Designing a stowable anchoring system for our cruising catamaran
If you have been following us on YT you will have seen our upgrades so far. One of the most major structural modifications has been replacing the front beam arrangement with a carbon fibre longeron and new front beam.
It has been a monumental undertaking and Shayne’s carbon fibre skills have been on display for all to see. We have decided to paint the beams black (yeah yeah it’s gonna be hot but it looks soooo cool) and have installed spectra netting for the trampoline. The nice thing about these old Catanas is that the cockpit space and trampoline areas are HUGE!
Now its time for an anchor. We needed a system that would be reliable but also protect all of that beautiful carbon fibre. Plus, we wanted to be able to take the anchor off the front beam and stow it away in the anchor locker for longer passages. As you know, weight is critical of our boat and being able to move weight aft to help with trim is a major bonus.
We used recycled sail cloth from the mainsail to make a sockmfornthe anchor chain to run through. This protects the netting, the boat and littlentoes from being caught or damaged. The soft sock meant we can still coilmup the chain and put it straight into the anchor locker. The end pieces that lock into place are HDPE irrigation pipe that you can source from most agricultural supply shops. The anchor roller and carbon protection we recycled from the old anchor system.
We are super happy with the solution we have come up with. Check out the build process and finished product in this video.