Re: Pulpit and lewmar windlass for 86 bayliner ciera 2450
Ya im going to measure that soon. The guy said it needed to be 14-16 inches deep. What if its just shorter? Like why would my boat have an anchor locker if its not big enough for a windlass? Or do people manually anchor the bow and then take it all the way into there cuddy to put it in the anchor locker? This just doesnt make sense.
I just want to anchor at the press of the button without having to get up there or make mu girlfriend get up there and toss the anchor. I dont mind spending some money. Im not cheap but im deffinatelely not rich lol. Thanks!
1. I'm not quite picturing your setup. Are you saying that your locker doesn't have an outer hatch on the bow? How do you store your anchor now? My 21' and my 24' (express cruiser similar to yours) both had a bow anchor locker with a large access hatch. The locker stored both the anchor and rode. My 27' only has a smallish access port, but it came from the factory with a bow roller and windlass.
2. It isn't as simple as just pushing a button. Somebody will still need to be at the bow when you deploy and retrieve the anchor, PARTICULARLY if you don't have sufficient free-fall space below the pulpit/roller. Rode backs up in the locker and jams in the gipsy. Hockles in the line jam in the gipsy. A ragged chain splice end jams in the hole leading to the locker. Somebody needs to be up there to clear the jams when they happen. It isn't effortless. If you single-hand the boat, consider putting a foot switch at the bow in addition to the one on the dash.
3. Boats smaller than mine don't commonly have a windlass due to the 'shallowness' of the locker. On a 24', an owner who wants a 'powered' solution typically looks at a winch instead of a windlass, but it depends on the boat. I personally don't think you have enough locker depth for a windlass. If it can be made to work, the locker will fill up fast - you may need to limit your rode length to less than 100'.
I'd also suggest you go to the owners' 'club' at the Bayliner corporate site and see what other owners think before you spend the money.
My.02