have pictures of your successful arrangement I would be very interested to see them.

[catalac08]

Some pictures




One of the critical things to do with a bowsprit on a 8/9M catalac is where the windlass and anchor chain bow roller is. If the set up is central as originally intended then the bowsprit can have lower bobstays down to each hull and the anchor rode sits in the middle below the lower stays. If however the anchor bow roller is to either side where many owners have repositioned the set up in order to have the anchor chain run down into the port or starboard foredeck lockers. The central locker is too shallow to take any amount of chain without it blocking up every 10 ft. My anchor roller is to starboard where there is a good fall for the chain into the sb locker BUT in that position a lower stay becomes fouled by the anchor rode so a different solution is needed. The setup I have of 125x125mm x5mm stainless box section with the "understrut" of 100x50x5mm stainless box section seems to have no deck uplift and I am pleased with it. Sorry I could not upload the shot under the bridge deck but that is just about 4ft under the bridgedeck and through bolted to built up areas with GRP backing pads. I still have lateral side stays that also give a little upwards pull resistance too.
Incidently my new Knox 13kg Anchor fits very nicely around the 8M bridgedeck front profile.

[Jan Versteeg]

Thanks Catalc08, interesting, Do you have a picture of the foredeck in helicopterview?